Like humans, dogs are very sociable. Interaction with their companion or a sibling dog is very important in avoiding behavioral problems in the future. I began socializing Trixie soon after first bringing her home at weekly “socializing events” at my Veterinarian. It was so cute watching Trixie play together with those other puppies.
Throughout her life, I tried getting Trixie together with other dogs as much as possible. My two sisters living in town with dogs got regular visits. Trixie always “knew” when we arrived and generally didn’t get put on a leash. When I opened her car door, she would jump out, and immediately run to the front door. Since she was faster than me, she usually had to come back toward the car to see what’s holding me up. I also gave her a chance to do her business before going inside.
A puppy’s temperament depends on where the puppy has been brought up and his breed. English Springer Spaniels are sometimes called gun dogs or hunting dogs so expect them to be full of energy and laughable moments. Of course these are just general expectations. Every dog has its day…and its personality!
When Trixie was young, she seemed to enjoy playing with other dogs. Trixie was usually pretty interested in other dogs but as she got older she tended to ignore them and seemed to prefer being around humans.
Socializing your puppy dog is something that you should start early and give your puppy a more manageable situation when around other dogs as she grows older.
Trixie sure got her fill of practicing her socialization skills as well as socializing the many puppies I was fostering for the Humane Society. She mostly tolerated those energy filled puppies – to a point anyway. When she was done playing and those puppies still wanted to jump on her she had to let them know she was done.
