Socialization in dogs:
Puppies are prone to emotional changes as they get older, making it easier to cope with all the challenges they might face by providing them with a good learning base. If you invest time early in the life of a puppy, the puppy can become a confident and well-fitting adult. While most dogs live well in a human world, few know how resilient their pets must be to comply with the rules imposed on them by domestic life. Unfortunately, non-compliance with these rules leads to many young and adult dogs ending up in shelters. Your dog needs a hard drive full of positive experiences to familiarize himself with life as easily as possible!
My two dogs, both adopted adults (ages 2 and 4 years for the other) who go among the horses. They also learned to live with a cat and 5 ferrets.
What people want
We want our dogs to have good manners. Let them be friendly with every person and dog they meet in and out of the house. It is not realistic. In fact, people can choose who to greet and avoid, our dogs almost never have this luxury.
People don't understand how hideous and threatening it is for some dogs to enter their bladder. We want our dogs to be adaptable. They must be emotionally stable at all times (high expectations that we ourselves cannot achieve). When they react negatively to friendly human interaction, they are often punished for showing antisocial behavior. This punishment is often so "banal" because many owners do not know their dog well. Dogs are not animals that are automatically born sociable to humans.
You, therefore, need to learn positive socialization in order to:
- its kind
- for other animals
- but also for the rest of the world.
What is socialization in dogs?
Socialization in dogs is often an important criterion before buying the animal. But you still need to know what we're talking about. It should also not be confused with sociability. So, the concept of sociability must be understood as direct relationships and forms of communication between individuals within a given social framework. The family group of the dog, the puppy school, the street are places of conviviality.
The concept of socialization refers to all the mechanisms through which individuals learn the social relations between people and assimilate the norms and values of a society or community. A distinction is made between primary socialization (or puppy socialization) and secondary socialization. This is a process of learning and adapting individuals throughout their lives.
The most sensitive time for socialization is between four and twelve weeks. When anxiety occurs, any negative experience can have negative consequences. So you can stay the whole life of the dog.
This is one of the reasons why puppies in boncoin or pet stores often have behavioral problems. Unfortunately, the common experience of these puppies is to live in a socially disadvantaged environment. Nevertheless, it is the critical time to have social experiences. So when he changes the environment, the puppy experiences trauma and can have destabilizing behaviors.
Can I overwhelm my puppy with too many social experiences?
Positive socialization teaches important social skills. But crushing a puppy with too many social experiences too quickly can have the opposite effect. This can create a dog that hates being touched and is afraid of interaction. Therefore, it is important to be sensitive to the limits of a puppy. Because sensitivity can make the difference between a dog that is adaptable in any situation and a dog that has difficulty functioning in society. For example, do not take a puppy directly on the market with your fingers crossed that everything will be fine. Rather, you can bring it close by using positive games or treats. We can also put it in a dog bag or in our arms to make it feel safe while walking,
What happens if my puppy is separated from its mother too early?
Studies show that deficiencies in early development can have adverse effects on the dog's behavior. Puppies are more emotionally balanced if they stay with their mother until the age of two months. While puppies that are removed from their mother too early are more likely to be anxious, hyperactive or even aggressive. The first positive experiences with siblings, allow the dog to feel safe. Thus, the brain develops normally through the connections that develop between the neurons of the brain.
Socialization with people
It is very important that a puppy experiences human contact from birth in order to promote human bonding. It is necessary to facilitate the ability of the puppy to develop social bonds with humans as it grows.
When a puppy enters a new home, then man must do everything to take advantage of these experiences and gradually expose the puppy to new situations, people, animals and environments, all in a positive way.
This also means that the animal should not be confused with a mini pharmacy. Many dogs in the end do not like to be touched because their calming signals were never respected. So you deserve affection to read your dog correctly.
To optimize a puppy's social skills, good things must happen when he meets other dogs.
Playgroups and "puppy schools" are a great way to teach puppies important social skills. For this to work, it is important to respect the temperament and size of the puppy. In fact, we can make groups by size and age. But, if you have a 5 month old Bernese mountain dog that is afraid of other puppies, it is best to put him with smaller or less noisy puppies. It is a question of balance. Avoid the schools of the puppy who mixes all the puppies without intervening or leaving them tied for the whole hour.
All interactions between puppies must be monitored to protect against negative experiences. All introductions to other dogs should be done quietly, so as not to disturb them. Better a few positive encounters than many uncontrolled ones.
My dog is an adult and lacks socialization
For adult dogs, depending on the origin of the lack of socialization, it can be more or less difficult to catch up. Sometimes it is even impossible, if the dog is too emotional (e.g., phobia).
However, we must try to make this dog's life easier. In fact, a dog that has lacked socialization will not feel safe. Therefore, it is best to get help, either from a behaviorist, veterinarian or a behaviorist dog educators.
This person can guide you to understand the behavior of your dog. In addition, it will help you to make an emotional and behavioral change. This will make your dog feel good in his skin all his life.
Socialization in dogs and their Trauma
Socialization in dogs can be done well, but nothing is guaranteed if the dog suffers a trauma. But the better the socialization, the less likely the dog is to suffer a negative confrontation as a Trauma.
Building a solid social base is the most beautiful gift you can give your puppy, and ensures that your puppy is ready to face all the challenges that might arise, with confidence and the desire to investigate and discover rather than flee and hide. The more positive the lessons learned a puppy at the beginning of life, the more resilient and adaptable, he will be.