The Golden Key To Making Your Dog Calm, Confident, and Social

Have you ever seen a super aggressive dog that can't be around any moving creature without growling and biting?

Well, this is more common than you would imagine.

Most dogs can’t be around other dogs or people simply because they’re either super aggressive, or extremely shy and scared of anyone outside of their owner. 

Now, this is a problem that most people don’t know how to fix. 

BUT, fear not, because this article will help you turn any aggressive, shy, and unsocial dog into a calm, confident, and extremely social one, friendly towards kids, other dogs, and even your pet alligator. 

So, let's dive right into it.

The answer to all of your puppy problems is… Dog socialization!

What Even Is Dog Socialization?

Dog socialization is when your dog goes out into the world and experiences different things that he’s/she’s never experienced before. 

Whether they’re new sights, sounds, or smells. 

Different objects and surfaces. 

Meeting people of all ages, from children to full grown adults. 

Introducing him/her to other dogs.

Or even meeting other species of animals.

So, you might be wondering, when should you start socializing your dog?

The Best Time To Start Socializing Your Dog

A famous saying goes “The best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago, the second best time is now.” 

And the same goes for your furry buddy: the best time to start socializing is when they’re a pup, so if they’re not a pup anymore, the best time is NOW.

This brings us to the second common question… 

“How do I even socialize my dog?”

Now, before we get into that juicy information, we must give you the spider senses required to sense if your dog is stressed or overwhelmed by what's happening. 

Unlock Your Spidey Senses

Your dog needs to be introduced to new things very slowly. This is so they don’t get overwhelmed and/or transform into king kong.

But what if your dog still gets overwhelmed? How can you tell?

There are a few indicators you can look out for:

• Pulled-back ears

• Looking away

• Shaking

• Lip-licking

• Whining or whimpering

If you notice that these responses are happening, you may need to move your dog further away from the object or animal. 

If your pup becomes startled, quickly distract it and bring its attention to you or a toy. 

This will reduce the possibility of your pup from getting scared and developing a negative response to that experience. 

Now, getting all of the important negative stuff out of the way, how can you tell if your dog is taking the new experience well?

First of all, if you don’t notice any of the negative responses, that’s already a great sign. 

And if your pup has their ears forward, is wagging their tail, and is moving forward towards the object, then it’s safe to slowly approach it. 

REMEMBER, your pup doesn’t need to experience everything at once. Slow and brief exposure is enough for the first few experiences.

Best Ways To Make Your Dog Social

Ok, now that you’ve gained your spidey senses and know how to tell if your pup is enjoying or not enjoying the new experiences, we can get into the best ways to make your dog sociable.

1) The first thing you can do is allow quick, positive interactions with adults and children. If you don’t know anyone with children, going to a park and allowing your dog to see and hear children will help your dog to get used to that.

2) The second thing you can do is create a socialization schedule for your dog. This is where you schedule the times that you will take your dog out to socialize.

I would recommend you to take your pup out to socialize at least 2-3 times a week. 

(Quick tip: always make sure that you’re rewarding your dog for positive interactions. This will make him understand that what he’s doing is good.)

3) Once your dog is vaccinated and no longer aggressive, you can take your pup to a dog daycare. This will allow your pup to be around other peers and play with them as much as he/she wants.

Now, if you’re looking for a dog daycare with 24/7 monitoring, runs though a home, gives daily pup updates throughout the day, and has over 20,000sq feet of land to run and play on, you can come to D's Doggy Daycare and give your pup the experience he/she deserves.

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