Although the topic is very important, I will keep it short. Socialization is a subject on which we could write books or research papers. However, today I just wanted to highlight what is most important in this process.
First of all, what is socialization?
– it is a process that lasts a lifetime, specific for each individual, consisting of acquiring skills to move around in a given environment. It is also based on social contact with people or other dogs.
What should socialization be like?
– secure
– comfortable
– voluntary
– good quality
QUALITY not QUANTITY
This is the most important thing in the whole process. The fundamental error that we can observe is the emphasis on taking the puppy to dozens of different places, meeting dozens of different people, dogs, or other animals, walking on several different surfaces, or seeing sixty different objects. We often forget about quality.
Socialization is not about passive participation in it, but about interacting with people, dogs, animals, objects. And the most important thing is that these interactions should be valuable, good quality. It is from such interactions that the lesson comes. I would rather not see fifty new places and a lack of active puppy participation in the whole process. I definitely prefer the dog to have five positive, valuable interactions in which he actively participates, i.e., has social contact with a dog or other human, voluntary, unforced contact, with an appropriate representative of a given species, then fifty meetings with inappropriate … Read More
