Socialization

Why Socialize?
If the world was perfect, we could protect our dogs from negative, anxious and frightening situations. In the real world, we must help our dogs learn how to cope and respond, in a healthy and acceptable manner, to the spectrum of people, animals, places, etc. they might encounter along the road of life. By exposing our dogs to different kinds of people, animals, and environments, we can help them develop confidence and ease. No matter when you adopt your dog, you can apply canine socialization principles to help him be a more stable, happy, trustworthy companion. Socialization does not end at puppy hood. While the foundation for good behavior is laid during the first few months (and these are a very important couple of months as puppies are learning what to accept and what to fear), good owners encourage and reinforce social skills throughout the dog’s life. Socialization should continue for as long as possible until your dog greets every new person or situation with confidence and ease (this could take months or years).

Often times, undersocialized dogs will become fearful of what they have never seen/met. They will act aggressively towards a certain type of person, animal, or experience. In order to avoid this, you will need to expose your dog to as many experiences as possible in your beginning time with him.

People
Dogs and puppies depend on you to make sure they are exposed to as many different people as possible, especially in the first few months of their lives. The more exposure they get to a wide variety of people, the more likely they are to be happy and well adjusted. By the age of 12 weeks, your puppy should be introduced to at least 100 people. Try to bring your puppy with you to as many places as possible or maybe have a party at your house so he can start meeting people right away. Make sure you have your puppy meet people of different ethnicities and ages, as well as people wearing/using a variety of items (baseball hats, costumes, wheelchairs, bicycles, dark coats, glasses, etc.)

If you’re bringing a new adult dog into your home, your major concern is to check out how well socialized the dog is and to strengthen any weak spots. For example, if you find that this dog is a bit uncomfortable with men in hats, then you must make a concerted effort to help your new dog to learn to love men wearing hats.

Experiences
As with socializing your dog to people, it is also of utmost importance to expose your dog to a wide variety of experiences as well. You will want to make sure you have treats on hand in the beginning so your dog will connect new experiences with good things (treats!) Some of the experiences you will want your dog to get used to as early as possible are bathing, clipping nails, going to the vet, buses passing by, bicyclists passing by, walking on a leash, getting groomed, people walking by, and noises of everyday life. You want to praise any good behaviors (sniffing, walking calmly, sitting politely) with a treat. Undesirable behaviors should be ignored while trying to redirect your dog’s attention to you.

Often times a dog whose only outside time is in a fenced in backyard become undersocialized. As mentioned, dogs need to experience a wide variety of people and situations. If the only interactions a dog has is with your family and friends in your backyard, he is likely to miss some great socializing opportunities. Make sure that even if you have a fenced in backyard, you still take your dog on walks to meet the neighborhood sounds, people, and animals.

Animals
Your dog is going to encounter a lot of other animals (dogs, cats, squirrels, birds, rabbits, etc.) in his life, so he needs to be ready for those experiences. The key is to allow your dog to experience meeting these other animals as often as possible, and rewarding good behavior. Puppies will probably already have some experience with other dogs from being in a litter. With older dogs you really don’t know what you’re dealing with in terms of past socialization. They may have already accumulated negative experiences with other dogs. So it is important with older dogs to take it slow and start off finding out what he is and is not comfortable with. Some great ways to socialize your dog to other dogs are through obedience classes, doggy day cares, and dog parks. Be sure you know how your dog behaves before taking him to a dog park. Not all dogs are “dog park dogs”.