An interesting find

Can My Dog Play with Yours?
We all want our dogs to be able to get along with other dogs. Many people would like to take their dogs to dog parks, and watch them socialize with their own species. Others would just like their dogs to be civil with other dogs. But all dogs do not like all other dogs, and we as owners need to be aware of this, and to plan for it. We take puppies from their moms at the tender age of 8
weeks for one reason only - to bond with humans and learn to live in our society.
Why would we then throw that same dog back into the canine mix, with a bunch
of dogs he doesn't know, and who might have some undesirable social qualities?
Not necessarily a good idea. On the other hand, dogs should learn how to
interact with others - so how do you teach them?
Most puppies tend to want to meet other dogs, and to play with them. Some dogs
- in particular some breeds of dogs - will continue to love pretty much anyone
throughout their whole lives. However, that’s not true of all dogs. As dogs get
older, they become more discriminating about their friends, just as humans do.
This begins to happen at social maturity - anytime after 2 or so. Some adult dogs
do not like any strange dogs at all. Dogs are community-oriented animals - as
they mature, they usually interact primarily with their social group and they often
see other dogs as a potential threat. Many would like a slow introduction, and
some don’t want any new relationships.
The process of canine greeting is and should be quite complex. Dogs
communicate primarily with their bodies. Left with their canine mom, they'd learn
how to approach strange dogs with respect. Often our dogs lack those skills,
because they weren't exposed to knowledgeable adult dogs at the right time. As
a result, some dogs greet other dogs by racing towards them pell-mell, possibly
leaping all over them, or they bark and act afraid. It's our job to protect our dogs
from inappropriate play behavior - and to help teach them who is safe and who
isn't.
Recognizing play can be difficult at times. Generally speaking, dogs who are
playing change their "roles" quite often, and their play is fairly jerky, with short
freezes. Thus, one dog might be on top of another, and then, suddenly the
second dog is on top. One dog might be chasing another dog, quickly turn and
be chased. Often, play will be accompanied by "play bows," where one or both
dogs will stretch out their forelegs, drop their front end and raise their hind end.
Some dogs play very noisily, while others are quiet. Some breeds or breed types
play very differently from one another (for instance, German Shepherds tend to
play growl a lot; Boxers tend to want to jump on top of other dogs; Labs often run
into other dogs, sometimes accidentally, sometimes not). Problems can arise if
two dogs have incompatible play styles, and have trouble communicating with
each other.
A common mistake we humans make is thinking that a dog who growls or snaps
is always the aggressor. Though that can be the case, it often isn’t! Imagine a
complete stranger walking up to you and giving you a hug – would you laugh and
tell him he’s wonderful? Of course not – you’d ask him to leave you alone,
perhaps quite emphatically. We humans have greeting rituals, like quick eye
contact, shaking hands, or just saying hello. We give each other space before
initiating an intimate involvement. So too with dogs, who should approach each
other politely and slowly, and then ask to play.
Another strange myth that has popped up lately is one that dogs are always
trying to dominate each other. If dogs know each other – even for a few minutes
– they may attempt to figure out who’s stronger and smarter. However, body
slamming (running into another dog) and mounting (self explanatory!) are actions
of adolescent dogs and are usually just plain rude! The dogs are experimenting
with their power; they’re not actually trying to figure out whose boss.
Dominating behavior actually requires some sort of incipient or established
relationship. Imagine yourself at a cocktail party, where there are a variety of
people you don’t know. Some will be more forceful than others, and some could
actually be rude. Their actions, however, don’t mean that they’re establishing a
relationship. That’s just their way of communicating, crass as that may be.
However, in a more formal relationship, such as a family, or work group,
someone usually is the acknowledged leader. And that “boss” may NOT be the
boss in another situation.
Until social maturity, we recommend that you socialize your dog to other dogs,
but very carefully. One traumatic experience can shape his attitude towards other
dogs forever. If he's being bullied at a dog park, you should leave immediately. If
he begins to BE a bully, jumping on top of other dogs, or chasing them, he
should only play with dogs who can handle that. If you think your dog is
uncomfortable, frightened or acting inappropriately, you should take action. Think
of yourself as a parent rather than an onlooker, and manage the environment as
much as you can.
Socialization at Dog Training Classes
During puppy classes, we encourage socialization, with a great deal of owner
interaction. This is because the class is primarily to help your dog bond to you,
and for you to develop communication skills with your puppy. Puppy classes are
not really playgroups, though compatible puppies can develop great relationships
with each other. As the pups are playing, we as “parents” should be watching
and intervening if necessary. Puppies that hide under chairs or their owners legs
are not happy, and shouldn’t be forced to play. Pups that crash into other
puppies have to be calmed down fairly often to avoid over-excitement.
Classes for adolescent and adult dogs tend to have little or no canine
socialization time. As dogs get older, dog play and socialization can be very
tricky to organize – as we indicated, some of the dogs in class are not interested
in other dogs, and their feelings should be respected. In addition, classes are
aimed at having your dog obey and respect you. In real life, you should be able
to control whether your dog meets and plays with another dog. In many classes,
we actually teach ways to get past other dogs without socializing!
Of course, we encourage you to make friends with other people in class and their
dogs, and to set aside time for socialization.
The Marin Humane Society, Animal Behavior & Training, Trish King, Autumn—2002.

