Meet and Play With Other Dogs
It is important for your puppy’s development that he has the opportunity to meet and play with other puppies of a similar age. This should start before the age of twenty weeks, since at that age dogs enter a new stage of maturity and there is a change in the way they interact and play.
Step 1
Ask your puppies for a “sit”; then reward them by removing their leashes and let them go off to play. When you are out with your puppy, make sure that he returns to you first before he starts play. Letting him go without “checking in” with you, leads to undisciplined behavior. Making your pup aware of you will also give him a greater sense of security.
Step 2
Notice how the dogs curve their bodies when they approach each other. It is canine etiquette not to meet head-on. First acquaintances are made through light sniffing of each other.
MEET AND PLAY WITH OTHER DOGS
Puppies need a variety of experience and stimulation, as well as the opportunity to discover their surroundings. Owners that are overly protective and reluctant to let their puppies run around and play risk ending up with an adult dog that is afraid and unable to cope—even with things like bumpy terrain—because he hasn’t had enough exposure to the world. It can also be detrimental to a puppy’s social development, leaving him unable to communicate with his own kind because he has been deprived of their company. So, the mature dog will be insecure about visiting strange places and meeting new dogs.
Step 3
The dogs continue their mutual sniffing, moving around each other in circular movements, instead of making direct advances.
Step 4
Observe how the larger dog has lowered his head, so that both dogs are on a level footing with each other. This shows that neither feels threatened or hostile, and that play is about to begin.
Step 5
Having made their introductions, the puppies get into the rough-and-tumble of play.
Back to "Basic Training"PUPPIES LEARN THROUGH PLAY!
Meeting and playing helps puppies to learn vital behavior lessons, such as bite inhibition, canine body language, and calming signals. They also learn about the pecking order in the pack and build the social and physical confidence they need to interact with other dogs.