By Pia Silvani, Director of Pet Training and Behavior Counseling

How do dogs communicate with one another? Unfortunately, they don’t meet at the local Starbucks over a cup of Café Mocha to discuss the turmoil of today’s canine world. Language is not a part of their communication process. Instead, they rely on scent and body postures to understand their canine counterparts. Communication between dogs is usually learned during the socialization period, a critical time in a dog’s life.

Socialization is a lifelong process, but the most sensitive time is when the dog is between six and twelve weeks of age. It is critical that dogs have pleasant experiences with each other, humans, and the world around them during this brief period. Because your dog is likely to come in contact with other dogs throughout his lifetime, he must be properly introduced and socialized with friendly, well-adjusted dogs. The experiences he has from birth to six months of age will remain with him forever.

If you have a puppy or are thinking about getting one, you must socialize him with kind, friendly dogs and a puppy class is the perfect place to start. If you cannot attend a St. Hubert’s course, attend a reputable, reward-based training class.

If you adopt an adult dog, it is not too late to socialize him. As long as he appears to be friendly, you should continue to provide him with positive experiences with other dogs. Many people who own more than one dog believe there is no need to get the new dog out in public because he gets along well with the other family pet. This doesn’t mean he will automatically like other dogs, so you must encourage him to meet them.

Here are some tips for optimal socialization:

• Create enjoyable experiences with friendly dogs.
• Do not force your puppy or dog to say hello by dragging him to another dog. Let him say hello on his own.
• Sniffing the anal area of another dog is NOT impolite; it is like humans greeting by shaking hands. Praise your dog for properly greeting in the canine language.
• Greetings are best done off a leash in a fenced-in area. Dogs feel restricted on leash and if they begin to get anxious, they will defend their space because they cannot flee.
• Don’t think your dog should say hello to every dog he sees. Know your dog’s friends. I like people, but I don’t shake hands with every person I see on the street.
• Minimize the use of punishment.

A poorly socialized dog may have trouble getting along with other dogs. You probably have encountered another dog lunging or barking at your dog. Don’t crinkle your nose and wonder why the owner can’t control his obnoxious dog. It’s likely that he did not receive enough socialization with other canines. Although your pup wants to say hello, the other dog probably is protecting the space around him from your dog. The dog’s lunging or barking appears to be aggressive behavior, which we define as an intent to do harm. But the dog is actually exhibiting a threatening behavior – designed to intimidate and warn others to stay away, with no intent to do harm.

Many frustrated owners wish their canine companions would be more dog-friendly and not strain at the leash at the sight of another dog. That’s why we have developed a course called "Feisty Fidos". Unfortunately, owners of feisty fidos typically punish their dogs when they exhibit threatening behavior. Punishing a fearful behavior only masks the problem instead of eliminating it. Eventually, the dog stops the threatening behavior but keeps the anxiety bottled up inside. Now, instead of trying to warn the other dog when he gets too close, he may attack.

Our goal in the first level of "Feisty Fidos" is to teach owners how to handle their dogs in public. The dogs learn to relax around other dogs and are taught to be more attentive to their owners’ request instead of taking it upon themselves to protect their space. We want to build the dog’s confidence, not punish him for his fears.

If your dog exhibits fear or aggression, don’t be quick to take him to a pet training class to socialize him. Your dog requires problem-solving techniques and behavior modification training.

I love teaching my Feisty Fido friends. They are NOT mean. They are NOT bad. They are just anxious and need support from their owners. Don’t take your dog’s friendliness for granted. Dogs are not always born friendly, but they can learn to be friendly.