April 24, 2025 • 9 mins
Is your puppy a social butterfly who wants to greet every dog and human on walks—but not every encounter goes smoothly? In this episode, we dive into the reality of socializing your puppy around neighborhood dogs, especially when some dogs aren’t as friendly or welcoming. You’ll learn how to handle tricky walk-by situations, what to do when other dogs react poorly, and how to help your puppy develop calm, confident social skills. We’ll also share simple training exercises you can do at home to prepare your pup for successful outings. Socialization isn’t just about play—it’s about building a dog who’s socially savvy. Let’s talk about how to do it right.
Follow us on social media
Instagram @BAXTERandBella
Facebook @TheOnlinePuppySchool
YouTube @BAXTERandBella
Subscribe to our site for FREE weekly training tips!
Check out our FREE resources!
Join our membership here.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today's topic comes from a question sent in on.
Sometimes other dogs are not aswelcoming to my puppy, who
loves to be around other dogsand people.
How can I help my puppy bearound neighbor dogs and meeting
on walks?
Let's talk about it, becausethis is kind of a tricky
situation.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter and Bella, the online
(00:22):
puppy school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
experience raising a puppy, fromtraining tips to practical
tricks, all aimed at fostering ahappy, well-behaved dog who
truly feels like part of thefamily.
So if you are ready to enjoythe journey and strengthen the
bond with your dog, let's getstarted.
Hi you guys.
(00:47):
Thanks for tuning in to thePuppy Training Podcast.
I'm so glad you're here.
I hope you're having a greatweek.
Spring is definitely in fullswing and we are loving it.
Bella wakes up every morning,heads straight out to my
backyard, rolls around in thegrass, exposes her belly to the
sunshine and just lays there.
She loves it, so we aredefinitely enjoying that, even
though today we did get a littlebit of snow, but it's supposed
(01:09):
to melt and the weekend lookssunny again.
All right.
Today we are talking aboutthose tricky situations when
your puppy is super excited tosee other people and other dogs,
but other dogs or people maybeare not as excited to see them.
How do we handle this?
So first I want to talk aboutsocialization, because
(01:30):
socialization is one of thosereally important aspects of
raising a well-adjusted,confident dog.
It's really important,especially during your puppy's
early months when they'reforming opinions about things
around them, the world that theyexist in.
Right you know.
If your puppy naturally lovesother dogs and people, that's
wonderful, that's great.
However, socialization is aboutmore than just exposing them to
(01:52):
fun play dates.
It's also about teaching ourpuppy how to behave calmly and
respectfully when they arearound other kinds of dogs, even
those that may not be asfriendly in return.
So it's easy to think thatsocialization means let's just
let our puppies play freely withall the other dogs, but really
it's about exposure withpositive associations and
appropriate behavior, notnecessarily interaction.
(02:15):
Okay, that's important to note.
In real life, not every dogwants to meet our puppy, and
that's okay, and not every dogwants to play with them.
Some dogs may be nervous orreactive or simply uninterested.
That puppy might be a littlehigh energy for them, because
puppies do have a lot of energyThink of little kids and the
older the adults get sometimesit's harder for them to handle
(02:37):
that childlike energy.
So some dogs may be againnervous and anxious about this,
and we need to respect that.
So helping our puppy learn toobserve, to watch and look and
coexist calmly around differenttemperaments is just as
important as the playful moments.
All right, let's go through somecommon scenarios that you might
encounter and how to handlethem.
(02:58):
So, number one, let's sayyou're walking past a dog that's
unfriendly or possibly reactive, barking and lunging towards
your dog.
Okay, so either this is thisdog is just not wanting to
interact with your dog Sometimesyour neighbor's dog barks or
lunges at the end of the leashor your puppy may want to rush
over, unsure why that dog isacting that way.
Here are a few tips for you.
(03:18):
First, let's teach a let's gocue at home.
So I'll teach you that in justa second.
But let's use a cue that sayswe're just going to keep walking
.
So I'll say this as we'rewalking to just calmly move my
dog past the tension.
Next, I'm going to reward mydog for checking in with me
instead of fixating on the otherdog.
It helps.
As you move away and you createthat distance, your puppy will
(03:39):
be able to check in with you andthey will be able to take a
food reward.
If you're too close to thetension, those two things might
not happen.
So make sure that you'rewalking away.
That distance is an advantage,right?
So we can cross the street.
We can make a gentle U-turnbefore getting too close.
So be aware of yoursurroundings and when you see
that dog that's not friendly,just U-turn or, you know, cross
(04:02):
the street.
Let's get out and around themrather than having to confront
them.
Okay, so practice calm watchingfrom a safe distance.
