Mostly, dogs don’t like the presence or company of other dogs. They may experience anxiety or stress when forced to be social.

You may notice a resisting or stubborn behavior when you take your pup to the park, while walking in the crowd, and even when visiting a Vet.

As a Proud Dog Parent, this happens because you Proud Dog Parent didn't train your dog at the right time. Note that proper socialization is crucial for all dog breeds. The socialization training starts from the day you adopt it or the day it comes into your home.

Lack of socialization results in a pup with severe social anxiety, aggression, and fear. You may not realize how lack of socialization affects your pup's behavior.

You are here searching for ways to reduce your dog's anxiety around other dogs. Your effort is highly appreciated that you approach the right platform.

Before diving into the detail, let me mention that the guide is picked from a free ebook: Relieve stress and anxiety in your dog. A book is always my preference when finding some solution related to a dog's behavior.

That said, let's dive into the subject! :)

Identify the threshold

Firstly, try identifying the threshold that how close your furball gets to unfamiliar dogs. Points may vary from dog to dog and even from breed to breed.

Depending on your pup's fear, the distance may be around 100 feet to 5 feet. Do whatever; don't allow your dog to cross this distance because the situation may get uncontrollable. Note that keep a firm grip over the leash of your pup.

Positive reinforcement of calm behavior

Don’t forget to serve your dog with treats or encouragement when behaving well.

When your dog tries hard to be calm around other dogs, you must appreciate this effort. Keep your hand full of delicious dog treat to encourage your dog when it’s peaceful.

Note that all your dog wants is your attention no matter what. You can mold your pup in any way by adequately using your watch, treatment, and encouragement. According to the FREE EBOOK Relieve stress and anxiety in your dog, positive reinforcement for a dog’s calm behavior mean training your dog not to be stressed around other dogs.

Brief introduction with other dogs

We can’t ignore or avoid dogs for a pup's lifetime. At some point in life, your dog will have to interact with other dogs no matter the extent of its unsocial nature.

So, it's good to introduce your pup to other dogs at the right time before things get worse. Wait! Don’t rush things.

There is a proper way to introduce pet dogs to other dogs. The situation should be in your hand; you should have a firm grip over the leash.

Know that introducing the dog to other dogs is a long-term way to reduce stress around other dogs.

A brief interaction with other dogs will make your pup understand that stranger dogs are not scary. Let your dog know that dogs can be good friends at parks.

Make this meeting just 5 minutes for the first time, so your dog will not get stressed. However, you can gradually increase the interaction time by keeping a record of your pup's behavior.

Praise your dog

Let’s assume that dogs get stressed around other dogs because it’s possessive for the owner. Praising your dog will help you out.

When you see other dogs coming your way while you are on the walk, start praising your pup. In this way, your dog will be distracted. It will understand that your love is accurate even in the presence of other dogs.

Praising at the right time will convince your dog to be calm. Providing treatment can also be an excellent option to promote positive behavior.

Furthermore, teach your dog about some basic verbal cues. In this way, you can grab your pup's attention, and distracting it becomes easy.

Here is a simple suggestion to keep your dog at the muzzle when it first interacts with other dogs.  We have no idea how our pup will react; it may bark excessively in stress and become aggressive.

Before wrapping the discussion, let's shortlist some questions to cover more information.

How to make my dog more confident around other dogs?

Proud Dog Parents is a platform for dog lovers. Our forum is designed to provide veterinarians and specialized trainers with information to dog parents to improve dog health.

Because we get a lot of questions in our practice from dogs with trauma or stress, the dog experts at Proud Dog Parents have put together a free ebook. This ebook provides practical tips on how to make your dog less anxious.

Download your free ebook: Relieve Anxiety & Stress in your dog, here!

My dog gets too excited around other dogs.

At Proud Dog Parents, we often get questions from proud dog parents who have this question: what if my dog is too enthusiastic around other dogs?

As you know, dogs are group animals. Even though some dogs don't like social contact with other dogs, most dogs are super enthusiastic. Especially if they are dogs of their breed, some dogs can go completely crazy when they see another dog. The risk that can arise is that your dog may become aggressive because he gets so excited.

How do you deal with this kind of behavior? Should you punish your dog, should you let him do his thing, or should you ignore it? In a nutshell, the dog experts at Proud Dog Parents give some practical tips.

Techniques to keep your dog calm

As soon as your dog meets another dog, he must remain calm. His interest in another dog is natural behavior and is healthy. It may take some time for your dog to approach other dogs calmly. Many too enthusiastic dogs are also stressed and maybe even a little scared. Therefore, try the following techniques to get your dog to approach other dogs calmly.

The first meeting

You will soon have to intervene when your enthusiastic dog meets another dog. Therefore, always use a dog harness that ensures that the pulling force does not reach your dog's neck. Especially in the beginning, he will jump and pull, and therefore, it is essential to use a harness.

Make sure you make the first meeting with a similar breed. Dogs of the same breed are often more at ease than other breeds. For a first meeting, this is more comfortable for your dog.

When meeting another dog for the first time, always make sure to stay at a distance from each other first. See how the dogs are doing. Do they bark? Do they get excited?

Wait until your dog calms down. When he calms down, you approach each other. If he gets too excited, you stop. Repeat until he remains calm.

In this way, you will teach your dog to remain calm during an encounter with another dog.

FAQs related to dog stress around other dogs

Q1. Why is my dog stressed or nervous around other dogs?

When your dog is stressed in the presence of other dogs, it’s your fault. Because it was your responsibility to expose your dog to other pets or animals. Social anxiety happens when you don't take your pup out for walks or games. Along with this, some bad experiences may make your dog anxious around another dog.

Q2. How to help my dog overcome the fear of other dogs?

Arranging a controlled and proper introduction of your dog to other dogs is an effective way to help your dog overcome this fear. All you have to do is take your pup out for walks at the park. Make sure to keep a firm grip over your dog's leash so it will not run when scared. Positive reinforcement and rewards are highly recommended when you introduce your darling pup to other dogs.

Q3. How to identify that my dog has social anxiety?

Your dog may behave weirdly, hiding behind you, running, and getting aggressive. Some behavioral issues are also the symptoms that your pup is not happy to be around strangers or other dogs.

To wrap it up

You take your dog out for a walk, but it suddenly starts panicking. You may notice that your dog is not happy in the presence of other dogs and is suffering from social anxiety. So, the next step is to help your dog cope with this fear and be confident even in the presence of large dog breeds. We favor allowing dogs in natural ways rather than relaxers or related medications—all you have to do is be calm and consistent to get desired dog behavior.