Introducing your dog to strangers is an important part of the socialization process. Here's everything you need to know about this topic.
Introducing Your Dog To Strangers
If your dog has been properly socialized, she will not fear new encounters or people. She'll accept strangers into her personal space and will be generally friendly and happy. A dog who hasn't been socialized may have problems with strangers or new places. With time and patience, however, you can help even a fearful dog feel more comfortable with new people.
Here are a few tips to make meeting strangers a pleasant experience:
Training Your Dog to Welcome Strangers
Even if your dog isn't naturally gregarious, you can make meeting strangers a lot easier for her with a simple training technique. Ask a friend (someone the dog doesn't already know) to help you out.
Start with your friend approaching the dog from far away, about 50 feet. Your dog should be on a leash and outdoors with plenty of room. Stand still, holding the leash, and call to your friend to approach. When the friend is about 20 feet away, reward your dog if she has stayed calm and still. (If she hasn't, then have the friend start over and choose a distance that is farther away than 20 feet.)
Continue on in this manner, for a few minutes every day or so, until the dog is able to have the friend approach her all the way. Keep giving treats and praise for the times she stays still or even acts excited to see your friend. Go slowly enough that you don't try to do more than she can handle at any one time.
Practice with other people once your dog is okay with the first friend. Eventually, she should stay still and unconcerned when approached by anyone.
With a little bit of work and practice, you can make introducing your dog to strangers a fun and exciting occasion for everyone involved.
