[PaoPao]

Hi,

I have had my Australian cattle dog for three years now and she has always shown a disinterest in socializing with other dogs, most of the time she will completely ignore them. This has been the case except for one dog that she sees has know since she was a puppy. When she is with this dog they play nonstop. A year ago I got another dog, a boston terrier chihuahua mix, from a shelter in the hope that having a second dog around would teach her to be more social. My second dog is the same age as her and they get along wonderfully and play with each other for hours each day. And while my first dog has gotten better at greeting other dogs that she meets, both dogs don't play with other dogs that they meet or when we go to the dog park. I have hoped that they would because it makes me feel bad that they don't like to socialize since the two dogs that I had before them loved playing with any dog that they met. Am I doing somethings wrong with these two? Will it hurt their quality of life if they don't have other dogs to play with?

 

[Sthelena]

I consider you lucky. There are many of us who have to work to train our dogs to be aloof to other dogs. This is actively bred for in some breeds. But to answer your question, no it wont hurt quality of life at all. If your dog doesn't want to socialize with strange dogs pushing it can possibly have a negative effect...