Socialization: Building Life Skills And Why The Dog Park May Not Be The Best Place For Dogs

Guest post by Natasha Osborne of Pathfinder Dog Training And Mobile Vet Tech Service

Dogs have evolved from wild canids who tend to travel in packs and form social groups that benefit them both for safety and for success in hunting. Unfortunately, this often creates the misconception that dogs must be socialized with other dogs and must have friends and playmates. The reality is that most dogs would prefer to have nothing to do with any other dogs outside their family units.

As puppies, most dogs are fairly open and fluid socially. Wild canid puppies use play to hone hunting and fighting skills that would benefit them as they age. Once adolescence hits, play becomes either a form of avoidance, or a way to feel out the strength and weaknesses of the dog they're engaging with. So often as dogs move through adolescence they become more and more reactive and less tolerant of other dogs.

Even though dogs are no longer wild, their evolutionary footprint is still strong. In wild canid family units, adolescent dogs disperse and look for new territory or new packs to join. Wild canids do not interbreed and so strategically it makes sense that they begin to butt heads with other pack members and usually strike out on their own to find mates and new packs. Once they have formed their new packs, they generally do not interact with neighboring packs unless it is in a territorial dispute.

The term 'socialization' has become misunderstood as well. People feel that it means making their dogs social with other dogs and finding playmates for their puppies. What socialization really means, is building life skills. Young puppies should be exposed to all the things you wish to do with them as adults, as well as being exposed to all sorts of new noises, different surfaces, people of all sizes and shapes, car rides, other animals, and anything that they will encounter as an adult. While this includes other dogs it should not ONLY mean other dogs. The critical age time for building life skills is from 8 weeks to 16 weeks. After that dogs tend to become more independent and fearful.

Generally, introducing puppies to well-balanced adult dogs is always the safest approach. So much reactivity that I see in adolescent or post adolescent dogs comes from frustration and anxiety that has built from over 'socializing' - dog parks, group daycare and boarding situations. Once the dog has learned to repel others through aversive behaviors like growling snapping and lunging, that becomes very difficult to change once they hit adulthood.

Do your dog a favor - avoid any artificial group dog places. Get together with close friends and hike or walk if you feel your dog needs friends, but avoid excessive play. Avoid interacting with strange unknown dogs, even if their owners are crying how friendly they are. For many dogs, especially only dogs without other dogs in their family units, dog interactions can be extremely stressful and anxiety-inducing. Bold and rude dogs that ignore their requests for space can force them to escalate to increasingly more aggressive behavior to get the space they seek.

If your dog is becoming reactive reach out for help as the sooner you begin working on modifying behavior, the better. It can take a long time and a big commitment to change a dog's emotional and behavioral response to other dogs, once they have become reactive towards them. It's always better to start right than to fix a problem!

Happy trails and keep your dog safe!