The Dog Crazy Dog

The dog is man’s best friend. But we are not always our dog’s best friend. Sometimes our dogs go absolutely nuts when they see other dogs. He may be the best behaved, nicest dog when he is around you and your friends. But let another canine come into the picture and he doesn’t even remember who you are! You feel like you are nothing but a food dispenser to him anymore!

The heart of this problem is your dog’s socialization. He simply hasn’t been around enough other dogs in various situations to choose you over a canine companion. If you aren’t a dog breeder, you should spay or neuter your pet. Keeping your dog reproductively intact will keep him wanting to seek out other dogs, either for mating or for showing who is dominant. Spaying/neutering will help your dog be more interested in you than in other canines.

You’ll need to exposure your dog to other dogs in a variety of situations so that he may be accustomed to being around other dogs. A great place to start is with obedience training classes. Look in your local yellow pages, ask your veterinarian or talk to employees at your local pet food supermarket to get information about classes near you. Teaching your dog obedience in a group setting will not only get him accustomed to other dogs but will strengthen the bond between the two of you. And he’ll learn to be better behaved as well!

Once you and your dog have some basic obedience under your belts and you know your dog is friendly with other people and animals, you can take him to other locations for socialization. You may want to go to the local dog park. Or talk to some friends from your dog class about arranging a “play date”. There are even some businesses that offer “doggie day care” that will give your dog an opportunity to interact with other dogs.

Once your dog has been socialized with other dogs, he won’t be so frantic when he sees another one of his own kind. He will be much more willing to focus on you when you are doing fun and interesting things like learning obedience or playing at agility.

Good luck and have fun!

To read more problem dog help tips, go here.

~Thank you to Amy Sugars