As your dog begins processing all the new stimuli you’re introducing him to, he will quickly learn that it’s not such a big bad world he lives in. When walking your dog, vary your route from time to time so that he is exposed to different sounds, smells, people and animals. If your dog seems to show aggression toward other dogs, remain as calm as you possibly can. This is often the product of their breeding or past experience. Introducing them to new, friendly dogs will generally make him behave better with other strange dogs he meets. Supervised play-dates with friend’s dogs or classroom situations as discussed earlier are often enough to alleviate dog-aggression. Neutering male dogs is often recommended as well, because oftentimes dog-aggression is displayed as a means of showing dominance over another animal or responding to the other animal’s dominant stance or actions. Neutered males tend to be less aggressive overall. When walking the dog and another dog approaches, keep the dog’s leash loose, not taut. Remember, that the dog can pick up on your feelings, and if you’re holding him back there must be a reason for it and he may act aggressively because he feels that is what you expect of him. In cases where the other dog is the aggressor, it is best just to turn and go the other way.

Socialization is something that should be an ongoing process throughout the dog’s life. Dog owners have noted that their dogs sometimes become unsociable as they get older. When looking for the cause it is often determined that the dog no longer has the interaction with other people and animals it once did. Dogs are, by nature, sociable pack animals and they thrive on interaction. Just as we humans “learn something new every day,” our dogs do too. If we isolate ourselves we tend to become less sociable and if we isolate our dogs we can expect nothing less of them.

A well-socialized dog will be a well-mannered dog, providing basic commands are taught as well. Your socialized and trained dog will be a happy dog as well, eager to learn something new about this wonderful world he lives in.