In a perfect world, our pets would do what we want when we want and behave like perfect little ladies and gentleman. However, if your pets are like mine, that is not the case and tying to train them to have manners is sometimes completely nerve wracking. Both my dogs have an incurable case of barking. I can tell when certain neighbors are walking or driving by our house, without even looking, by the tone of my dogs’ barks. When the neighbor down the street drives by in her old Volvo (which must emit a noise that only my pups can hear) they have a deeper bark that almost seems like they are trying to say hello. If someone walks by our house with a pet, they go insane and have a loud, high-pitched, bark-frenzy. As much as I love my dogs, their barking is wearing on a regular basis. What is especially annoying is when guests stop by our house; my dogs go into full-on needy, pet me mode and will not leave the guests alone. They climb up their legs, hop into their laps and paw at their feet until they are satisfied with the attention they are given or until I put them in another room and to get them to calm down.

As much as I am ashamed to admit it, my dogs are not properly socialized. I recently looked up ways to help my pesky pooches acquire better behavior and was encouraged by what I found. The good news is – it is never too late to train your pet to respond better to social situations. By exposing pets to different kinds of people, animals and environments ranging from obedience classes to walks to vet visits, pets will gain confidence and achieve more acceptable social skills. However, your responses are the keys to successful socialization. Unfortunately, I am an impatient person and although I walk my dogs regularly, I have always avoided having them go up and sniff other dogs passing by to avoid confrontation or an accidental dog fight. This has turned my cute pooches into goofballs when we go for strolls. They bark and freak-out when other pets pass on our walks but it is my fault as I pull their leashes toward me and do not give them the opportunity to discover and get to know new dogs. Letting them greet other pets that may go by will apparently make them happy and reinforce good social skills through being allowed to naturally respond to outside stimuli.

Evidently, the same rules apply around the home. When my dogs bark at passers-by or affectionately attack guests in the home, I become agitated (yes, sometimes I yell), which in turn must make them agitated and act unpredictably. Helping my dogs feel comfortable about being excited will apparently keep them calm no matter who arrives or goes by the house. Having a guest enter the house, pet my dogs then maybe give them a treat will make them feel loved then get them on their way to doing their own thing instead of being a constant pest. Refraining from yelling at my dogs during a bark attack will supposedly shorten the duration of their barking by keeping them from becoming too overwrought.

The fact is, I have not helped my dogs become resilient in social situations. Taking time and being patient enough to help them respond better to environmental stimuli will hopefully help them more effectively cope with neighbors walking by, meeting new dogs on the street during walks and being obedient when guests drop in at our house. Better social management on my part will hopefully create better behavior on their part.