How to Train a Puppy to Be Friendly With Other Dogs

By eHow Pets Editor

Instructions

Step 1:
Discuss training with your veterinarian. They will have suggestions for environments that are beneficial to begin training your puppy to behave well with other dogs. They may also be able to offer some insight into possible behavior patterns in your particular breed of dog, such as aggressiveness towards a gender or a tendency towards an exaggerated "pack leader" mentality.
Step 2:
Begin slowly. Exposing your puppy to a large number of other dogs all at once will not teach him to behave well with them; in fact, it may cause him to become defensive, scared or aggressive towards strange dogs. Instead, invite one dog that your puppy has not met before over to your home to play. This will allow your puppy to begin its socialization one dog at a time and will keep its initial socialization in its own territory where it will feel safe.
Step 3:
Keep your puppy on a leash. Until you know how your puppy reacts to other dogs, take precautions and keep your puppy on a leash to better control it if the situation should get out of hand. This will allow you to remove the puppy from the environment if necessary and keep it from running.
Step 4:
Recognize meaningful behavior. Puppies meeting other dogs for the first time will tend to resort to instinctual "pack mentality" which they will display by nipping or biting other dogs to display dominance. While this is not necessarily aggressive or mean behavior, it should not be encouraged. Once a meeting between your puppy and another dog has been deemed friendly, discourage the biting behavior by encouraging them to play with a ball or other toy. Nipping other dogs could lead to nipping as a form of playing with humans and could be dangerous if unchecked.
Step 5:
Exercise your new puppy often. A puppy that receives lots of walks and play time will be getting ample attention at times other than that time designated for socialization and will be less likely to act out or behave inappropriately in the presence of other dogs. Include your puppy's introductions to other dogs in addition to its regularly scheduled walks rather than as a replacement for them.
Step 6:
Introduce a wide variety of dogs. Your puppy should not be afraid of larger dogs or feel that they can bully smaller dogs. Introducing your puppy to many different dogs of varying sizes, temperaments and ages will teach them to respect and play well with all other dogs. Use caution with very large or potentially overly aggressive breeds.
Step 7:
Train dogs together. If you already own another dog and the puppy is a new addition, it is important to make sure the puppy respects the older dog's boundaries and that they establish a healthy relationship with one another. Enroll both of them in an obedience class together. It will be a good starting foundation for your puppy, a refresher on the basics for your older dog and it will allow them to experience the class together as a team.

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