Socialization! This is the most current battle cry of many breeders/rescues/social media etc. But what does it really mean? Socialization is the process that teaches our dogs to SEE the world, and learn to handle it with social grace. It is our job to teach them the life skills and habits necessary for participating within our society. If this is done correctly, it will build the foundation of confidence and a strong relationship with your dog. Done incorrectly, it has the potential to plant the seeds of insecurity that can develop into behavioural problems that take a lot of undoing.
This has never been more true than with the Shiloh Shepherd. The Shiloh, as a breed, is a very intuitive dog. They pick up everything that you are laying down. These traits that make them inherently easy to train are also the traits that will make them insecure if we are sending them the wrong messages. They function best in an environment of structure and leadership and will look to you to understand how they should respond.
This comes with exposure to different places/things in incremental amounts. It does NOT mean that it needs to play or interact with every dog or person that it sees. While socializing should definitely include socializing with people, it should also include a lot more: floor textures, strange noises, different types of weather, odd smells. These experiences should all be a part of your socialization goals.
Reinforcing the proper responses and ignoring or discouraging inappropriate ones will help your dog understand how to properly deal with their world. With this success comes a level of confidence and bravery that allows them to relax in social settings. When you make them believe that the man with the strange hat and glasses or the bag blowing down the road is nothing that YOU are concerned about, then they will realize that they, too, do not need to be concerned about it. But if you are stressing about these things or are anticipating that your dog will react to them, they will pick up on this and conclude that they should react because you are reacting.
Socialization is most important and is most easily done when pups are young. It is at this time that they are most influenced by their experiences. This doesn’t mean that a mature dog can’t be socialized. It just means that we can make more impact more quickly when they are younger and less set in their ways and perceptions from previous experience.
When you first get your pup, this is the time to be building your relationship with that puppy. You want your pup to think that the sun rises and sets with you and that you are the most important thing in their life. It is you who they should look to for confidence and guidance as well as for emotional release and satisfaction. This is accomplished by taking your pup and showing them the world through positive experiences. It is being the most exciting thing in their world (so that they are not seeking out other “exciting” things!) It is teaching them to deal with world in a confident, logical manner and ensuring them that you have “got their back” and will protect them from anything that will hurt them. This does NOT mean that you coddle or baby them. It means that you let them know that you believe that they can do things and tell them they did a great job when they accomplish something or teaching them to pick themselves up and try again when they are not successful!
This means taking them to the local pet store, putting them in the cart and driving them around and letting them LOOK at things and see that other BIG dog that someone else has there from the safety of their cart. It means taking them by the nearest playground or school yard and let them watch the crazy play of all the screaming children from a distance that they are comfortable with. It means making them understand with love and structure that your hands are not appropriate chew toys. It means allowing and encouraging them to interact with new things in their world with confidence AT THEIR OWN PACE. It is recognizing the signs when your puppy is stressed because you have pushed too much at him and retreating a LITTLE bit to a more calm place so that he can regroup and then ASK you to go forward when he is ready. It is being your dog’s cheerleader and praising and celebrating the achievements but also learning to act as if nothing is an issue when they have minor setbacks or find something scary.
When you are socializing your dog, please provide it in the doses he requires. Some dogs can handle environmental stimuli in larger doses but some will need to be introduced to things more incrementally. Your dog will make much faster progress with a series of baby steps than with any overwhelming preliminary experiences. If you don’t seem to be making progress with your dog’s socialization training, consider professional help. Occasionally when we are having problems with our dog, it is because we THINK that we are doing one thing when, in reality, we are sending a completely different message. You will have more success with a good training protocol than just hoping things get better. With a good trainer, you will be much less likely to make things worse accidentally!