—J. R. ACKERLEY
A human’s world is alien to a dog. Despite their ever-growing domesticated abilities, dogs do not come equipped with a handbook of how things operate in our realm. It is entirely incumbent upon us to teach them the ways of our world.
We cannot assume that it is normal for a dog to feel a leash around his neck; nor can we expect him to lose his desire to bark, mark territory, chew, and aggressively bite things he perceives as threats to his physical well-being. These are standard-issue canine behaviors that dogs instinctively perform. Unfortunately, a dog that bites can invoke society to institute a death penalty, and even lesser offenses can send owners scurrying for the nearest dog shelter. In such cases, a more socially acceptable response (by our standards, of course) for these behaviors is always missing, and this is our failure. Imagine what someone would look like eating linguine if no one ever showed them how to use utensils. It would not be pretty. The reality with dogs is far worse than a lack of teaching; it is our initial acceptance of these behaviors that can lead to a dog’s untimely demise. Owners everywhere slough off a biting puppy as cute—we call it “nipping,” which even sounds cute. As the dog grows and its bite becomes worse than its nip, it is now labeled a “bad dog.” Too often we treat problematic behaviors by attempting to wait them out. When these problems are not automatically outgrown, people treat dogs like lemons from a used-car lot and send them to the proverbial scrap heap.
Most dogs in shelters are roughly six to eighteen months old, adolescent dogs that were not properly socialized as puppies. Dogs enter adolescence at roughly six months, and depending on the size of the breed, the teen years can last until the dog is three years old. Adolescence is typically marked by some notable changes in behavior, and too often owners who have failed to socialize their dog properly end up deeming the dog’s issues intractable.
My mother will attest to the fact that it took a lot of work and no fewer than a couple of years for me to master “please” and “thank you,” despite the fact that we both speak English. She taught me with a gentle nudge and other times not so subtly. Despite the deliberate message and reminders, it took a few years before I was consistently willing to use these words in my interactions. By contrast, a dog can learn what to chew on, where to chew it, and even when to chew in a few hours, and with steady practice can master a behavior in days. The point is that a dog learns “please” and “thank you” far faster than I did but it still requires consistent work.
Dogs are social animals and quick studies that are very willing to learn manners, etiquettes, and protocols of behavior that make them all but perfect ladies and gentlemen in a domestic setting. If we do not take advantage of these abilities, dogs will be left to fend for themselves and try to determine what works on their own.
The dictionary defines socialization as “a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position.” The operable word is “continuing.” Although a dog is most teachable when it’s a puppy, even older dogs can shed their skin and refine their identity. Most training books are puppy-centric, rendering dogs over four months of age seemingly hopeless and unable to learn. This is not so. Similar principles apply, and though an older dog may be less malleable, all dogs can learn. In fact, the majority of dogs I train are adult dogs. Giving up on teaching dogs that have reached adolescence or adulthood is not only without basis but serves to multiply the shelter problem.
Dogs were not made for life in the city, but over one million dogs can be found thriving in the bustle of New York City alone. A dog misbehaving on an elevator is going to get called out in a hurry, but the good news is that same dog will get daily opportunities to amend and learn new behaviors. It will get conditioned to this environment by being commanded to sit during elevator rides, and will become desensitized to strangers coming and going in cramped quarters. Socialization is an ongoing process of conditioning and desensitization. We condition the response with commands and desensitize our dogs through incremental exposure to triggering stimuli in order to form positive associations.
For every behavioral problem there is a command that can fix it, but behind every behavioral problem is a socialization problem. Somewhere along the way, a dog did not learn how to properly interact with the environment. How do these problems manifest? They manifest every time a dog performs an experiment in its environment and makes associations based upon the results. This happens any number of times per day. If the sample size is small and the lone or few “snapshots” are negative, a negative association has been formed, and when this happens around the wrong thing, “Houston, we’ve got a problem.”
I worked with a two-year-old golden retriever named Simon who had difficulties around children. No great surprise, as it’s been said that dogs are less comfortable around men, children, and strangers. This means their greatest comfort level is around familiar women. Though I feel the same way, life involves more than spending time with women familiar to us.
Simon is the consummate happy golden retriever who became skittish and defensive when he got around children. He would send out a few warning barks and growl while backing up. It may have looked threatening enough, but it was clearly not an aggression problem. Simon simply had a very vocal desire not to engage kids. I asked the owner about her experience with Simon around children. When he was a pup, she refused to take the dog around children because she thought the neighborhood kids were too rough with other dogs. She may have been right but avoidance is rarely an advisable solution. When Simon was a little under a year old, she let her neighbor’s son play with him, and apparently, like a good neighbor, the kid flew a toy plane into the dog’s face and poked him in the eye. The dog scampered away, and the kid made flying sounds with his toy plane as he approached the dog again. Guess what the dog did? He growled and backed away. What did Simon’s owner do after that? She scolded the dog for growling and, from that moment on, avoided kids.
What was she doing when the dog first met the kid? She was chatting with her neighbor. Why? Because Simon had no particular reaction to kids from a safe distance and was now mostly grown. To that point, concern for her dog had her avoiding kids, and now she decided to turn Simon loose solely because he had reached physical maturity. Apparently, no introduction would be necessary, because Simon was a good dog.
