| Attention: A dog that is able to demand attention of his owners is actually giving the owner obedience commands! Commands we frequently obey include: “Open the door for me!”, “Rub my tummy!”, “Give me a treat!” and “Throw the ball!”. You are probably a very obedient human! If you are more obedient to your dog than he is to you, you have a problem! Most owners ignore their dogs when they are being good. This is understandable because it is much easier to ignore a dog sitting quietly by your side or a dog lying on his mat in a corner than a dog who is jumping on you or running madly through the house with a dish towel in his mouth. Because of this, most dogs quickly figure out that doing "bad" behaviors gets them attention. For a social animal like a dog, negative attention is better than no attention at all. |
Socialization
The term "socialization" is thrown around a lot by
dog people. Owners hear from their breeder, trainer
and veterinarian that they should “socialize” their
puppy. Owners of ill-mannered dogs are frequently
told that their dog’s bad behavior is due to a lack of
“socialization”.
For a term that is used so often, it is surprising how
few people understand what proper socialization is,
and how critical it is to reducing dog bites.
Dundee
K9
{734}529-5033
K9
{734}529-5033
| gooddog@dundeek9.com |
Proper socialization is probably the single most important thing an owner can
do to guard against the most serious behavior problem there is, aggression.
Dogs who bite are frequently euthanized. Therefore, proper socialization can
mean the difference between life or death for a dog.
Dogs get euthanized every day because they bite someone, not because
they don't heel well.
A dog that has not been properly socialized will tend to be shy and over-
reactive. They may flinch, freeze or withdraw when petted. They may startle
easily by things considered routine like children squealing, cars, bikes,
automatic doors, etc. They may even become fearfully aggressive when
people do things like: Make direct eye contact, make direct frontal
approaches, smile, make movements over the dogs head, neck, or shoulder
area to pet.
Because we see undersocialized dogs acting in a fearful manner, we often
presume that they were “abused”. This may be the case sometimes, but not
usually.
do to guard against the most serious behavior problem there is, aggression.
Dogs who bite are frequently euthanized. Therefore, proper socialization can
mean the difference between life or death for a dog.
Dogs get euthanized every day because they bite someone, not because
they don't heel well.
A dog that has not been properly socialized will tend to be shy and over-
reactive. They may flinch, freeze or withdraw when petted. They may startle
easily by things considered routine like children squealing, cars, bikes,
automatic doors, etc. They may even become fearfully aggressive when
people do things like: Make direct eye contact, make direct frontal
approaches, smile, make movements over the dogs head, neck, or shoulder
area to pet.
Because we see undersocialized dogs acting in a fearful manner, we often
presume that they were “abused”. This may be the case sometimes, but not
usually.
Many dog owners feel that just getting their dog out in public occasionally
constitutes proper socialization. It is true that some dogs do just fine with this
kind of exposure. They never bite anyone or behave aggressively. These
owners are lucky.
As trainers, we must encourage every owner to properly socialize their dog.
Each puppy or new dog must be given every opportunity to become as social
as possible. It is a dangerous practice to allow owners to go along "feeling
lucky" with their puppy.
constitutes proper socialization. It is true that some dogs do just fine with this
kind of exposure. They never bite anyone or behave aggressively. These
owners are lucky.
As trainers, we must encourage every owner to properly socialize their dog.
Each puppy or new dog must be given every opportunity to become as social
as possible. It is a dangerous practice to allow owners to go along "feeling
lucky" with their puppy.
