How do I train my dog ​​to ignore other dogs?

This is how the dog encounter succeeds: 7 tips

Dogs are very social animals: That's why they will always notice their fellow dogs, but the four-legged friends will never really ignore each other. When it comes to training, you should instead make sure that your pet is as close to other animals as possible met unimpressed.

The following applies: Practice makes perfect! Very few dogs are initially so relaxed and confident that they hardly pay any attention to other animals. You should therefore take initial “failures” into account – but with patience, consistency and attention the situation should improve quickly.

1. Social behavior practice early

The Contact with conspecifics is very important for four-legged friends and should therefore not be neglected under any circumstances: A dog that does not interact at all with other four-legged friends is not being kept in a species-appropriate manner and will display serious behavioral problems in the event of an encounter.

It is therefore advisable to let the animal meet other dogs at an early age: Puppies are very receptive in the socialization phase; from around the 12th week of life they can usually come into contact with other four-legged friends without being overwhelmed.

In many communities or also Dog schools there are special ones for this “Puppy Clubs”, For targeted training, it is ideal to find a dog owner with a protégé of a similar age so that they can learn together.

But be careful: Playing too impetuously can also traumatize the dog children and lay the foundation for disturbed social behavior. If you notice that your loved one is being bullied or not having fun, you definitely have to intervene.

2. Initially distance hold

Many dog ​​experts recommend one Approach encounter training very carefully: The four-legged friends are actually very polite animals distance hold to each other. If one comes too close to one of his own species without being wanted, this is seen as an interference with the Privacy and also perceived as a threatening gesture.

For this reason, initial contact between two dogs should always take place at a great distance: If you are training with a second owner, it is therefore advisable to “let the animals loose” on each other quite a distance apart. This gives them time to take a closer look and decide for themselves whether they want to take a closer look at their fellow animals or not.

If the dogs approach each other, you keep an eye on them to interpret the intentions of both animals: If both four-legged friends are relaxed, there is nothing wrong with letting them get closer to each other. If you see fear, nervousness or even aggression, wait for a better moment and keep your distance.

3. Basic commands train

It is also very important for a relaxed encounter between two dogs that the four-legged friend gets along with his caregiver and is disciplined. That means above all: The Basic commands have to be right.

Especially commands like “Sit!”, “Heel!”, “Come!” and “Out!” are important. They make it easier for you to keep the situation under control, and dogs that have gone through this “school” are often much more concentrated and focused on their owners.

Learning the basic commands should start comparatively early. There are a few strategies for this – you can find out more about the topic here.

4. Eye contact take in the dog

But dogs often have problems with each other because their owners elementary errors begin. Encounters often get out of hand because the animals don't get any feedback from their caregivers.

When another dog appears, most four-legged friends first look deeply into the eyes of their human companion. They then want to know how they should behave. If the owner doesn't react, the animal quickly becomes scary, he then feels like he's on his own, goes into defense mode or even believes he has to defend you.

You can avoid this by immediately make eye contact with your four-legged friend, as soon as a fellow animal appears. With a confident demeanor and reassuring words, you can then let him know that everything is fine.

5. The Leash loose let

Many dog ​​experts also recommend the dog not on a tight leash to lead as soon as another animal appears. It is often even advised to take the animal off the leash completely.

The background is that many dogs feel like they have to defend their owner when they are on a leash. However, without strong pull, the idea is that the four-legged friends can behave more naturally.

Of course, taking off the leash is only possible if there is no leash requirement. However, animals that do not (yet) hear well and bitches in heat should best be kept for a shorter period of time.

6. The dog not with too many contacts overwhelm

We sometimes have false ideas about the social life of four-legged friends: When we go for a walk, we often think that our dog is happy to meet other animals.

But this is only the case to a very limited extent: On the one hand, dogs need contact with their furry companions in order to organize their social life in a species-appropriate manner. On the other hand, meeting other four-legged friends – especially those you don't know or don't like – is also a lot stress tied together.

For example, if you are in a park, the dog will speed up overwhelmed. Too many furry friends lead to sensory overload and pure stress. As soon as you notice that everything is getting too much for your darling, you should take it easy: It's best to take a remote route or change the side of the road as soon as other dogs appear on the horizon.

7. When there is a lot of stress: Diversion

If the dog is noticeably under a lot of stress, you should definitely take it distract. Regardless of whether it is a toy, a treat or a petting session – anything that attracts the four-legged friend's undivided attention is allowed and helps to relax a dog encounter:

• On the one hand, the dog no longer concentrates on the other dog.
• On the other hand, he will also pay more attention to you.

What to do, if a meeting gets out of hand?

These are all good strategies for relaxing the dog when other animals appear. However, it is always possible that a meeting doesn't go so smoothly: sometimes you don't even notice that a fellow dog is approaching, which can quickly escalate.

Quiet preserve

The most important (and often most difficult) thing in this situation is to keep calm. You have to give the four-legged friend the direction and show him that you are different from the other dog completely unimpressed are.

This means above all: Even if your loved one is visibly nervous or even aggressive, you shouldn't start yelling. The dog doesn't see this as reassurance, but rather thinks that you also feel threatened – so he would want to defend you.

You should also go with the dog don't complain: He doesn't mean anything bad, but wants to help you and himself. Of course, it should also be that torturous “aids” such as electric shock collars or choke chains are absolutely out of place.

Evade often the best option

The best way to solve a crisis situation like this is to behave as dogs would: four-legged friends rarely seek out stress and prefer to avoid it.

So take it Eye contact with your protégé up, tell him that things are moving on now and build Distance from the other dog on. The further you move away from the “source of the fire”, the more relaxed the animal is likely to become.

At Bite: Definitely to vet

If your dog has been bitten, you definitely need to go to the vet: Even seemingly small or superficial wounds can cause serious inflammation and even become life-threatening! Furthermore are Dog bites must be reported – It is therefore possible that the “perpetrator” receives a visit from the public order office, and he can also be ordered to take a character test.