Knowing how to Introduce High Energy Dogs to other Dogs Can be Life Saving
Introducing dogs to other dogs is one thing, but introducing High Energy Dogs to other dogs is something completely different.
Dogs sense our emotions and behavior easily. If you hold your breath as a signal of tension for example or send out nervous energy, dogs will pick up on that. Don’t go about introducing Dogs if you are uneasy. Chose another moment to do so for the sake of the dogs involved.
A successful introduction is the goal. Doing it properly will preventing problems, from minor angst all the way up to and including serious fights. The information you are about to read will help you prepare and make the most of a new encounter. It’s a matter of learning and training yourself to make this activity a very easy and relaxed one.
How to Introduce High Energy Dogs to Other Dogs:
Whether you are bringing a new dog into your home to live with preexisting dogs, or just introducing your dog to another strange dog, there is a right way and a wrong way to socialize canines. You do not want to make dog introductions the wrong way because it could end up in a terrible dog fight that risks injury to the dogs and the people trying to break it up.
One poor lapse in judgment can leave your dog scarred psychologically for the rest of its life. Usually, once a dog has been attacked, it will always be aggressive when meeting new dogs and perceive all strange dogs as a threat. Therefore great care should be given when bringing two new dogs together. Dogs are pack animals and they instinctively seek to establish a hierarchy of dominance when they are forced to be together.
They must also know that if they do show aggression towards another dog, then you as the pack leader will give them strong correction for their unacceptable behavior. When introducing two dogs to one another, the key factor is control. It is best if introductions can be made with one dog being confined to a crate and the other dog allowed to approach and sniff the crate while on lead in case a firm correction needs to be given because of growling, barking or other aggressive behaviors. If the situation does not allow for the use of a crate when making introductions then without exception, the two dogs must always be on leads that are held by people who are strong enough to maintain complete control of the dogs. Keep the leash loose, because a taut lead creates a measure of tension in the dogs.
“It is not advisable to let dogs run loose to romp and play together until they have spent a lot of time together on leash and under control and you feel very confident that they are accepting of one another”
Reassure the dogs that you will protect them so there is no need for fear. Ideally, you would like to see both dogs take the posture of a “play bow” where they go down to the ground in the front with their rear in the air, inviting the other dog to come and play. This is body language where two dogs say to one another, “I am not afraid of you nor do I want to hurt you but I want to play with you.” Allow the dogs to sniff one another but do not allow mounting nor posturing where one dog puts his head over the other dog’s shoulder and pushes down, because these are acts of dominance and can create a challenge to prove who is top dog by fighting. It is not advisable to let dogs run loose to romp and play together until they have spent a lot of time together on leash and under control and you feel very confident that they are accepting of one another.
Source: Featured Image: Wikimedia Commons, GIF: Dogercise Dog Training, ILoveMyRotty.com
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