Friendly Dog vs. Socialization: Understanding How Socialization Impacts Your Dog's Temperament
When opening your home to a new dog, a common topic when talking about dog training will emerge: socialization. As dog training professionals with years of experience helping train dogs in Portland, Oregon we’ve seen a plethora of different understandings of the concept of socialization. Knowing what socialization truly is, how to execute it correctly and how it impacts your dog’s behavior and temperament is crucial to building a lasting and healthy relationship with your dog.
So, What is Socialization?
Socialization in regards to canine training refers to the intentional exposure to a wide variety of animals, environments, people and stimuli in a positive and controlled manner. The process of socialization aims to help dogs develop confidence and appropriate behavior skills ensuring they can interact calmly and confidently in the world around them. Through socialization, dogs can learn to navigate new or unfamiliar situations helping them become well-rounded companions capable of thriving in diverse environments.
While this process typically begins during puppyhood, the practice of socialization should continue through a dog’s life to maintain and reinforce positive behaviors.
Friendly Dog vs. A Socialized One
A common misconception about socialization comes from the term: “Friendly Dog”. It’s easy to think that because a dog is “friendly” and likes to interact with other dogs or humans that they are well socialized.
Have you ever had an off leash dog run up to you on a hike and heard the owner exclaim: “Oh, don’t worry he’s friendly!”? While that may be true, in reality, this is a poorly socialized dog who lacks the impulse control to remain neutral when faced with a change in their environment such as a new human entering their sphere.
True socialization should focus on creating a neutral response to people, animals and stimuli, not an excited one. By honing your dog’s impulse control in a variety of environments, you can develop a well-behaved canine companion.
Tips for Effective Socialization
Take it Slow: Gradually expose your dog to new stimuli with control. Avoid overwhelming experiences and focus on mastering one new stimulus at a time.
Expose to Various Environments: Take your dog to parks, pet-friendly stores, busy streets and a variety of new environments to broaden their experience and help desensitize them to different experiences.
Stay Consistent: Make socialization a regular part of you and your dog’s routine that continues throughout their life. Always look for opportunities to practice neutral behavior in new environments and with new stimuli.
At Adaptive Canine Training, we focus on consistently practicing socialization and reinforcing the correct calm, neutral responses to changes in a dog’s environment throughout our training programs. Over time this dedicated practice can lead to a dog who’s not just “friendly” but also well socialized.
