What type of social is your dog?

We all have this idea in our heads of what are dogs should be and what they should like. Unfortunately it's not always what we had in mind OR it changes as they get older.

Surprisingly, dogs can be a bit like humans when it comes to social interactions.

Some love to be in crowds, are super extraverted and just wanna party all night long.

Others rather curl up on the couch with a good book or have a game night with a few friends they know well.. and the idea of being in a crowd gives them anxiety.

And as we get older we might shift from being a party animal.. to more of a couch potato.

And that is totally okay and normal.

Now for dogs this is very similar. And we need to figure out what type of social is my dog, so you can 'serve' them best. Sometimes we try so hard to 'make our dog social' when really, your dog IS social. It's just in a different way than you had in mind. Not every dog is into massive groupplay with a ton of dogs they have never met. That's not odd. That's normal.

I'd love to know what your dog is?

Just like humans, dogs like certain social outings and dislike other social outings. 

For example: some people love a good rave, festival or event with thousands of people. 

At the same time that is someone else's nightmare and they get anxiety just thinking of having to go to one.

Now what does that have to do with dogs?

Lets stick with the rave/festival/party animal people. 

The dogs that are similar LOVE other dogs, they LOVE being in big groups and they LOVE being rowdy. Things like doggy daycare where they get to go crazy all day is EXACTLY their scene.

Now, people who find festivals and big crowded events awful... doesn’t mean they’re not social. They’re just different social. They might enjoy hanging out with a small group of friends and go for coffee. Or have a dinner party at their house. Or a game night. Something small and intimate with people they know. 

For dogs this could be an activity with the dog that lives with them already. Or going for a nice walk with another friend without boisterous playing. Or sitting at a cafe with another dog, or just playing on the beach with his favourite friend. 

All meet ups are lower in energy and with dogs he already got to kno

We all have this ideal picture of our dog when we get them. They will get lots of friends. They’ll have so much fun playing with all the dogs. But this isn’t every dog’s dreams or wishes which often can turn into anxiety, stress or reactivity by putting them in a situation they really don’t like.. often because we humans think that’s what our dog wants.

We can’t fit a round peg in a square hole. We have to accept that our dog may not be the ‘raing’ type of social and that things like playing with lots of dogs at a dog park or going to doggy daycare is just not their vibe.And that’s okay!w at his own pace.

In short, socialisation for your dog may look different from your friends dog or their friends dogs.

Your dog decides what kind of social they’re into. Listen to your dog. Don’t force them to go to doggy daycare, pack walks, busy dog parks if they’re not interested in it.

Instead do some activities that are lower intensity but still really enjoyable. Dogs don’t need 50 friends to be happy. They can be totally happy and content with just 1 or 2 other ‘dog friends’.   

Is your dog a raver/party animal? Or are they more of a coffee club dog?

Did they change over time?