Puppy Behavior – When Puppies Meet Other Dogs

When your puppy meets another dog for the first time, it can seem a bit scary for both you and your pet, but the truth is that your puppy needs to meet other dogs and learn to socialize, so this is an important part of his development. Since your dog is domesticated and lives with you, he sees you as his pack, but your family’s behavior is different than that of a pack of dogs. So, it can be a tense few moments the first time your puppy meets another dog.

You may be curious as to just what is happening when your puppy meets another dog, and that makes sense. Many of us don’t know how packs of dogs work or how easily our pets can turn into strangers when it comes to interacting with other animals. One of the first things that is happening is that the older, more dominant dog is working to prove he is going to be the leader. When this happens, even if it might seem as if your puppy is being bullied, it’s really just a case of the older, stronger dog proving that he is the dominant one. Even a mild mannered, older dog will work to prove their dominance around your puppy when necessary.

Also, much like many human adults don’t care for children, some adult dogs do not like puppies. If this is the case, you will likely to be able to tell, but many times, even a dog who doesn’t like puppies will work hard to tolerate your little fur ball if he is a friendly animal. Even though this is the case, adult dogs interact better with dogs of the opposite sex than the same sex. It is thought that they might feel less threatened this way, but you need to know because if your puppy is a little boy and the two of you encounter a big boy, you might find a little more resistance.

Now, if you’re at the big boy’s house, you can plan that even a friendly dog will show slightly more aggression than necessary. While it is highly unlikely that your puppy will be killed, you should know that when you invite him into this situation, you will find that he is quickly overtaken. If your puppy is still little, there will likely be very little growling or fighting, but if you take your puppy who is nearly a year old into this situation, you may wind up breaking up a couple of fighting dogs, so take this into consideration.

The last, and sometimes most important thing to consider when introducing your puppy to other dogs is the owner presence. You might be amazed to find your puppy acting like a “tough guy” in an effort to protect you, or it could go the opposite way. Dogs are a little like a jealous boyfriend or girlfriend and when they feel that their owner or their position in the “pack” of your family is threatened in any way, they will fight to set things straight again.