# How to raise a dog friendly dog?



## lg326692 (May 27, 2011)

I recently got a German Shepherd/Lab mix, he is 9 weeks old. I've been trying to socialize him with other dogs that I see on walks, but most are very poorly behaved. I always ask the other dog owner from a great distance away if it is a good or bad idea for our dogs to meet, and they usually assure me that their dog is friendly and that it would be great. Its frustrating that 2 out of the 3 dogs I've tried this with have dominated him immediately. One was large and strong enough that the owner couldn't hold on to the leash, and for a second I thought he would kill my puppy.

My pup hasn't shown any aggression, but since he will grow to be a big dog I want to make sure I'm never in the same position as the other dog's owner. I want to raise a dog that I can confidently assure people will be friendly to their smaller dog. I know that socialization is important, but clearly I am doing it wrong. What is the right way to approach it?


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

First... be careful socializing a puppy who hasn't received all of his shots. There are plenty of nasty and possibly fatal things he can catch at this age from other dogs.

Second... and once all shots are done... get him in a puppy class. It's a controlled environment with other puppies about his age that he can interact with. Plus he'll get to meet all of the other puppies owners in the class. It's very good for socialization.

Introducing him to dogs with bad social skills is probably even worse than not having him meet other dogs at all. All of these negative experience can really hurt his development. That's why I never like dog parks... you never know who's coming in and out. 

Puppy class and other dogs you know (friends or family with dogs for example) are safe is the way to go. Much more controlled for the best possible experience.


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## Mac's Mom (Jun 7, 2010)

I totally agree with the puppy class. Best thing we ever did.

I'm a big fan of dog parks though once he's older.


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## Mac's Mom (Jun 7, 2010)

Also, do you have any friends or family that you can set up play dates with? Dogs that you already know are well socialized?


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## lg326692 (May 27, 2011)

He's had some of his shots, but not all yet. I have heard that it is more important to socialize early than to wait until the vaccinations are over. Either way, he grew up around lots of other dogs and other animals (and it was very dirty) so if he was going to catch something I think he'd have it by now.

I do know some friendly dogs that I will bring him to see, but they are in another city that is quite a drive away. I plan on going in a few weeks once he's better housetrained and can handle a longer drive.


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

Try looking for puppy play groups in your area. Some local boarding or training facilites may offer those. Or you can search a meetup website.

I am very selective with the strange dogs mine are allowed to meet. I've usually already assessed the other dog's body language before they even get close to us and decided if we will avoid them or not. I also only let the dogs meet when both dogs are calm. If either of the dogs are jumping or pulling, we wait until they calm down or skip it. Another important thing is to keep meetings short and sweet to minimize the chance of something going wrong.


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

Please be very careful with dogs you do not know, all you will need is 1 tramatic experience and you will be spending hours and hours trying to undo the damage that has been done. 
My girl is 16 months old now and I have made it my #1 priority to make sure she is well socialized and friendly. However I don't feel it is necessary for us to go up to every dog we meet and introduce them. Why? Because you just don't know that other dog or what that other dog will do. When my girl sees other dogs out and about it's no big deal to her and we continue on our way. If we meet a friend and their dog we let them greet each other.


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

I wouldn't recommend allowing him to say hello to dogs on the street. first problem is that will teach him bad habits. He will think every dog he sees is a dog he gets to introduce himself too. This will turn him into a barking or whining fit because he wants to say hello. Then he will build frustration and it will escalate and you will have to work that much harder to stop it

If you want your dog to be social don't allow him to be dominated. Don't allow him at a young age to have negative experiences. Teach him self control. "you have to sit before you are allowed to go say hello to the other dog" this will help him calm down before the greeting so he thinks more about saying a proper greeting instead of charging the dog and causing a confrontation. 

Take your dog for a walk with the other dog you want him to interact with. Keep in mind even with a young dog well socialized, German Shepherds are not social butterflies. He may just turn out to be a dog who doesn't care to say hello and make best friends with every dog. If you expect that from a German Shepherd you should have gotten a lab. 


"Socialization" the word pounded into every puppy owners head, is not giving the time to play with other dogs. Socialization consists of desensitizing your dog to everything in life they are going to see. 
Take them to Home Depot, let them hear loud noises, weird smells, see lots of people passing, watch fork lifts drive by, carts etc. 

Parking lots and parking garages are strange. Big concrete areas with giant cars driving by. 

Expose your dog to new floors, slippery floors, hard wood floors, carpet, wooden stairs, big open storm drains, Go for a walk next to a high way, next to a herd of cows, let him hear cars honking, kids screaming at a ball game etc.
Go to the vet and hang out on a busy day, set up a socialization appointment were the vet, the techs, the receptionists all come and say hello and just spoil your puppy with treats so he makes positive associations. 