In the wake of this incident, Simon’s owner now avoided children to the point where she would cross the street rather than walk past them. Simon’s interactions with children were limited to a trial sample of one. This solitary encounter resulted in a poke in the eye, and from this point on, Simon would be quick to avoid anyone who was not tall enough to ride a roller coaster. Reasonable to me. Every time she crossed the street to steer clear of those dang kids, Simon’s owner was sending a message that children posed a threat. Socialization is a “continuing process,” and she continually conditioned the dog to consider children dangerous. Simon was socialized to be wary of children, and the lone incident was proof enough for the dog. Had Simon ever been cornered by an unsuspecting child, he may well have bitten. Although it would have been purely a defensive maneuver, it could have not only injured a child but also endangered the dog’s life. The solution? Get some kids that are not armed with toy planes around the dog.
Over the course of a day, we carefully guided Simon through the land of children to gradually reduce his fear response. At first I brought Simon in the vicinity of kids and waited for his growl before redirecting his attention to me. All I needed was a few moments of eye contact to lower his anxiety to a manageable level. Once I got some calm from him, I would offer a treat. Pretty quickly the presence of kids was neutralized. With treats at the ready, I told some kids that the dog was very shy and asked if they could help my friend Simon overcome his shyness. The kids agreed and I made sure to handle the dog as the little people fed him a treat. Unlike his owner, I didn’t have a problem with Simon around kids, so the dog was a little less reactive. Simon clearly considered children a threat to him but may have also believed that his owner required his protection from them.
With me leading the introductions, Simon’s tune changed over the course of an hour but I kept at it for a day before I passed him back to his owner. (By the way, it’s amazing to see the caring concern of kids when they are doing something to help an animal. Even the boy who looked like he might scream, “Doggy!” and tackle Simon was suddenly gentle and focused.) Simon’s sample size grew to the point where he understood that not all kids come equipped with sharp-nosed toy planes that seek the nearest eye. I use this example not only to highlight the importance of proper socialization but also to illustrate how teachable an adolescent dog can be.
In order to socialize a dog, it does not have to meet all of your Facebook friends, but it needs to meet plenty of people: friends, acquaintances, and strangers. It needs to meet strangers doing strange things—picking up the garbage, dropping off the mail—and it needs to contend with strangers who will be handling the dog: groomers, dog walkers, vets, friends, family, and possibly trainers.
You need to listen with your eyes in order to detect and prevent the development of phobias, fears, and foibles. In short, you need to speak a little dog. In no time, you two will be like a longtime married couple that can finish each other’s sentences. The way you do this is by spending time with your dog and being social. Introduce your dog to people and other dogs, bring it to new places, and let your dog into your entire world (within reason).
For a dog to be fully socialized, it must be able to negotiate myriad environments, interactions, and objects, including but not limited to the following:
■ Locations: Home (inside and outside), other people’s homes, crates, doghouses, dog parks, dog kennels, parks, bodies of water, veterinarians’ offices, the groomer, etc.
■ People: Children, adults, the elderly, infants, handicapped people (wheelchairs, walkers—i.e., any and all who appear different will appear entirely different to a dog), people wearing big hats, sunglasses, carrying umbrellas; anything that alters appearance might make a dog think it’s happened upon a new, potentially threatening species.
■ Animals: Your dog will also encounter other dogs, cats, rodents, as well as indigenous animals.
■ Objects: Furniture, different flooring surfaces (hardwood, waxed wood, carpeting, etc.), glass doors, toys and balls of all varieties, noisemaking objects, wood, paper, cardboard, Styrofoam, clothing, metal items; the list goes on to cars, buses, motorcycles, loud trucks (garbage trucks!), skateboards (a common issue), Rollerblades, bicycles, lawn mowers, washer/dryers, blenders, boats, vacuums, etc.
■ Sounds: Doorbells, singing, stereos, carts, fireworks, ice cream trucks, screaming, vehicles of all varieties, aircrafts—any and all of the above can create an aural alarm for a dog.
Dogs also have to be able to move through these environments and deal with things like garage doors, electric sliding doors, glass doors, stairwells, elevators, escalators, closing and opening doors, bathtubs, etc. Without needed guidance, this is a daunting proposition for a dog.
Dogs will need to be bathed, get their nails clipped, be flea-combed, be brushed (fur and teeth), be picked up by loved ones, and be accosted by overfriendly strangers. A veterinarian will take their temperature, look in their ears and mouth and between their toes, and do whatever else is needed at a checkup or in performing a basic procedure.
Dogs will need to deal with many of these sights, sounds, and experiences on their own. How many people are with their dog more often than not? Most dogs are going to gain their greatest experience solo, so be ready to discover what they’ve picked up on in their travels.
Let’s get prepared. I am less of a proponent than many regarding the use of treats in teaching dogs the basic socialization techniques. I find they can be a distraction to the dog. Still, better safe than sorry, so keep some treats in your proverbial quiver, especially if working with a puppy. We’ll begin with the first rule of etiquette: the dog introduction.
Dogs need to meet people, as well as other dogs, and form positive associations. Let me say that again. Dogs need to meet people, as well as other dogs, and form positive associations. Meeting new people is easier, so let’s start with meeting new dogs.
So, you’re taking a Sunday stroll on a narrow sidewalk, and along comes a fellow human walking a strange dog. You nod in acknowledgment, and this person slows down, but the dog keeps going, straight in the path of your pooch. It is your job to make the introduction to this potential new canine friend. A well-socialized dog may know how to introduce itself, but we never know with whom our furry friend is coming into contact. Be first and never let the dog lead. In such instances, always keep your dog behind you.