Dogs are a great addition to our lives and our families. With the right training, loads of love and affection, they will become well behaved pets. There are numerous breeds of dogs globally, and you can find one according to your aspect. They also vary a lot in their size. Dogs who are not socialized can get nervous. Is your dog gets too excited around other dogs? This nervousness can lead to aggressiveness, making them harm their immediate environments. These dogs can attack the other dogs or bite the owner, ranging from mild to injurious. Using hurtful words or harmful actions to train them will only worsen the situation and make the dog stubborn. We are here to help you with why socialization important and how to socialize an aggressive dog tips from pet experts.
Why Socialize a Dog?
The reason to socialize dogs is to get them familiar with other dogs, animals and humans so that when they come in contact with them, they do not panic. A part of dog training includes making them socialize with other dogs and how to greet other people.
We often come across dogs who look very adorable and lovable, but as they are not socialized enough, they can be very aggressive and keep barking all the time. Dogs who aren’t trained to socialize don’t make friends or have a harder time making friends as their first instinct is to bite the dog or dominate it. It happens in small-sized dogs as they are very insecure about their body.
Canines are very territorial animals, and when they aren’t trained well, they do not respond well to other animals or humans in their space. Here is complete step by step guide on how to socialize an older dog with expert tips.
How To Socialize A Dog?
#1 Start young
It is very important to start their training from a very young age. Be it from potty training or teaching them how to give a handshake, they become confident in anything they are taught and do it properly.
#2 Hiring a trainer
The most preferred type of training is given by the dog trainers who are very experienced and well versed in this area. As they know how to handle and deal with all sorts of dogs. They start this training by first teaching them the basics, making them do numerous exercises and introducing them to other dogs. The core aspect is to appreciate them when they do not growl at other dogs and rather make friends.
#3 Training at home
Another way can be to train them at home, but that requires a lot of patience. It can also become very frustrating as you might not be in the mood, or the dog might not be. You can start slowly by first training them by exposing them to other senses, which will help them differentiate one from another.
#4 Bribing with Treats
Giving immediate treats to dogs while training them creates positive feedback in their mind. This way, they will do the task more. In the ongoing training, it’s always important to give the dogs immediate rewards as they respond to that better.
#5 Take help of Timer
Another way is to use the timer method, and you can time them as to how much time they are taking to learn a particular task. In this way, you will have a count and a grip on the time spent on training.
#6 Be Consistent
- When the training has started, it is important to stay consistent.
- If the training gets delayed by a couple of months or years, it is hard to shape their minds and each them discipline.
- It can also happen that the dog might forget what they practiced before if you are not consistent with the training.
- As the age progresses, it gets much harder to control them.
#7 Start Slow
The goal is to make sure the dog learns everything properly and takes his time, rushing him through the process won’t help anyone. So it is better to start taking the training slowly, giving enough time for the dog to get comfortable with one habit at a time and then move on to other things. It is also necessary to keep realistic goals in mind. Once the dog begins walking without a leash in the playground, you can take him to the road without it. They can start learning the small habits slowly, and you can also imbibe habits to stay calm and down and avoid danger.
How to Train an Older Dog?
# Schedule play dates
You can schedule playdates with other dogs. A group of dogs may come together and play in a controlled fence environment or a completely safe playground. With this, the dog can slowly start socializing with other dogs.
# Positive Attitude
The most important thing to remember is a positive attitude and a great mindset. It’s all a new experience for your dog, and you may not get desired results all the time, but slow and steady wins the race.
#Toys
You should also get them more puppy toys to play with, when they start learning to play with toys and take care of them, they might start accepting other dogs. It may seem like an unachievable task, but it can be done with practice.
#Dog Parks
You can take them to dog parks, dog events, or cafes to help them get more socialized with other dogs. Dogs have their language of interacting with other dogs, and it may include anything from sniffing to playfully holding their neck. Once they get comfortable with other dogs, they become calm in unseen situations.
# Interaction with other people
They should be made to interact with the dogs in the neighbourhood and with the people around them.
# Avoid Bad Situations
You should protect your dog and the other one if the situation starts tense and they start growling at each other.
# Changing Routes
Instead of taking the usual route for a walk, try taking the dog on a new route, it might expose him to new things that will help him socialize.
There might be times when your dog can get nervous when placed in a different situation. In such situations, you’ve to support your dog and not say hurtful things or take harmful methods to train them or punish them.
Lastly, if the dog is grown up and more than 2 years of age, it may not be possible to train your dog. The only thing that can be done now is to make sure you love your dog unconditionally and give him your full support and attention. Even if the dog isn’t comfortable around other dogs, he might be lovable to family members. The happiness of our dog is all that matters.
Conclusion
Any animal given the proper training will start to socialize with other animals and humans. Dogs want our love and attention, and they don’t ask much in return. People of all ages love playing with dogs. Once your pet shows signs of a confident dog, it will get comfortable with a small group of people or pets, they will stay calm in a large group.