[Bonniesmummy]

Thanks for that Linda, that was a very interesting read indeed

Interesting, Linda. I regularly go on group walks with 6 GSDs, the dynamics of their behaviour is very interesting. Generally the boys (all neutered) do their own thing, a bit of interaction, but they're more interested in the walk than the other dogs.

The 3 girls however it's always a handbag session and they're always looking at what the other girls are doing, very competitive with each other. 2 of the girls are entire, but not for long.. will be interesting to see if that affects anything.

Originally Posted by Anni

Interesting, Linda. I regularly go on group walks with 6 GSDs, the dynamics of their behaviour is very interesting. Generally the boys (all neutered) do their own thing, a bit of interaction, but they're more interested in the walk than the other dogs.

The 3 girls however it's always a handbag session and they're always looking at what the other girls are doing, very competitive with each other. 2 of the girls are entire, but not for long.. will be interesting to see if that affects anything.

Your very Lucky, we have nothing like that around hereNearest is Louth about 15 miles away but Kiaser and Troy have to be assessed before they are allowed only £150
Let us know how it goes please
Linda x

[nickynockynoonoo]

Thanks for posting that
Nicky

[Stuart]

Dog behaviour is always very interesting to watch, I remember how the behavour of my three completly changed when we had nero here, how they split into two pairs on our hill walks,...and how quickly they changed back once Nero went.

I just watched a great program on the Yellowstone wolves and how dogs react to other packs or single dogs in the wild

Dog behaviour is always very interesting to watch, I remember how the behavour of my three completly changed when we had nero here, how they split into two pairs on our hill walks,...and how quickly they changed back once Nero went.



I just watched a great program on the Yellowstone wolves and how dogs react to other packs or single dogs in the wild

Stuart, have you heard how Nero is doing since he found his forever home? I remember he was a lovely dog when you fostered him.

What channel was that wolves programme on? Would like to 'watch again' if its available.

[Stuart]

The wolves program was the second I have seen about the Yellowstone Wolves,.. it usualy centers around a pack called the Druids,... the first program was last year,.. it was on Skye`s Natgeowild HD channel,... I taped it, it was on last week sometime.

I have to tell you though, that it is a no holds barred program, it does cover the pack being killed off by another pack leaving only four of them,... then following them untill they were strong enough to retake the valley back,..also by force

This program followed a wolve they called black wolve, wolves in Yellowstone usualy only live about five years before being killed,... black Wolve lived to over ten,.. because he did some very unusual things to stay alive,.... evenualy becomeing the leader of the Druids,...untill one day he disapeared presumed killed

Nero went to a single man in Perth, I took him there during the bad snows

[lauraburns]

I caught a bit of the yellowstone wolves programme, and recorded the rest. I love those sorts of programmes!

[Heather]

Interesting read Linda