We all know that the socialization of puppies is important. It will be more beneficial if your puppy has the ability to deal with both socialized and unsocialized dogs. Many owners have questions such as How to introduce a puppy to an unsocialized dog and whether it is safe or not. For this, you have to understand the traits of an unsocialized dog so that you can manage the scenario effectively.

Behavioral Issues of Dog Who Missed Socialization:

Dogs that have not gone through proper socialization are highly reactive to other dogs. They can get scared around unfamiliar people and animals or even aggressive. There are several definite ways to How to socialize adult dog and provide them with proper guidance. These are

• One of the best ways How to socialize an adult dog is to hire a professional trainer to do so. Such trainers have good experience in providing discipline and socialization training to dogs.
• Never work too fast to teach your dog socialization as will tend to create fear and aggression in your dog.
• You have to keep a distance from such dogs that face problems with socialization. By this, you can ensure that your dog will remain calm and will not become aggressive.
• You should take care when you are taking such dogs to a dog park, public places, vet, or dog care center.
• There are certain goals such as keeping your dog less anxious, comfortable, and less stressed. The other goal is to give your dog less stress as possible after all he is your buddy.
• Use positive reinforcement techniques to distract your dog when he feels restless in presence of others. This can be done by using food treats, fun toys, and patting them gently.

Socializing Stages of Puppy

Below are the stages in which a puppy usually gets socialized-

First Socialization Period:

It is usually referred to canine socialization period and occurs when the puppy is around 3-7 weeks old. In this stage, the puppy interacts with his mother and siblings and learns the common traits of canines.

Second Socialization Period:

When the puppy reaches 8-16 weeks of age its brain is developed and ready to face new people and other dogs. It is the best time to introduce them to managed playmates of the same age. Make sure that when the puppy reaches 8-11 weeks of age it is their fear impact period so avoid any negative impact on them as they will remember for the rest of their life causing their behavior to change. The pre-adolescence period is achieved when a puppy reaches 13-16 weeks of age. At this age, the puppy builds his self-confidence in meeting other dogs. You have to take care that at such age your puppy is not bullying each other and also not being bullied by other dogs.

How to introduce a puppy to an unsocalized dog

Allowing your puppy to meet an unsocialized dog is not an easy task. You have to follow a planned approach as you never know the reaction of an unsocialized dog. Here are some of the things that you should consider in such a scenario.

Selecting a Neutral Ground:

The first meeting of your puppy and dog should be on neutral grounds. Neutral grounds mean that the two dogs should never or occasionally visit the place. By which you can ensure that the two dogs will not show any territorial issue. Such places can be training centers, neighborhood yards, any park.

Use Fence Meeting:

Dogs can get tensed up if they see you in worry and such tension enhances if they are on a leash. This develops fearful aggression in dogs. So the best way is to let meet the dogs be unleashed while separating them with a fence such as a tennis net. The net or fence should be such that the two dogs cannot harm each other but can sniff. By this, the two dogs will get to know each other through the nose-to-nose meetings.

Try to Start Parallel Walking of the Two Dogs:

If you feel that the above task gets successful then now the two dogs are ready for parallel walking while keeping them on leash. You will need a person who will walk the other dog while you hold the leash of your puppy. Make sure that you keep the leash slightly loose to keep the two dogs relaxed. Walk them at a distance that they can sniff each other and walk them at least for 5 to 10 minutes before reducing the distance to allow the dogs to meet head to head.

Once you see that the two dogs are happy in meeting each other then you can allow them to meet on a loose leash. You will see that the two dogs smell each other bodies and rear ends to know each other better. This is how canines get to know each other. Let them meet for 10 minutes followed by giving treats to the two dogs. This will reduce the tension between the two dogs and keep them in a happy mood.

Watch For Positive Signs:

Playing is one of the positive signs that show that the two dogs are comfortable with each other. Watch for positive body language in the two dogs. If their tails are up and head down or if the dogs are yawning, it means that the two of them does not scared of each other. On the other hand growls, barks, and whines may or may not be playing and can also be a threat, so make the decision accordingly. The submissive nature of dogs includes rolling over the other dog and licking the face. The puppy usually shows this behavior towards an adult dog. Let them play for a few minutes and now you can stop their first meeting.

Let them Meet at Home/House:

Now, as you have performed the meeting of the two dogs in a neutral place, it’s time to let them meet at their known place. You have to repeat the same procedure again such as fence meeting, parallel walking, etc. Try calling the puppy and the dog every 5 to 10 minutes so that the dogs are relaxed and do not get over-excited. Make sure that if you are allowing your puppy to meet a dog at your house, keep one dog at a time and not more than that as it may develop stress on your puppy. Finally, you have successfully introduced a puppy to an unsocialized dog.

I hope that now you know much about dogs that are facing socialization issues and How to introduce a puppy to an unsocalized dog. It is not much hard to deal with unsocialized dogs if you use the right approach and keep patience.