These are all things our dogs are exposed to that we never think twice about. But in reality our dogs are thinking about them more than twice. If a dog is not socialized to these things, Even the most solid of dogs is going to second guess themselves a little when these situations arise. 


This should be your main priority at this point. I personally would not recommend dog parks but everyone has different opinions on what to do with their dogs. If you are going to go to dog parks, at the very least for the sake of your puppies sanity and safety do not bring him at this age. 
A dog park is a breeding ground for diseases, worms, parasites, and terribly out of control dogs to come dominate and fight your dog. All too often the dog park turns a dog into a dominant aggressive brat, or makes your dog a fearful fear biter. 
Some people get lucky, some dogs handle the situations well, some parks are better than others. 
I personally refuse to put my dogs at risk, the cons far out weigh the pro's of a park.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Lots of good advice here. On leash greetings can be problematic, even for "friendly" dogs. Puppy classes are great for socialization, especially if you can hook up with other owners for some between class play groups at each other's houses. If you have friends with KNOWN friendly, healthy, vaccinated dogs, you can arrange play dates at your house or theirs. It should be a fun, positive experience for your puppy, so make sure that the dog is good with puppies. 

With my dogs, who I do take to off leash parks for play and exercise (we have a TINY yard, not even big enough to throw a ball for them), I have separate rules for on leash - off leash you can greet other dogs if you want to, on leash you're with me. Sometimes there will be dogs on flexis wandering all over the path with a clueless owner and if it looks like I won't be able to prevent a greeting, I put it on cue - if there's time I'll have my dog sit first and look at me and then release them to "go say hi", otherwise, I release immediately.

Part of the park where we walk, off the paved path out on the dirt trails, is off leash under voice control, but I keep my dogs on leash because I treat all walks as training walks and also it's next to a lake that people and dogs are not allowed to swim or wade in. My dogs LOVE to swim and I KNOW they'd be in the water in a hot second if they were off leash! So occasionally a meeting is inevitable, and if a dog is running up to mine and ignoring the owner, i will release to say hi and give them the length of the leash. I keep the meeting brief, stay calm, upbeat, and loose, and then "okay, let's go!" and we continue walking. The longer dogs are allowed to greet on leash, the more likely it's going to get snarky, especially if there's tension on the leash, or _you're_ tense.

As the previous poster said, socialization doesn't mean your dog has to get up close and personal, just being around new people/places/things/dogs is socialization too.


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## lrodptl (Nov 12, 2009)

Unfortunately,the surprise meeting of 2 dogs strange to each other on separate walks does not provide the best chance for a successful meeting.Too many unknowns about the other dog. Greetings should never be head on but side by side and not rushed,impossible to achieve without the cooperation of the other owner. Better to teach your dog to ignore unless both owners agree to take a few minutes and do a side by side walk,slow introduction,then sniff,but never head on. Socialization of your dog does not guarantee his safety from a strange dog, if either dog exhibits bad manners or are rushed to sniff.
I never take another owner's word for it,if the few minutes is not agreed to then I simply continue on my way,without any meeting. These things can go haywire unexpectedly and quickly.
Surprise off leash meetings are unavoidable,your dog must be 100% recall trained,to pull him out of aggressive escalations.


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## Adams (Jun 1, 2011)

You recently got this dog and you know very well that Shepherd is a aggressive nature dog.So be patient and wait a bit more ...if you get failed then you may get the services
of a trainer.


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## goatdude (Mar 3, 2009)

Adams said:


> You recently got this dog and you know very well that Shepherd is a aggressive nature dog.


untrue


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## jkscandi50 (Nov 17, 2010)

We had Kai in a puppy play class every Saturday until he was 9 mos. old - - the person who runs it is an animal behaviorist - she has pups in a big ring with her - the owners sit outside of it - she would let you know who to put in at what time - sometimes 20 pups - sometimes 4-5 depending on energy level etc. It was the best thing ever for Kai - it let the pups be pups and taught them how to be dogs - he is a more grounded boy because of that class (which she provides for free! - just wants paper towel donations LOL), and is much better with approaching other dogs as well. Kai has also been through a pup kindergarten, basic obedience, and now we're in an intermediate class - possibly going to go to rally etc. - I'll have him in some sort of class for the rest of his life, I believe it's good for his head (and mine)


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I would prefer to shoot for a NEUTRAL dog; one that is ok with introductions but does not have any desire to play with strange dogs. It sure makes life a lot easier and keeps the dog focused on me.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Adams said:


> Y... Shepherd is a aggressive nature dog


That is 100% FALSE. A *well-bred and properly trained* German Shepherd is NOT aggressive by nature.


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