If you're now far enough away,maybe you cross the street.
Your puppy can then watch thatdog pass and you can reward them
as you're doing so or as theyare seeing this other dog, and
that way they're seeing it moreas a.
This is okay.
(04:22):
I can handle this situationrather than a stressful event.
Another situation you mightencounter is your puppy pulls to
greet every dog, right, is thatyour puppy?
They just want to go up and sayhi to everyone and everything
they see.
So a sociable puppy might thinkevery walk is party time.
But not all dogs want to meetand not all people want to meet
(04:44):
and not all greetings are safe.
So here's a few tips on thisone.
First, I have a 90-10 rule whenit comes to walking.
90% of the time, my dog and Iare not going up to people and
dogs on leash.
We are simply seeing them andwalking happily past them.
It's not party time.
It's not time to stop and sayhello to everyone.
We see, if we do that moreoften than not, our dog expects
(05:06):
that more often than not.
So 90% of the time, oh yeah, wesee them, that's great, let's
go and off.
We go in the direction we'reheading.
And then 10% of the time, yeah,I might see a friend.
I need to stop and say hello ortalk to them.
That's okay, but it's nothappening the majority of the
time.
My dog is not expecting to stopand say hello to everyone.
We see that's super helpful.
(05:27):
Next, if you do decide to go upto someone and say hello, make
sure leashes stay loose.
We don't want to add anytension on the end of those
leashes.
When we do go up and greetsomeone, I would also keep a bit
of a distance between me andthe other person, as well as
between the dogs and obviouslywatch body language.
If either dog does not seemfriendly, we're not approaching.
(05:49):
If a greeting does happen, keepit short, three seconds.
Then call your pup back to you.
So let them go sniff the otherdog, lure them away and back to
you.
Let them go sniff and back andaway again, keeping those
leashes loose, so there's notany tension or frustration
involved and that briefinteraction can keep it positive
.
Another situation you mayencounter is that the other dog
(06:09):
is not interested.
So, talking about that bodylanguage, you see clearly that
the other dog does not want togreet or meet up with you.
Maybe they growl, maybe theycower, maybe they try to hide.
Sometimes that other dog's bodylanguage is very clear stiff
posture, turning away or awarning growl and we do not want
to get closer to them.
So some training tips would bestay calm, don't scold your
(06:30):
puppy for trying to be friendly,but use it as a teachable
moment.
We can use your body to gentlyblock and guide your puppy away
and then reward your pup forfollowing you and disengaging
easily.
What are some things you can doat home to prepare for these
situations?
First, you can practice focusand engagement around
distractions.
I like to teach my dogs a lookat me cue.
So watch me or look at me.
(06:52):
Practice in quiet settingsfirst and then increase the
challenge.
Maybe we add some televisionnoise or a family member walking
by.
Maybe toys are being tossed onthe ground.
Add some difficulty in thereand see if you can still get
their attention on you.
Eventually bring that trainingoutside with mild distractions
before trying around other dogs.
Number two would be to build areliable recall and a let's go
(07:14):
cue.
So let's go, tells my dog,we're about to move, let's go.
It's a casual cue that helpsyou move your pup away without
any pressure.
Practice indoors, say let's go,turn and walk and reward your
puppy as they follow you.
Add this to walks as a way toleave behind something that's
exciting or stressful.
Number three is we candesensitize our dog to sounds
(07:35):
and movement.
You can use videos orrecordings of barking and dogs
playing at low volumes duringmealtimes or playtime to help
create neutral to positiveassociations for your pup.
We can set up safe shortpractice sessions with a calm or
neutral dog.
So find a neighbor's dog or afriend's dog that you could
interact with and you can use ababy gate or use, you know, a
(07:56):
fence between the dogs initially, to introduce them and practice
some of these behaviors thatyou've been working on.
Number four is you can teach acheck-in behavior.
Reward your puppy every timethey voluntarily look back at
you on a walk.
So you're not even cuing themto look at you, but if they
check in with you, reward that.
This builds a habit of checkingin with you before reacting to
(08:17):
other dogs or distractions.
Your outgoing pup has a greatheadstart, but life will bring
all kinds of dog-to-dogencounters.
Some will be friendly, somewill be neutral and some will be
unfriendly.
Teaching your puppy that notevery dog is a playmate and that
you are their safe, fun leaderin all situations will give them
the confidence and control tonavigate this tricky world with
(08:38):
a little bit of grace.
Now the goal isn't just asocial puppy, it's a socially
savvy one.
We want to help your puppy beeducated on how to greet dogs or
not greet dogs in certainsituations.
Thanks for tuning in today, youguys.
