It is good to have friends.

This is Sunny. He was SO excited about coming to the kennel. He pulled his Mom all the way down the path. I could see the disappointment in his face when he saw that there were no other dogs.

He only had me to play with, and I don't run around so what good am I.


Then Gus arrived. Gus is just a puppy and a very little puppy at that. He is a jack russell terrier. I knew I had a good match for Sunny. Gus didn't think so. He didn't want to come out of the kennel. The first time he came out, met Sunny and headed back in for safety. The next play time, he gave Sunny a snif, too. Third time is a charm, he put his paws up on Sunny's nose and played.

The dog trainers call this socialization. I say it is good to have friends. Playing with other dogs is the best thing you can do for your dogs. Think about it, you wouldn't let your toddler hang out with a bunch of grad students. Everyone needs friends their own 'age'. For that dogs need dogs.

Try it out, take your dog to a dog park or just out with your friend's dogs. You will see an improvement in all of your dog's behaviors. There must be something to learning where you stand in the dog universe that give a dog a sense of identity and confidence. A happy and confident dog is a great dog. A scared and timided dog will be the one who bites you.