Socialization And Fear

Is your dog low on the "social butterfly" scale?

If you’re wondering why your dog is not more playful with you, other people, or dogs, take heart.

Most dogs can learn to be more playful and affectionate--but try to be realistic about your expectations for your dog, Remember that Lassie was, in reality, a long line of actor dogs raised by an animal trainer. Chances are, you have a real dog--not a movie actor.

3 Factors for Dog Sociability

Sociability in dogs is believed to be driven by three things: genetics, early developmental experience, and the triggering details of an event.

1) Genetics

Fear is adaptive to survival and thus, difficult to dislodge when it is deep-seated in the brain. Many frightened dogs run away or hide if possible. Dogs with an active defense reflex will go after what scares them, and if this is your dog, please seek professional help.

2) Early development and exposure

A dog’s fear of strangers may be inherited, but some studies show that experiences during early development and socialization can overcome the effect of genes.

The critical period of social imprinting occurs within the 3 -12 week window, although the ideal age to transition a puppy into a forever home is 8-10 weeks.

What happens during the critical period may dramatically affect your adolescent and adult dog. Neglectful or aggressive mothering and relationships between siblings can have an effect on your dog’s later psychological development.

Most puppies can get off to a great start if given gradual and gentle exposure to 100 new people, places, things, other friendly dogs, and moving objects in the first 100 days. Encourage early chew-toy training, task training, and housetraining. Take your dog with you every other time you go out and make sure that your dog’s socialization is a series of positive experiences, not overwhelming situations just for the sake of exposure. Dogs often behave one way with their family and household pets, but differently with strangers.

3) Event triggering

Negative associations from the past or to unfamiliar stimuli sometimes generalize from one specific trigger to wider and wider categories of events. Some fears may produce a state of hyperarousal and chronic stress in your dog.

Over-exposure to feared stimuli, aka flooding, often further traumatizes a dog. Whatever the source of your dog’s fears, any treatment with desensitization and positive associations requires using slow, incremental exposure.

In regard to training, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior advises, “Training should be based on positive reinforcement with frequent rewards, praise, petting, play and/or treats. Positive and consistent training is associated with fewer behavioral problems and greater obedience than methods that involve punishment and/or encourage human dominance.”

Management is key

Remember that every good treatment plan begins by managing and ensuring the safety of all dogs and people.

You want to replace the old negative response with new positive associations. This can be achieved, slowly and over time, by linking a mild version of the fear with something your dog adores.

Your best guide is body language. Learn to read your dog’s body language, so you can recognize signs of fear. These include lip licks, yawns, shake-offs, mouth clamped shut, ears pinned back, tail between the legs, attempts to hide, run away, growling if trapped, and air snaps.

Work to get the right amount of exposure and stimulation balanced with a sense of security and safety.