I hope you learned a new tiptoday that will be helpful to
you on your walks.
Have a great week and happytraining.
(08:59):
Thanks for tuning in to thepuppy training podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a littlepatience and consistency, you
can create a loving bond and awell-behaved pup who's a joy to
have in your family.
A loving bond and awell-behaved pup who's a joy to
have in your family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
(09:19):
leave a review and share it withfellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visitBaxter and Bella online.
Until next time, happy training.
Today's topic comes from a question sent in on.
Sometimes other dogs are not aswelcoming to my puppy, who
loves to be around other dogsand people.
How can I help my puppy bearound neighbor dogs and meeting
on walks?
Let's talk about it, becausethis is kind of a tricky
situation.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter and Bella, the online
(00:22):
puppy school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
experience raising a puppy, fromtraining tips to practical
tricks, all aimed at fostering ahappy, well-behaved dog who
truly feels like part of thefamily.
So if you are ready to enjoythe journey and strengthen the
bond with your dog, let's getstarted.
Hi you guys.
(00:47):
Thanks for tuning in to thePuppy Training Podcast.
I'm so glad you're here.
I hope you're having a greatweek.
Spring is definitely in fullswing and we are loving it.
Bella wakes up every morning,heads straight out to my
backyard, rolls around in thegrass, exposes her belly to the
sunshine and just lays there.
She loves it, so we aredefinitely enjoying that, even
though today we did get a littlebit of snow, but it's supposed
(01:09):
to melt and the weekend lookssunny again.
All right.
Today we are talking aboutthose tricky situations when
your puppy is super excited tosee other people and other dogs,
but other dogs or people maybeare not as excited to see them.
How do we handle this?
So first I want to talk aboutsocialization, because
(01:30):
socialization is one of thosereally important aspects of
raising a well-adjusted,confident dog.
It's really important,especially during your puppy's
early months when they'reforming opinions about things
around them, the world that theyexist in.
Right you know.
If your puppy naturally lovesother dogs and people, that's
wonderful, that's great.
However, socialization is aboutmore than just exposing them to
(01:52):
fun play dates.
It's also about teaching ourpuppy how to behave calmly and
respectfully when they arearound other kinds of dogs, even
those that may not be asfriendly in return.
So it's easy to think thatsocialization means let's just
let our puppies play freely withall the other dogs, but really
it's about exposure withpositive associations and
appropriate behavior, notnecessarily interaction.
(02:15):
Okay, that's important to note.
In real life, not every dogwants to meet our puppy, and
that's okay, and not every dogwants to play with them.
Some dogs may be nervous orreactive or simply uninterested.
That puppy might be a littlehigh energy for them, because
puppies do have a lot of energyThink of little kids and the
older the adults get sometimesit's harder for them to handle
(02:37):
that childlike energy.
So some dogs may be againnervous and anxious about this,
and we need to respect that.
So helping our puppy learn toobserve, to watch and look and
coexist calmly around differenttemperaments is just as
important as the playful moments.
All right, let's go through somecommon scenarios that you might
encounter and how to handlethem.
(02:58):
So, number one, let's sayyou're walking past a dog that's
unfriendly or possibly reactive, barking and lunging towards
your dog.
Okay, so either this is thisdog is just not wanting to
interact with your dog Sometimesyour neighbor's dog barks or
lunges at the end of the leashor your puppy may want to rush
over, unsure why that dog isacting that way.
Here are a few tips for you.
(03:18):
First, let's teach a let's gocue at home.
So I'll teach you that in justa second.
But let's use a cue that sayswe're just going to keep walking
.
So I'll say this as we'rewalking to just calmly move my
dog past the tension.
Next, I'm going to reward mydog for checking in with me
instead of fixating on the otherdog.
It helps.
As you move away and you createthat distance, your puppy will
(03:39):
be able to check in with you andthey will be able to take a
food reward.
If you're too close to thetension, those two things might
not happen.
So make sure that you'rewalking away.
That distance is an advantage,right?
So we can cross the street.
We can make a gentle U-turnbefore getting too close.
So be aware of yoursurroundings and when you see
that dog that's not friendly,just U-turn or, you know, cross
(04:02):
the street.
Let's get out and around themrather than having to confront
them.
Okay, so practice calm watchingfrom a safe distance.
If you're now far enough away,maybe you cross the street.
Your puppy can then watch thatdog pass and you can reward them
as you're doing so or as theyare seeing this other dog, and
that way they're seeing it moreas a.
This is okay.
(04:22):
I can handle this situationrather than a stressful event.
Another situation you mightencounter is your puppy pulls to
greet every dog, right, is thatyour puppy?
They just want to go up and sayhi to everyone and everything
they see.
