Sociability Is A Spectrum

March 3, 2023

Sociability is a spectrum containing degrees of social behavior.  A small percentage of dogs lie on one end of the spectrum.  In general, they are reactive, aggressive, shy etc. to other dogs or people.  If this is your dog, you are not alone.  This can be improved through training.

sociability

 

And an equally small percentage of dogs lie on the opposite end of the spectrum. They are social butterflies, and they love everyone and anyone, and they are not overly excited, causing them to bark, jump and misbehave.  You see these dogs EVERYWHERE because they CAN HANDLE going everywhere.

Spectrum

But the vast majority of dogs are like you.  They generally get along well with most dogs and people but not all dogs and people.  This is a normal, and it is a reasonable expectation for your dog.

Normal

What to do when sociability gets worse

You might have a dog whose sociability is getting worse.  This is also normal!  Because behavior is always changing. It is either getting better or getting worse.  It is not stagnant!  Training helps your dog improve its social behavior, and it helps you maintain its present sociability.  So how do you do that?  You team up things your dog likes with dogs and people at a distance your dog can remain calm and confident.

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Author – Debbie Schaefer

Debbie has been successfully teaching dog lovers how to rambunctious, rude, disobedient dogs into Well-Mannered companions since 1987.

That means there are few bad behaviors Debbie can’t tame or troublesome pups Debbie can’t help turn into well-mannered dogs.

With training, your dog can be a great companion, a fun part of your life.