Can you over socialize your dog?
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It is very difficult to over-stimulate a two- to four-month-old socialized puppy and there is simply no need to slow things down. However, socializing a socialized puppy is very different from rehabilitating an insufficiently socialized (shy or fearful) puppy or dog.
That said, for a general guideline, dogs should get a minimum of two hours of dedicated social time with humans or other dogs on a daily basis, which can be broken up into chunks of time over the course of the day.
Do dogs like other dogs or humans more?
We now have data that suggests that we have selectively bred the domestic dog so that it is strongly biased to love humans (or at least one human) more strongly than it loves other dogs.
Without proper socialization, dogs may become anxious and fearful of anything unfamiliar. This could give rise to serious behavioral problems, such as aggression or nervous behavior.
Very frequent social contact, however, provides little health benefit and may even cause harm (e.g., higher stress, greater mortality risk). People need to be mindful of the effects of frequent social contact and to find healthy ways to cope with it (e.g., set boundaries, alone time).
How do I train my dog to be more social with other dogs?
How to Socialize a Dog with Other Dogs
- Take Your Dog Out to Observe Other Dogs. Go to a dog park but don’t go in.
- Resist Tugging While Walking.
- Go to Dog Training Classes.
- Ignore Your Dog’s Unwanted Behaviors.
- Act Like Everything is Normal When He Acts Out.
- Introduce People Slowly.
- Read more dog training tips on Dogster.com:
Are dogs happier with other dogs?
Dogs are social animals and usually happier around other dogs, but a second dog will never be a substitute for inattentive, absent or too busy owners.