So a sociable puppy might thinkevery walk is party time.
But not all dogs want to meetand not all people want to meet
(04:44):
and not all greetings are safe.
So here's a few tips on thisone.
First, I have a 90-10 rule whenit comes to walking.
90% of the time, my dog and Iare not going up to people and
dogs on leash.
We are simply seeing them andwalking happily past them.
It's not party time.
It's not time to stop and sayhello to everyone.
We see, if we do that moreoften than not, our dog expects
(05:06):
that more often than not.
So 90% of the time, oh yeah, wesee them, that's great, let's
go and off.
We go in the direction we'reheading.
And then 10% of the time, yeah,I might see a friend.
I need to stop and say hello ortalk to them.
That's okay, but it's nothappening the majority of the
time.
My dog is not expecting to stopand say hello to everyone.
We see that's super helpful.
(05:27):
Next, if you do decide to go upto someone and say hello, make
sure leashes stay loose.
We don't want to add anytension on the end of those
leashes.
When we do go up and greetsomeone, I would also keep a bit
of a distance between me andthe other person, as well as
between the dogs and obviouslywatch body language.
If either dog does not seemfriendly, we're not approaching.
(05:49):
If a greeting does happen, keepit short, three seconds.
Then call your pup back to you.
So let them go sniff the otherdog, lure them away and back to
you.
Let them go sniff and back andaway again, keeping those
leashes loose, so there's notany tension or frustration
involved and that briefinteraction can keep it positive
.
Another situation you mayencounter is that the other dog
(06:09):
is not interested.
So, talking about that bodylanguage, you see clearly that
the other dog does not want togreet or meet up with you.
Maybe they growl, maybe theycower, maybe they try to hide.
Sometimes that other dog's bodylanguage is very clear stiff
posture, turning away or awarning growl and we do not want
to get closer to them.
So some training tips would bestay calm, don't scold your
(06:30):
puppy for trying to be friendly,but use it as a teachable
moment.
We can use your body to gentlyblock and guide your puppy away
and then reward your pup forfollowing you and disengaging
easily.
What are some things you can doat home to prepare for these
situations?
First, you can practice focusand engagement around
distractions.
I like to teach my dogs a lookat me cue.
So watch me or look at me.
(06:52):
Practice in quiet settingsfirst and then increase the
challenge.
Maybe we add some televisionnoise or a family member walking
by.
Maybe toys are being tossed onthe ground.
Add some difficulty in thereand see if you can still get
their attention on you.
Eventually bring that trainingoutside with mild distractions
before trying around other dogs.
Number two would be to build areliable recall and a let's go
(07:14):
cue.
So let's go, tells my dog,we're about to move, let's go.
It's a casual cue that helpsyou move your pup away without
any pressure.
Practice indoors, say let's go,turn and walk and reward your
puppy as they follow you.
Add this to walks as a way toleave behind something that's
exciting or stressful.
Number three is we candesensitize our dog to sounds
(07:35):
and movement.
You can use videos orrecordings of barking and dogs
playing at low volumes duringmealtimes or playtime to help
create neutral to positiveassociations for your pup.
We can set up safe shortpractice sessions with a calm or
neutral dog.
So find a neighbor's dog or afriend's dog that you could
interact with and you can use ababy gate or use, you know, a
(07:56):
fence between the dogs initially, to introduce them and practice
some of these behaviors thatyou've been working on.
Number four is you can teach acheck-in behavior.
Reward your puppy every timethey voluntarily look back at
you on a walk.
So you're not even cuing themto look at you, but if they
check in with you, reward that.
This builds a habit of checkingin with you before reacting to
(08:17):
other dogs or distractions.
Your outgoing pup has a greatheadstart, but life will bring
all kinds of dog-to-dogencounters.
Some will be friendly, somewill be neutral and some will be
unfriendly.
Teaching your puppy that notevery dog is a playmate and that
you are their safe, fun leaderin all situations will give them
the confidence and control tonavigate this tricky world with
(08:38):
a little bit of grace.
Now the goal isn't just asocial puppy, it's a socially
savvy one.
We want to help your puppy beeducated on how to greet dogs or
not greet dogs in certainsituations.
Thanks for tuning in today, youguys.
I hope you learned a new tiptoday that will be helpful to
you on your walks.
Have a great week and happytraining.
(08:59):
Thanks for tuning in to thepuppy training podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a littlepatience and consistency, you
can create a loving bond and awell-behaved pup who's a joy to
have in your family.
A loving bond and awell-behaved pup who's a joy to
have in your family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
(09:19):
leave a review and share it withfellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visitBaxter and Bella online.
Until next time, happy training.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!