Posted August 21, 2018 08:02:00 While it might be nice for dogs to get to know each other, it’s really not all that helpful for humans.
This is the conclusion of a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
“It appears that human interactions with pets are more problematic than previously thought,” the authors write.
“Dogs, especially those bred to be more social, exhibit social anxiety in humans.”
The researchers also found that people’s ability to socialize their pets was a better predictor of success in terms of the amount of time spent interacting with the pets.
They found that pets who were socialized to a degree were more likely to be successful in social interaction and were more successful in being social with people.
Dogs can’t be trained to be social, but they can learn to do it with training.
“People often refer to dogs as socializing machines, but we have found that their ability to understand and communicate with other people is actually quite limited,” says study author Elizabeth Fieber, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Health Science Center.
“A dog can be very smart and very intelligent, but if you do nothing but let them be socialized they will not be socializing,” she says.
The researchers say the main challenge for veterinarians and owners is educating their pets on social interaction.
The goal is to educate them that it’s important to social interact with their pets and that it is OK to take their time, sit quietly and wait for the right moment.
“The goal is not to train them to be aggressive, or to be fearful of others, but rather to teach them that you are there for them and that they are important,” Fiebers said.
“They need to learn that they’re valued and are not being left out.”
