"I Did Not Die" Moments

 

This is from the dog's perspective. Your dog will be thinking...."Whew, I did not die! That was really scary but I survived. Hey! maybe next time it will be less scary".

What am I talking about you ask? Socialization.

Socialization is the buzz word I hear from most clients talking to me about dog training. First and foremost, they want their dog to be social with other dogs. Hey that's great but let me ask "Who does a dog live with?" People! So you are the new pack. Your new dog needs to get use to you! Sure, you may have other dogs but most people have a one dog home. And your new puppy just spent 8 weeks or more with other puppies and dogs. Let your puppy or new dog adjust to life in your home.

Socialization is more than just meeting & greeting people and dogs. It is about your dog being comfortable in the world. It is also about recovery and coping. These are pretty important skills to make life easier. A lot of times we have to teach or help our dog through situations. Every puppy that comes through my Puppy Connect Program has the chance to see new and novel things. I show these new puppy owners how to introduce strange objects and help their puppies overcome fear and realize they won't die from the "terrible, scary monster".

One way to over come fear is by using food. It is important to shift the puppy's state of mind from fear and food can be a great motivator. Here is Amber and her owner working on socializing new environments.



Is your dog afraid of everything?!

Many dogs come to me with fear aggression. They are afraid of people, small children, dogs, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, skateboards, opened umbrellas, rolling trash cans, non-moving objects such as fire hydrants, library drop boxes, gas line flags and the list goes on.

Play is another way to over come fear. Check out this photo collage of Maizy at the skate park. She exhibited high fear at the sight and sounds of a kid on a skateboard but not so bad when the ball was brought out for play.

A well socialized dog is a dog that trusts. Trusting dogs know their owner will keep them safe. So build your relationship on trust. Show your dog trust through Leadership: taking control of situations. Encourage trust by guiding your dog through scary situations even if it seems silly to you. Overcome fear with food and play to change your dog's state of mind. Be dependable, honest and fair so your dog will have confidence in your judgment and abilities. Provide many "I did not Die" moments and your dog will be well socialized.

Out of the DogHouse LLC website www.ohiodogtrainer.net
Contact Dru Therrian 440.286.9070