Forcing The Dog To Interact: A Mistake To Avoid

No wonder if you have sometimes found yourself forcing your dog to interact with other dogs in the park, with other children or perhaps forcing him to greet those who come home: each of you would like your furry friend to be the most sympathetic and sociable of all. 

It is true that dogs are social animals by nature. But this does not mean that they always want to be in contact with other animals or humans, 24 hours a day. Just like people do, dogs also have their good days and bad days, moments when they are more cheerful and sociable and others where you see them a bit downcast and without much desire to interact with the rest of the world.

Knowing how to read the signals your dog is sending you

Dogs have their own way of showing that something they like or that bothers them. So try to pay attention to the signals your friend sends you when you feel tempted to force him to party to someone or necessarily play with other dogs.

Look away

This signal does not need any explanation, because it is the same thing that people do to demonstrate their total disinterest in something or someone. So if your friend does this, there is only one reason: your dog has heard you perfectly but does not want to listen to you.

Yawn

It is a way to isolate himself and avoid making contact with his surroundings, demonstrating his little willingness to interact with others.

Hide behind your legs

He is looking for your help and your support: do not disappoint him by putting yourself on the side of others.

Try to escape

It is what, instinctively, anyone would do when faced with an uncomfortable and embarrassing situation or when you are in the company of unwelcome people and your dog is no exception.

Growl

It is a clear demonstration of his degree of discomfort.

If you notice that your dog has one (or more) of these reactions and you try to ignore it, it is very likely that your friend will turn his discomfort into anger and try to bite the animal or person with whom – you think – he should have interacted amicably.

The moment you try to force your friend to socialize when in reality he doesn’t want to, you will get the exact opposite:  instead of sociable and nice, your pet will be aggressive and suspicious.

Put yourself in his shoes

When you don’t feel like being with others or when you don’t like the people around you, you have a tendency to create your own safe space and to stay on the sidelines.

Your dog behaves in a similar way. Why do you want to make him do something he doesn’t feel like at all? Remember that forcing it does nothing good, neither for you nor for your four-legged friend.

Ask yourself how you would feel if someone forced you to do something that is embarrassing or makes you uncomfortable. Surely you would think that you are able to decide for yourself when to befriend and with whom.

The same applies to your dog: when it comes time to interact with other dogs, your friend is able to choose for himself. Do not forget that he depends on you, he has given you, unconditionally, all his trust and expects, in return, to be able to trust you.

He needs to feel your support and love and to know that you are a safe haven for him to land when the surrounding environment or situation scares him or makes him uncomfortable. If you force him to do things unwillingly, this relationship of trust will eventually break.

There are shy dogs and nervous dogs, others are quiet while some are introverted … but no one knows your dog and his character better than you: try not to forget what type he is, next time you want to make him friends with all costs with other animals.

How to avoid forcing your dog

Pay attention to the signals that your furry friend sends you and, above all, respect them: if you see that your dog reacts in one of the ways described above when he is with other dogs or other people, do not ignore him but, on the contrary, bring him in except from the “uncomfortable zone”.

It is essential that you show him all your support,  in order to gain all his trust: by letting him free to act without forcing him, it is very likely that, after a few minutes, he will take the initiative towards the other dogs.