Socializing Dogs

Socialization is a process that all animals (including humans and dogs) undergo after birth, of exposure and habituation to the environment around them. Although different species have certain age periods when they are most sensitive or open to socialization, socialization does not come to a complete stop once that period ends, but rather slows down significantly, reflecting the corresponding reduction in the animal’s willingness to accept the unfamiliar.

Ways You Can Socialize Your Dog

Some ways to socialize your dog include neighborhood walks, visits to your vet clinic (just for greetings and treats), Petsmart, PetCo or similar stores, outdoor restaurants where dogs are welcome, shopping malls, parks, softball and soccer games, and friends’ homes. Make it a habit and keep treats handy in your pocket.

Merely exposing your puppy to children may help him to tolerate them, but if you want your pup/dog to actively like children, the best way to achieve this is through hand feeding and gentle play. When babies are around, hand feed treats to your pup. Allow willing children to do some of the hand feeding under careful supervision. If your pup loves balls, let the children also throw a ball for him. Plan some walks to coincide with when neighborhood children are on their way home from school.

"Sit in your front yard or farther back in your driveway with some magazines and a tall drink. Have your dog on leash resting on his rug/mat. When anyone or anything goes by, start dropping treats. Stop the treats when the person or thing passes out of sight. Do this as often as possible until your dog seems relaxed and comfortable with passing people, bikes, etc…Now move on to other locations and do the same. Let your dog’s reactions guide you as to how much stimulation he can take without triggering any negative reactions or feelings."

Be proactive about socialization with other dogs

Inadequate socialization with other dogs is one of the primary factors in dog-to-dog aggression. During the sensitive socialization time that occurs when they are between 4 weeks and 4 months old, puppies need to be able to freely play off leash with a variety of other friendly and socially savvy dogs in order to properly develop their canine social skills, which include being able to "read" the body language of other dogs and exchange communication signals with them.

"Remember, socialization is not just playing with the same dogs in the same place over and over. Socialization is meeting unfamiliar dogs in unfamiliar places. So, an excellent socialization exercise is the good old dog walk, especially if you take the time to sit on a park bench so your dog can hide and peak and watch the world go by as you classically condition every time another dog approaches (regardless of your dog's reactions), and differentially reinforce calm or friendly behavior with liver treats."

A Lifelong Process

It is important to understand that the process of socialization doesn’t come to a dead stop once your dog passes four months of age, but rather that your dog’s willingness to accept novel things is greatly reduced. This means that while remedial socialization is still possible, making up for lost opportunities requires more time and effort and results are less predictable.

The other side of this coin is that even if your dog was well socialized during puppyhood, this doesn’t mean there will be no ill effects if you then stop socializing him at some future time. There is definitely a “use it or lose it” aspect to socialization. This is because over time, an animal’s degree of sociability always moves naturally in the direction of greater fear or avoidance;

"Animals will become increasingly fearful of things they may have encountered in the critical socialization period, but see it too seldom thereafter."

Benefits of "pumped up" socialization

Socializing your pup to your own family and home is a good start, but not nearly enough to promote stable temperament! Keep in mind that every very new thing your dog successfully encounters as a pup is one less novel thing that will spook her as an adult dog. Every successful encounter is like money in the bank, building up her confidence and ability to overcome anxiety and stress. Dogs that may have some genetic tendency to be reactive (for example, most of the terrier, herding, and guarding breeds) need extra heavy doses of socialization. If your dog has a breed standard that says something like "reserved" or "wary of strangers" this is your cue to super-socialize! You provide "pumped up" socialization by exposing the puppy to everything under the sun that you want her to be at ease with, in the most pleasant positive way that you can. The result of continuous exposure to novel things is usually a more stable dog with vastly improved "bounce back" capability.

practice, practice, practice!