When you get a new dog you shouldn't feel like you need to introduce it to your neighbors right away. Instead, let it get used to its new surroundings and its new family first. Once the dog has a steady routine and has gotten comfortable around you, then you can introduce it to the neighbors.


Waiting to introduce your new dog around will also allow you the time to figure out how it feels about strangers. If it is super friendly and easy going, then introductions will not be an issue. If it is guarded and fearful or aggressive, then you will need to do more work around how to respond when meeting new people.;
, Check to see if it knows commands and whether it will follow them reliably. Once you understand what your dog can and will do, then you will know better what to expect when introducing it to others.


If your dog doesn't know commands or will not respond to them reliably, then you will need to do some training with the dog. Many people use positive reinforcement and repetition to get a to reliably respond to commands such as sit, stay, and lay down.
 You want to make sure that you have physical control over the dog before the introduction. Put a collar or harness on the dog and hook a leash to it. Make sure you can hold on to the dog even if it goes wild or gets overly energetic.Harnesses can be great to use on dogs that have a lot of energy and can pull a lot. If attached correctly they hold the dog very well and the dog cannot wiggle out of them like they can with a collar.
Keeping the dog on leash also protects the dog from getting loose and lost in a new neighborhood., Before the meeting you can tell your neighbor how to interact with the dog for the first time. This may include highlighting the fact that calmness in them will promote calmness in the dog and that contact should be made gradually.Give the neighbor a treat for the dog ahead of time and tell them the commands you would like them to give the dog before giving it a treat.
You may also want to tell the neighbor to avoid direct eye contact with the dog initially. Direct eye contact can be read as aggressive by a dog., If your new dog is agitated or temporarily ill behaved, then it is not the right time to have an introduction. Make sure your dog is in a good mood, fully fed, and tired out from exercise before introducing it to a new person.Instead of just meeting the neighbor by chance, make a plan to meet intentionally. This will allow you to make sure the time and place is right.
 Dogs can get territorial in their own space, so it's best to have a meeting with someone new at a location that is neutral. This could be a park or backyard that the dog has never been in, or it could simply be on a the sidewalk away from its house.If you must have the meeting at your home, you will run a greater risk of having the dog exhibit territorial behavior towards the neighbor.
 It is important to keep your dog on leash and keep a good hold of the leash while the dog is meeting someone new. Since the dog is new to you, you will not necessarily be able to identify the signs that it is going to misbehave before it does it. This means that you should keep a strong hold at all times in case the dog's mood or behavior changes suddenly.


Even if the dog is behaving well, keep a hold on its leash. Your dog should learn that you are in charge and you holding onto the leash will signal that.
 If your dog has a hard time meeting new people, you will need to take the interaction slowly. You will also want to make it possible for the dog to approach the neighbor, not the other way around.


Your dog should first be given some time to see the neighbor from a distance.Then you should bring the dog close enough to smell the neighbor but not make contact. Then, if all is going well, you can allow physical contact. This usually includes the dog sniffing the neighbor.
It can be a good idea to meet up with the neighbor while going for a walk. If the dog continues to move while the new person comes into their space, they are less likely to resist it., If your dog is aggressive towards the neighbor then you should delay the meeting until you can train the dog more. There is no use in exposing your neighbor to an aggressive dog. Instead, take it as a learning experience and focus your energy on dog training and behavior management.


There are some dogs that take a bit of time to warm up to new people. If you know this about your dog and you are sure that it will warm up to the neighbor, then you can continue the introduction. Just be sure to warn the neighbor about this beforehand and make sure that they are fine with doing a little bit of work to befriend the dog.
 When introducing your new dog around, you want to be sure that it does not get overwhelmed. You also don't want to put it in a situation where it is likely to act badly or fearfully. With this in mind, introduce a new dog to only one or two neighbors at a time.


Slow and intentional introductions can set up lifelong quality relationships between your dog and its neighbors.
 Make sure your dog doesn't have a biting or snapping fear response before introducing it to a child. New dogs that are scared may show fear by snapping or biting.


This fear response can injure a child that doesn't know to take caution with a new dog.
 If your dog is well behaved and friendly to your neighbor then it should be rewarded with a treat or a fun activity for its behavior. Giving the dog positive reinforcement will help assure that it behaves the same way the next time it meets a new person., If your dog doesn't react to strangers in a way that you want it to, then you will need to spend some time training it. This is usually done with positive reinforcement and consistency. Specifically, you will need to get your dog to reliably respond to commands and you will need to introduce it to a wide range of people so that the experience becomes normalized.


If your dog is actually aggressive with strangers, as opposed to scared or hesitant, then you will need to go about this training more strategically. The dog may even require the expertise of a professional dog trainer.
 Part of training will be making sure that your dog is comfortable with people, including strangers. This is called "socialization."In order to do this you should lead by example, showing over-the-top kindness and joy when meeting people and showing affection. If your dog sees you welcoming new people, it is more likely to exhibit this behavior as well.


Ideally, socialization should begin when a dog is a puppy. However, it is never too late to socialize a dog and make it comfortable meeting new people.Tell people that you are meeting up with or who are coming to your home about the situation. Make sure they model friendliness and joy with you and the dog.
If you have a dog that has been trained to guard, then it will harder to get it to be friendly to strangers.
Let your dog settle in.
Practice commands with the dog.
Place a leash on the dog.
Instruct the neighbor how to act.
Pick the right time.
Have the meeting in a neutral location.
Keep a hold of the dog.
Allow the dog contact slowly.
Delay the meeting if aggressive behavior occurs.
Take multiple neighbors into account.
Use caution with your dog and neighbor children.
Reward positive behavior.
Give consistent training.
Promote friendliness with people.
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