How to Avoid Turning your Social Puppy into a Reactive Adult

 If you want to have an adult dog who can regulate their emotions around other dogs, you need to mindfully practice that in puppyhood. 

The quality of the interactions your puppy has with other dogs is more important than the quantity of interactions they have. 

If their interactions with other dogs are

➡️ overstimulating 

➡️ playing non-stop

➡️ brief and restraining on leash

Then you are setting up your puppy to be a leash reactive dog. 

If you want your adult dog to have emotional regulation skills around other dogs you need to teach them those skills in puppyhood. This looks like…

➡️ Doing fun things with YOU around other dogs.

➡️ Walks with another dog where they are neutral, sniffing together, and marking together. 

➡️ Time where they are separated from other dogs via a crate, gate, fence, leash etc.

➡️ Moments watching another dog play, get affection, or train with you or another person. 

Your puppy may have big feelings during these situations and need a lot of support. It is normal for puppies (like human toddlers) to have tantrums as their brain is developing and learning how to regulate their emotions. 

Depriving your puppy of these curated moments around other dogs will prevent them from building the skills they need to be calm, neutral, and engaged with you around other dogs in the future. 

So instead of taking your puppy to the dog park, daycare, or having them greet dogs on walks to “socialize them” mindfully curate moments with friends, family, and neighbors dogs that give your puppy a wide range of experiences.