Can’t we all get along? When it comes to helping our dogs best get along with other dogs, we need to tune them for success, manage the environment, and actively monitor their interactions. And the main key to helping dogs get along is knowing each and every dog: their likes and dislikes, how their day goes, whether they’re tired, whether they’re hungry, whether they’re thirsty. Meeting their individual needs makes it easier for them and everyone to meet new dogs.
Set for success
Setting up dogs for success involves everything that happens before they interact with each other. This means:
- Choosing a neutral place for introductions.
Examples are a park in a quiet area that no dog goes to regularly, a neighboring yard without pets of its own, an open field and a wide meridian of a quiet neighborhood street with very wide paths. Or, when you are at home, remove any items that are of personal interest to a dog. Items such as toys or food could potentially create a resource conservation issue that would prevent dogs from getting to know each other. Make sure the dogs are mentally, emotionally, and physically ready to learn the best they can from this new experience.
Manage the environment
Managing the environment means monitoring, directing, and managing the dogs’ interactions as they occur. Adapt to each individual’s needs and proactively scan how those interactions are going on (like a lifeguard on the beach scans the water to ensure the safety of those in and around them).
Management also includes keeping interactions fair and brief, even as relationships develop and the time spent together increases. Slowly and gradually increase the time spent together from one minute to 10 minutes. This is a great way to manage the time the dogs are gradually experiencing together and then stopping instead of letting them play a bit longer and suddenly having a poor interaction. Management means being proactive instead of having to be reactive.
Helpful tips for being proactive include:
- Briefly keep the introductions on the leash
- Create space for parallel walking
- A quick, short-range callback like “check-in” when you are not on a leash
- For some dogs, this may mean wearing a snout if necessary to ensure that additional safety measures have already been put in place before they are needed.
Socializing with parallel walking
Parallel walking means walking together on a wide path, open field, or on opposite sides of a quiet street while walking parallel to each other. This is a great way to help dogs spend time together without having direct social contact. Sometimes parallel walks are improved for the individuals when they are both offset and parallel, with one dog a little in front and then swapping with the other dog in front, still on opposite sides of a wide path or quiet street. This offers every dog a different perspective on its surroundings, which is in a manageable proximity to another dog and enables a walk together.
Help them share
One sharing game I play with my dogs is to say each of their names before each one in turn receives a small food reward. I prepare a small amount / bowl of goodies and say:
“Summer’s Turn” (hand buzzer a pleasure)
“Bear’s Turn” (hand bear a treat)
I repeat the sequence until each dog is given the same number of treats in turn. This game is intended for dogs who are already starting to get along, but who do not get overly aroused by receiving rewards as a reward. Use something tasty and light that you can give them in small pieces so that any dog can eat it quickly. This can be done with dogs on either side of you or with dogs on either side of a dog gate if necessary. Remember, we can always set up the environment to ensure greater success. The dogs can stand, sit or lie down. Repeat this process, freely giving each dog resources for as many rewards as you have on hand. For two dogs, six is a good number to split between each dog with three turns each.
I find this sharing game easier to do with food, but it can also be played with affection by petting each dog after they say their name. I don’t do that with toys, though. Fair play with a person, then shared moments with a toy can get complicated as the toy to be shared has to be removed. Choose your moments. Do not play this game if the dogs are very excited, hungry, or with dogs that are having resource conservation issues.
