a perfect world, all puppies would grow into adult dogs who are friendly, outgoing, and emotionally stable. In the real world, many puppies and adult dogs, be they purebred or mixed breeds, come with baggage we may never fully understand. Some dogs, like Lily Bella, get the worst start in life but blossom into wonderful cherished companions. Other dogs get the best start in life but are traumatized by owner ignorance, stupidity, or unforeseen circumstances.
Why do some dogs flourish while others falter?
Behavior always comes from a combination of genetics and environment, so much depends on a dog‘s breeding. Some dogs can experience negligent, even abusive conditions, and still mature into emotionally sound adult dogs because of superior genetics. Lily Bella and her brother lived an isolated life under an abandoned building with no mama dog or human guidance, yet because of some proper socialization at the tail end of the critical socialization period, and an apparently amazing set of genes, they are quickly developing and maturing into great companions.
For every dog like Lily Bella, there are countless dogs whose compromised conditions and deprivation early in life result in their inability to tolerate change. They are more likely to develop fearful reactions to people, noises, and unfamiliar locations. They tend to be more cautious, shy, fearful, and frequently nervous, avoiding or retreating from unfamiliar objects or situations. As adult dogs, they usually find it more difficult to cope with new or stressful situations.
If your dog came from a less than ideal environment, he may already avoid people, become easily fearful or timid much of the time, or show signs of aggression. If this is the case, you have zero time to lose. You may want to retain the assistance of a smart trainer or behaviorist to make up for lost ground. Although he may never become the dog he could have been, you can help to improve the situation by teaching him life skills and providing him with plenty of experiences to help build his confidence and bravery.
It‘s worth mentioning that while much of this chapter is geared toward puppies, most, if not all, the information can be applied to adult dogs, too. How quickly your dog progresses will depend on his age, breed, genetics, his emotional and physical state, and what type of life you envision him living. It may not be easy, but patience, love, understanding, and a lot of baby steps will keep you moving in the right direction. Five steps forward, three steps backward—and you‘re still two steps ahead!
Training Tip:
Your Dog‘s Future
According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, behavioral problems such as aggression, fear, timidity, and the like, which frequently correlate with lack of socialization, are a common reason many dogs are abandoned or surrendered to animal shelters.Evidence clearly shows that early socialization can prevent the onset of these serious canine problems.If you do nothing else for your dog, you owe it to him to make the time to properly and adequately socialize him during this critical life stage.Doing so is time-consuming and takes a lot of energy.However, his future well-being depends on how much you do—or fail to do—during this critical period.
The Environmental Component of Socialization
Keep in mind that not all aggressive or fearful dogs have “bad“ genes. Plenty of dogs are afraid of people because they were not properly socialized as young puppies. This is not uncommon on ranches and farms where working dogs live an isolated life, seeing few, if any, people during the critical socialization period. These dogs are not necessarily hardwired to be shy or fearful of people, but because of their lack of socialization, they often view unfamiliar people as a threat.
Lily Bella is a good example of how genes (nature) and development and learning (nurture) play important roles in a dog‘s future. (Also known as the nature versus nurture debate.) Had her situation been different (i.e., had she been well socialized), it‘s hard to believe she would have been a terrified eight-week-old puppy cowering under an abandoned house. Had she not been rescued when she had, had she continued to live as a stray, it‘s highly likely her fear would have become more deeply ingrained, thereby increasing the difficulty of a successful rehabilitation. Yet, her superior genes no doubt allowed her to overcome her once fearful behavior.
These rescued Border Collies prove that good socialization and training can work miracles!
What Is Socialization?
Socialization is incredibly important, but what is it? Trainers have all sorts of definitions, but in the simplest of terms it is about classical conditioning: creating an association between two stimuli. This is a learning process in which your puppy is exposed—in a safe, positive, and nonthreatening way—to all of the things he is likely to encounter as an adult dog, such as other animals, the clapping of hands, elevators, stairs, vacuums, trash cans, kids on bicycles, women in floppy hats, and so forth.
That said, somewhere along the way, socialization became synonymous with a giant free-for-all. Taking your dog to the park and allowing him to be bombarded by other animals, strange sights, weird noises, and hordes of screaming, rambunctious kids grabbing at him, stepping on him, or squealing at him is not a positive experience. Likewise, taking him to a puppy class and allowing him to be mauled, bullied, or sent yelping by bigger, bossier, more dominant puppies is not a positive experience, either. Granted, some puppies may not be affected, but the majority of them will suffer in the long run. These types of experiences can permanently traumatize a young dog.
You want your puppy‘s association with his world—everything and anything he is likely to encounter as an adult dog—to be positive so he grows up thinking life is good and safe. This point cannot be stressed enough. Puppies need to play and interact with other puppies, and even adult dogs, yet that is a teeny, tiny piece of their education, not the only piece. Every second of the day, you are either adding to or subtracting from the human-canine relationship. Dog training, which includes socialization, is all about the relationship you have with your dog. Protecting that relationship should be priority one.
Thankfully, it is not difficult to find lots of fun places and ways to socialize your puppy.
Training Tip”
Eight Weeks and Beyond— The Critical Socialization Period
We know from the pioneering work of John Paul Scott and John L.Fuller that both genetic and environmental influences impact the development of canine behavior.One of their most important contributions is the description of sensitive periods in the social development of dogs, with the “socialization” period being the critical time between three and twelve weeks of age.(Some experts say three to fourteen to sixteen weeks.) It’s the time frame in a puppy’s life when “a small amount of experience will produce a great effect on later behavior.”
How to Socialize Your Dog
As soon as he is adequately vaccinated, you should take him for plenty of kisses and cookies everywhere that is safe and where dogs are permitted, such as:
•Outdoor cafes
•Shopping centers
•Hardware stores
•Banks
•Coffee shops
•Flower shops
•Horse barns
•Veterinarian‘s office
Expose him to a wide variety of people including toddlers, teenagers,
