Dogs are social creatures. They can be easily adapted to living in groups, and they even tend to be great at interpreting human behavior and gestures. However, this doesn’t mean that all dogs will naturally be friendly and social. Sometimes, training your dog to be more social is also necessary.

Ideally, you should start training your puppies early on by exposing them to new people and new experiences within the first year of their lives. This is the time when dogs are more receptive and sensitive. So the more you socialize them with other dogs and people, the better it is. However, even if you’ve missed this time frame, you can still take some steps to improve your dog’s social behavior. Let’s take a look at how.

Training Your Dog to Be More Social

Before you start training your dog to be more social, you need to understand that being over-friendly is also not a healthy trait in dogs. If your dog tends to get excited and tries to lunge at everyone, not only could it be scary for someone who isn’t used to dogs, but it can also be dangerous. Your dog could pull away from its leash while outside and get lost. Or worse, it could run into traffic. So, make sure that you are aware of your dog’s social tendencies before taking them out in public.

On the contrary, some dogs can get timid and scared when exposed to larger crowds. Forcing them to interact with people will create a negative experience for them. This will make them unhappy, and as a consequence, it would make you unhappy as well.

Irrespective of how dog’s natural behavior, you can take the following steps to help them become more social.

· Frequently Take Them Out For Walks

One of the easiest and most effective ways of training your dog to be more social is to take them out for walks on a regular basis. However, make sure that you aren’t taking them to heavily crowded areas if they aren’t used to being around that many people. Even a walk around the block can expose your little furbaby to new sights, smells, and sounds, as well as humans and animals.

It provides them with an adequate opportunity for social interactions without getting too overwhelmed. This will also give you the perfect opportunity to analyze their behavior and how they react in public. Once they are used to walking around the block, you can expand their social circle by taking them to slightly more crowded places, such as the local park or pet-friendly cafes.

· Have A Few People Over

Hosting small get-togethers and making your dog an active part of the party can make it more comfortable around other people. Start by inviting two or three friends and hosting them in a place where your dog feels comfortable, such as the backyard or the living.

However, make sure your guests don’t try to force an interaction with your dog or try to approach them directly, especially if the dog hasn’t met them before. This could make the dog anxious and cause them to hide away from the crowd. Instead, let the dog get comfortable and approach the guest itself. As noted earlier, dogs are social creatures. Once they notice someone is there for a while, they will eventually make an effort to be friends.

· Ask Friends to Bring Over Their Pets

After your dog is used to being around other people, you can start introducing them to new friends. Ask a friend your dog is already familiar with to bring over their dog. Start with dogs before making them interact with other animals like cats.

Remember to be alert while introducing dogs to one another. You never know how they may react, as sometimes they can develop instant animosity. Make sure both of the dogs are on a leash so you can diffuse the situation in case things get out of hand.

· Slowly Build Up To Dog Parks

While training your dog to be more social, dog parks may be one of the first places that pop up in your mind. The whole purpose of the place is to make your dog more social and comfortable, isn’t it? However, taking a dog who isn’t used to social interactions to a dog park is most likely not a good idea. The chances are that your dog will get overwhelmed by all the dogs and humans gathered in one place and avoid interaction, especially if the other dogs try to interact with them.

Instead, slowly work your way up to making your dog comfortable with dog parks. Assuming you’ve already followed all the above steps and found success in improving your dog’s social behavior, take your dog near the dog park. Instead of taking them inside, allow him to watch the other dogs from a distance. Slowly, depending on your dog’s comfort level, help them approach the park and get used to the smells of other dogs. Only when you feel they’re ready, take them inside. This whole process could take a couple of trips before your dog is ready to enter, so try to be as patient as possible.

· Turn To A Professional

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to provide the training your dog needs to be more social. Some dogs need additional care and training, which the average person isn’t capable of providing.

If that’s the case, you can always turn to a professional dog trainer to make things easier for you and your dog. If you’re in Dallas, head over to All Dogs Unleashed to learn everything you need to know about professional dog training.

Final Words

Training your dog to be more social can be challenging. But once your dog gets the hang of it, it can be very rewarding for your dog as well as you. It would create new opportunities for both of you and allow you to participate in a lot of activities. As a result, not only will it create a cherishing experience for your dogs, but it will also create a stronger bond between the two of you.