15/01/2024
Dace from Lettland German Shepherds telling it as it should be ❤️
A conversation with friend of mine sparked me to write this post as I also get a lot of private messages about it and if you have followed us for a while - Naia only now would have been allowed out and about, previously she had to be ‘locked up’ by following very outdated veterinarian advice - I fear to imagine how she would grow up if I did that....read the post and it will make sense what I am on about 😅
‘ I suggest that you take your puppy out to a social setting every day between week 8 (when you get the pup) until the second fear period (often around 16 weeks). Yes, every day.
Training is teaching and there is an old saying “every moment you are with your dog you are training him, training him to be better or worse“.
We call a puppy and 1/14 investment. Put in the work for the first year, get a 14 year return. Ask any investor and they will tell you that is the best odds you can get. Your puppy will need to learn how your life works, where he sleeps, when he eats and what does he have to do to get along in life. He will need to learn life skills which include “effective” socialisation, which means he should learn all about other dogs, but not play with them so much he can’t control himself every time he sees one. He should learn that people come in all shapes and sizes and they move, sounds, smell and act quite differently. He should learn that you have and are the most rewarding thing in his life, but he should also not be dependent on you to be there every moment of every day.
Controlled Exposure is ESSENTIAL for a balanced dog.
The problem often is that inexperienced people don’t know what this means and allow their pup to play with other dogs until their pup explodes with excitement any time he sees another dog anywhere. This is not effective socialisation or controlled exposure. It’s over socialisation and it will almost certainly lead to problems….
What problems, well for one, probably obedience problems, from pulling on the leash to get to dogs to failing to recall away from another dog during play.
Will your pup grow out of it? Let me see, think of something you think is the very best thing on earth the you don’t get enough of, then ask yourself will one day you not want it?
The answer is of course yes, when your 100 years old … maybe...not.
Teach, teach and teach your pup that you are the best reward on earth, then that 100 years will be pleasant.
Socialization isn’t:
-About letting your dog freely interact with dogs at the dog park, day care, or with friends dogs.
-About allowing your dog to meet other dogs on-leash.
-About allowing all manner of people, in all manner of mental/emotional states interact/pet/pressure your dog.
-About exposing your dog to the sights and sounds of cars, buses, motorcycles, bikes, skateboards, joggers...and allowing them to freak out, panic, aggress, hide, bark etc.
-About exposing your dog to the sights and sounds of dogs, cats, and other animals, and allowing them to freak out, aggress, lunge, bark, growl etc.
Socialization is:
-About teaching your dog the proper responses to dogs. What is and isn’t appropriate behavior, and correcting the unwanted when it appears.
-About teaching your dog to walk by the barking, lunging dog(s) on walks and ignore them, completely. Correcting if necessary to achieve this result.
-About advocating for your dog and ensuring people aren’t allowed to pressure your dog, by touching, crouching down, attempting “kisses” etc. That means being a big boy or girl, and stopping others from engaging in unwanted, uninvited interactions.
-About exposing your dog to all manner of daily life “things” and ensuring a proper response. If aggression/arousal is present, it’s corrected, if fear/arousal is present (and causes an overreaction/fleeing etc.) it’s corrected. Ask your dog to learn to ignore and not care about these “life” distractions/concerns/temptations. Teach them to listen to the training, not the world around them.
-About teaching your dog to leave other creatures alone. The cat, the bird, the cow, the goat, the other dog, is simply none of their business. If they decide those things are their business, it’s your job to correct and clarify what is and isn’t their business for them.
Socialization has become a ridiculously simplified, dumbed down, all-encompassing idea. Free interaction and exposure have been presented as a panacea, the magic gateway to a balanced dog. That’s a whole lot of WRONG!!!
Socialization is all about teaching your dog how to behave and exist in the world...properly. People have a belief that only interactions create a well socialized dog. They don’t understand that existence is almost always preferable, and more valuable than actual interaction. Yes exposure is critical, but exposure without 100% clear guidance, and corrections for poor choices, isn’t socialization, it’s chaos, and it’s not teaching your dog what’s right, what’s wrong, and that you’ll keep them safe, so they don’t have to.
A well socialized dog isn’t fazed by the world around them. And that doesn’t come from simple exposure and interactions without guidance. Ironically, that’s precisely how you create anti-social dogs.
🐶
