The True Meaning of Socialization

Many dog owners misunderstand the concept of socialization.  Many believe this term refers to a dog’s playfulness with other dogs.  Others believe it is the process by which a puppy begins its training.  While these are both aspects of socialization, they miss the mark in describing its greater meaning and importance.  Socialization essentially means teaching a dog how to behave appropriately in human society.  The emphasis is on the word “appropriately”. 

In human society, dogs will live in the home with their owners, so they need to follow the rules set out by the owners.  In human society, a dog's home will be regularly visited by strangers delivering things, or selling items, so they need to learn to accept visits by strangers.  In human society, other people will also have their own dogs, requiring that each dog learn to accept strange dogs in the community.

Ultimately, socialization is actually more important than obedience.  While obedience training is necessary to call oneself a responsible dog owner and protect one's dog from harm, the concern is what a dog will do if it finds itself unsupervised at some point.  A properly socialized dog may be disobedient and run up to a stranger.  But because it is properly socialized, it won't feel threatened simply because the individual is not known to him and, therefore, won't react aggressively or fearfully.  An inadequately socialized but otherwise obedient dog may feel so threatened by an innocent stranger, that it disobeys its owner’s commands in an attempt to “neutralize” the perceived threat.

It's curious why people think things like territorialism or possessiveness are acceptable forms of behaviour.  Sure, left to their own devices, some dogs may "naturally" develop these behaviours.  But dogs will also "naturally" choose an out of the way spot inside the home to urinate, or chew whatever they want.  All training does is merely teach dogs to do what we’d prefer they do in various situations, whether the behaviour is “natural” dog behaviour or simply something that dogs are capable of learning.

We have to teach our dogs that strangers are a daily part of life in human society.  More importantly, strangers are rarely a threat.  When our dogs are behaving fearfully, we should ask ourselves why our dogs are afraid of the situation?  If there were a real threat, that would be understandable.  If there is no REAL threat of harm to the dog or its owner, then we are expected to make our dogs understand there is no threat, by making them comfortable and accepting of that situation.  That is socialization: Appropriate behaviour in human society. 

If we looked at poor socialization in human terms, we’d quickly recognize it to be absurd for a person to start yelling threats at the door whenever the mailman arrived or when a dog walks by.  It's not appropriate behaviour for dogs, either.  We must teach our dogs they don’t lose territory or status in the pack simply because another dog walks into the yard, nor do they lose toys forever when someone merely picks one up.

A good rule of thumb for determining if a dog is properly socialized or not is this:

"If the owner isn't afraid of something, the dog shouldn't be either."

Let this statement be your guide to determining if your dog is on the right track to becoming a good canine citizen, or if you have neglected an area of training.

If we could teach only one thing, it might be the true meaning of socialization.  It is not okay for a dog to feel threatened simply because someone has walked by its property.  It is not okay for a dog to feel threatened by a knock at the door.  It is not okay for a dog to try to bite when someone takes away a toy or food.  The bad news?  If this describes your dog, you have more work to do.  The good news?  Every dog can be properly socialized.  All it takes is a commitment by the owner. 

As always, “You get the dog you deserve.”

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