24/07/2022
DON’T FORCE ME TO BE SOCIAL!
We expect that dogs should naturally like all other dogs and want to be friends, after all they’re the same species! Many owners have the expectation of their dog happily interacting and befriending other dogs at parks or when out walking, thoroughly enjoying the chance to engage with the same species, but the reality is often very different, leaving owners feeling frustrated and irritated and wondering what’s wrong with their dog.
Dogs are not that different from us when it comes to social preferences. As people, do we like every person we meet? Do we want to be friends with everyone with meet? Are we all social beings who love to be surrounded by people? The answer is no, but somehow, we assume that our dogs should be.
The sociability scale of dogs is influenced by early socialization and experiences, genetics, environmental factors, what they have learned through life experience and their own individual circumstances. Certain breeds are naturally more reserved than others.
Early socialization, habituation and positive experiences are vitally important and should not just stop after puppy hood, but ideally continue throughout life. A dog’s social tolerance can be improved or may even change through careful behaviour modification and management, but sometimes, we just need to accept that our dog is just not that into other dogs and that’s ok. Every dog is an individual and once we have done all we can to improve their social abilities we need to just accept and love them for who they are and never force them to be something that they’re not.
