Smells, Sights, Sounds-Oh My!

So you’ve got a working dog and you want to make sure they’re well-socialized? To accomplish that, you must establish yourself as their pack leader, so they view you as their protector from the world, and guide into accepting other humans and animals. If you are their trusted pack leader, the dog can explore their surroundings, acknowledge a new presence that you accept, and not be reactive.

With an adopted adult dog, you should go slow and easy, and assess their actions and reactions when presented with new situations and people. Get to know them well, and show them they can trust you to protect them, before you start the socialization process. This process may take longer in a dog who grew up without being socialized and possibly without boundaries, but it is a must to ensure your dog is a well-mannered, happy part of your pack.

To help your working dog make dog and human friends, it’s essential to introduce them to new experiences.

Exploring Different Environments

First and foremost you should start by exposing them to different environments, for example, a pet store, a park, a hardware store, etc. Personally, if I am introducing my pup to any new environment, people, or other dogs I first like to exercise them. This will drain some of that pent-up energy so they are more receptive and in a calmer mind frame. 

Pet-friendly stores, such as the ones mentioned above, will allow you to enter a controlled environment for your pup to explore new places. People walking around the store, other dogs in a pet store, new smells of items in a store, this is all new to them. When your dog is behaving calmly you want to immediately reward that behavior.

To help your working dog make dog and human friends, it’s essential to introduce them to new experiences gradually.

Meeting New Dogs

When it comes to the first meeting with other dogs or humans, take it slow. No face-to-face contact.  Dogs greet each other in a different way than humans.  You will see changes in body language, and they will use their nose to smell each other from across the room. 

Allow your dog to approach at their own pace, on a leash, and give them plenty of space if needed.  On a leash allows you to control the situation so you can monitor for signs of stress, anxiety, or discomfort. (Pro-tip:  Do not reward for unwanted behavior.  Do not try to console your dog if they are fearful or anxious. This will only encourage unwanted behavior. Simply remove your dog from the area.)  

One thing you can do is to go on a walk with another human who has a calm, well-behaved adult dog. A nonreactive, calm adult dog can have a profound impact on expediting the positive socialization process by displaying what you want your pup to do.  A walk like this is often underrated and it not only benefits the pup, but it also benefits you as well. With each positive interaction, you and your dog will become more confident in your role as pack leader.

Meeting New Humans

Your energy and whatever you are feeling that day can, and will, travel down your leash. Do you know when people say my dog has a “sixth sense”?  They are indeed highly perceptive to the energy you have and the energy around them. You must remain calm and positive for your furry friend.  Encourage your dog to be a dog and to explore.

Your energy and whatever you are feeling that day can, and will, travel down your leash.

When it comes to a dog meeting a human, we have all seen a dog bee-lining to smell “private parts”!  This behavior is natural for dogs, but for us humans can be very embarrassing, so they don’t understand your immediate correction, instead of praise. It confuses them when they are learning boundaries, since that’s natural behavior, but they will learn.

You are probably asking, “Well what is the best way to allow them to approach”? 

Tell the other human no petting, no eye contact, please, with them more or less initially ignoring the dog.  You, the pack leader will hold the first conversation with the other human, like a pack leader would in the wild. 

While this is going on you will notice your dog will inevitably smell the shoes, pants/shorts, or other clothing on the human which is what you want.  (Pro-Tip:  A dog has over 100,000 olfactory sensors allowing them to use their sense of smell to first analyze the new interaction.  Allow the dog to smell first before any physical contact with the other human i.e. petting).

Introducing Your Dog to Puppies or Children

Treats, praise, and playtime can go a long way in making these encounters enjoyable for everyone involved. Again, preparation is key such as draining excess energy before doing this.  Children and puppies have a lot of energy, therefore it is compounded ten-fold when you bring your new dog into the equation.

These introductions should be supervised, and again, you must remain in control of the situation, and remove your dog from situations that aren’t going well, before they can get out of control. If you do have to remove your dog from an introduction, or situation, you should work with the dog again on the basics, before you try again–and you should try again and again, until your dog is successful, but don’t push it. 

These introductions should be supervised, and again, you must remain in control of the situation…

Consistency and not allowing one negative interaction to become the norm, is critical. The slow, gradual introduction is the key to success.

Overall, your ability to maintain a calm, patient, and positive energy will travel down the leash and your dog will begin to take on that energy.  There is no need to rush this, as the result of interactions, positive or negative, will stick with your furry pal their entire lifetime. 

Reinforcement of what you want and removal from the environment when there are unwanted behaviors will help your dog understand their boundaries.  You set the boundaries and must remain consistent in setting and following through on them. Your pup will thank you with unconditional love and years of tail-wagging and wet, slopppy doggie kisses.

Recommended Products