It is day5 of  6 days mini dog training course. Today I will show you the methods of how to socialize your dog. As we all know, socialization is a important thing  for you and your dog. You should realize that your dog and you don’t live in a vacuum. If you need to do some traveling, how ready is your dog to face other dogs, or dog carers? Those who are not socialized properly may exhibit all sorts of behavior problems ranging from fear and timidness, to dominant behavior or even aggression.

Is it too late to socialize my dog?

If you have a puppy, this is the prime window of opportunity to properly socialize your dog. However, even older dogs, whether recently adopted or having been your pet for awhile already, can improve their socialization skills.

How to start to socialize my dog?

One of the best things you can do is to take your dog out, off of your property on a regular basis. Walks around your neighborhood, trips in the car, bringing your dog to the park, a stroll around downtown or to the pet supply store are all great opportunities. Your dog should have the opportunity to see lots of people, dogs, bicycles and various other stimuli.

Other important things to socialize your dog with include things around the home such as household appliances, visitors, neighborhood children and other normal daily occurrences, such as neighbors being in their yard or putting out their trash, the letter carrier, etc.

When you and your dog are together, be sure to watch your dog’s reaction carefully. For example, if you drop a heavy book on the floor and it makes a loud noise, what does your dog do? A fearful reaction would be to run and hide, a dominant reaction would be to run up and pounce on the book, and a neutral (best possible) reaction would be to walk up to the book and curiously sniff it.

No matter which way your dog responds, it’s your reaction that will help reinforce or correct your dog’s behavior. If your dog is hiding from or attacking the book, you’ll want to teach him that this is not the proper response (correct  “no” ), and if your dog is curiously sniffing it you’ll want to reinforce with praise.

This is why obedience training in post of day1 and day2 of 6 days of mini dog training course is so important. By working on basic commands:  “sit”, “down”, “stay” and “come”,  your dog will already know what “no” and  “good dog”  mean, and it will be much easier to understand what you’re trying to teach about socialization and other things in day-to-day life. You’ll also be able to use the obedience commands to teach replacement behaviors.

For example, if your dog was hiding, an appropriate response would be for you to correct “no” and then have your dog walk past, sit, and stay near the book, followed by praise. If your dog was attacking the book, you would correct “no” and then use obedience commands to teach your dog to calmly coexist with it. Of course, a calm reaction of sniffing the book curiously should be praised lavishly.

The goal in social environments for a dog is to remain calm and relaxed in almost every situation – this relaxed behavior has a positive domino effect that helps put other dogs at ease and keeps you feeling secure, as well. This is the healthy way for a dog to interact with its world, and it’s the goal you should strive for.