Socialisation as a word is usually taken to mean "the activity of mixing socially with others" and this is the correct primary definition. When we get a new puppy or rescue dog we are told to begin socialising him or her and many people's first thought is to take their new friend to the local park to meet and play with other dogs. After all, that's what we do when we socialise as humans, we go out and meet other humans. We then look to puppy classes or for adult rescues, obedience training. For a mentally resilient, confident and outgoing puppy/dog this can be successful and in a well run class with knowledgeable trainers there are limited chances of things going wrong (though they still can).
The typical puppy or rescue dog socialisation tends to look like this:*
What if your new puppy or dog isn't as confident and outgoing? What if they are nervous, shy or fearful? Not all humans are bold and confident in social situations and the same goes for our dogs; they all have personalities, emotional experiences and a history unique to them. Often people will persevere in a group class in the hope that the dog will "get used to it" and sometimes this does happen. Unfortunately it often doesn't happen but the subtle signs the dog is giving are overlooked or misinterpreted. The dog may begin to show displacement behaviours or stress responses such as sniffing the floor or disengaging when asked to perform a task, licking their lips/nose or yawning. S/he may hide away, try to escape, shut down or become vocal. In a group class with a good trainer they should recognise these signs and assist you with helping your dog to feel safe and with a puppy or dog who is a little uncertain this can be enough. For some dogs simply entering a large hall with unfamiliar dogs, people, sounds and scents is too much for them to cope with.
There is another definition of socialisation in the dictionary: "the process of learning to behave in a way that is acceptable to society" and in the language of dog training this is what is really meant when socialisation is referred to. Very little of the total time spent on puppy socialisation should include playing with other puppies.
Socialisation should take place at a pace that each individual dog or puppy can manage and that simply isn't always possible in a village hall with 10 other partnerships wanting to move to the next exercise. The worried or anxious dog is often "left behind" as they try to cope with the environment or inadvertently pushed beyond the limit of their ability to cope. Working on a 1 to 1 basis ensures that each partnership works at their own pace and the dog is never rushed.
How socialisation should look:*
*Figures for illustrative purposes only
For an adult rehomes things can be more complicated - their previous learning history is often unknown and for some, they have never been in a home or even in an urban or suburban environment. Taking some of these dogs to the park or to classes would simply be too overwhelming and terrifying for them. Quite often, for these dogs in particular, it can take several months before they even begin to feel safe enough to explore different rooms within their own house.
Learning to read your dog's body language is key to ensuring that they are never unintentionally pushed further than they can cope with. Recognising the first signs of stress and removing them from the situation or removing the stressor before your dog reaches a point where they feel they need to react or try to escape. This is where 1 to 1 training is invaluable as the focus is solely on your dog and how they are dealing with their environment.
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