Socializing Your Dog with People, Other Animals and Noises

Socializing Your Dog with People, Other Animals and Noises

It is especially important to socialize your dog when living in an apartment because each time you take your dog out for exercise or to relieve itself, it will automatically come in contact with all kinds of people, animals and sounds in all types of situations. There will be children playing, stray cats, stray dogs, people who are afraid of dogs, loud engines, trash blowing around, and, of course, other dog owners who unabashedly allow their dogs to come right up to yours whether you request them to or not.

Socializing a dog

Whether you get your dog as a puppy, young adult or full grown adult, you need to start socialization as soon as possible. The easiest way to socialize your dog is to make him or her a part of your family. Take your dog with you everywhere you go, to as many places as possible and never stop this good habit. Obviously, there will be certain places where dogs are not allowed or it is not safe, such as a Fourth of July celebration, a Mardi Gras parade, or a large community event with high heat and a lot of noise. If a place or event seems safe and open to you bringing your dog, however, feel free to take him or her with you. You will have endless training opportunities for distractions. 

It is important to be aware of your dog’s temperament when starting to socialize him or her. If you have a dog that has behavioral problems like fear or aggression then you will need to start in quieter areas and build up to these locations, planning to make it eventually to these high distraction places as your goal.

If your dog does not have these issues, and is generally happy and friendly, try taking him downtown for walks, on buses, in cars, to the lake, to dog parks, to the vet office, inside pet stores or any stores that allow dogs, over all kinds of footing like metal, concrete, carpet, grass and sand. Bring your treats, toys, clicker, water and practice on sits, downs, stays, attention, recalls on leash, sitting when being petted, release words, etc. If you make this a life long habit, you will have a confident, social dog that is a joy and pleasure to be around. 

Once your dog is trained and socialized the two of you can go to more places together. The more trained and socialized your dog becomes, the more activities the two of you can participate in together. It is a snowball effect that never ends. For example, when you come across a brand new situation with new distractions that the dog has never seen before, you will already have a trained and social dog that is responsive to all of your training tools. You can ease yourself into the situation rather than allowing your dog to be unsure and fearful. 

Compare your socialized dog to the dog tied in a backyard, fearful and aggressive because his life exists solely in the tiny area that only his eyes can see. If you take that dog outside his comfort zone, outside his backyard, he reacts with pure fear and lashes out and bites or runs away, never being allowed to experience everything life has to offer. 

Another very simple way to socialize your dog is to walk him around your neighborhood. Start walking your dog at least once a day in the beginning, and then about twice a day as you move out to further territories. This kind of activity will allow your dog to see and experience all the normal daily activities that occur outside of his small circle. Your dog will see and eventually meet all kinds of people, bicycles, skateboarders, other animals and experience all kinds of noises and smells. When you are out on your walk make sure you are polite. Carry poop bags with you, as well as water and a collapsible nylon bowl. Don’t forget to bring a big bag of tasty treats and a clicker if you use one.

Do not allow your dog to be afraid when encountering a new experience and do not “reassure” your dog when it appears to be nervous. Both actions will reinforce the unwanted behavior and set your dog up for failure. When you come across a new object, sound or smell, walk with the dog up to the object and encourage him to move closer, rewarding them with a click and a treat with each step closer they take on their own. Do not force your dog by pulling or pushing your dog him towards the object. For example, if you come across a set of wooden stairs that makes your dog startle from a distance, walk slowly up to the object, rewarding them with a click and a treat for each baby step they take towards the object. 

If you hit a threshold where the dog starts to panic or become aggressive and won’t move any closer to the object, stop immediately. Your goals for future training sessions would be to be able to move your dog past this threshold, one step at a time. Each step needs to remain positive and stress free. If you find the dog, once again, become panicky, back the session up to the step just prior until the dog become accustomed to the situation or object that is causing this reaction. Then move on to the next step closer and closer, each step remaining positive.