Trigger (5 months) and Sophie (7 months) are pictured above just hanging out together, not playing. This is harder than it may appear. Spoiler alert, yes they want to play with each other, and no they aren't tired, they are just behaving themselves!
Socialization. We all hear about how important it is, especially for young dogs, but we never hear what socialization is supposed to look like. Perhaps because another bad slogan often tossed around in the dog training world is "a tired dog is a good dog", many owners think that simply allowing their dogs to run a muck, romp, and burn energy with other dogs is socialization. They think that as long as there wasn't a dog fight and their dog was tired at the end of it then it was a success. The problem with this is your dog is not being offered any guidance on how they should socialize. So they often end up practicing being extremely excited or aroused around other dogs. Most dogs love the excitement and can't get enough of it. They struggle to follow even basic known commands when they are playing with other dogs and this often grows into struggling to listen to their owners even if other dogs are around on walks etc. On the flip side, some dogs feel very uncomfortable and overwhelmed with this haphazard socialization, and they become fearful or reactive towards other dogs. So what is the solution? Guidance. Boundaries. And clear expectations. Any type of "socialization" lacking these things is just you turning your dog loose and hoping for the best. I'd personally rather be a leader, and help my dog practice socializing in a way that brings out good behaviors. Can they ever play with other dogs? Sure! But I like to see them equally skilled at just hanging out calmly around other dogs. The latter typically takes much more practice than the former. I like to be intentional to focus on teaching my dogs and my clients dogs how to hang out around other dogs and mind their own business when they're asked to. It's one of the best tricks your dog will ever learn.
Socialization. We all hear about how important it is, especially for young dogs, but we never hear what socialization is supposed to look like. Perhaps because another bad slogan often tossed around in the dog training world is "a tired dog is a good dog", many owners think that simply allowing their dogs to run a muck, romp, and burn energy with other dogs is socialization. They think that as long as there wasn't a dog fight and their dog was tired at the end of it then it was a success. The problem with this is your dog is not being offered any guidance on how they should socialize. So they often end up practicing being extremely excited or aroused around other dogs. Most dogs love the excitement and can't get enough of it. They struggle to follow even basic known commands when they are playing with other dogs and this often grows into struggling to listen to their owners even if other dogs are around on walks etc. On the flip side, some dogs feel very uncomfortable and overwhelmed with this haphazard socialization, and they become fearful or reactive towards other dogs. So what is the solution? Guidance. Boundaries. And clear expectations. Any type of "socialization" lacking these things is just you turning your dog loose and hoping for the best. I'd personally rather be a leader, and help my dog practice socializing in a way that brings out good behaviors. Can they ever play with other dogs? Sure! But I like to see them equally skilled at just hanging out calmly around other dogs. The latter typically takes much more practice than the former. I like to be intentional to focus on teaching my dogs and my clients dogs how to hang out around other dogs and mind their own business when they're asked to. It's one of the best tricks your dog will ever learn.