Socialization

A dog’s lineage can be traced back to wolves, which means their socialization traits can also be traced back to wolves.

Wolves tend to travel in packs. They hunt in packs. However, it is also possible for some wolves to be alone, instead of in a group. This trait of being in a pack makes many dogs capable of socializing with their own breed. Most animals in the wild associate with their own species, while domesticated animals have an advantage of socializing with other animals.

Typical dog behavior is to socialize with these other animals, as well as with you. They enjoy the affection and friendship which makes up their family. However, not all dogs will have the same socialization behaviors. There are also issues with socialization across species.

We have noticed in our cage free living environment at NaNook & NaKoda’s Big Paw Rescue that when we have multiple dogs of the same breed or breed mixes they tend to socialize in groups together. For example at one point we had 13 German shepherds at one time in our rescue and all the German shepherds could often be found out in the pasture on our hiking trails running and playing together while the lab mixes can often be found playing together in the water and the Rottweilers can usually be found together with the livestock and so on and so on. Of course at the end of the day they can all be found together laid out around the house exhausted from the days adventures.

Socialization can also be trained out of pets. By keeping your pets in an all human household, you can see a change in socialization behaviors. Instead of a dog going up to smell another and start a friendly relationship, there can be an immediate bid for dominance. Evidence has been seen in dog parks, where dogs without socialization can be aggressive, vocal, and use posturing to warn other dogs. Some dogs may be extremely nervous, try to hide or get into your arms when a more alpha dog is near them in a social setting. This always creates a problem when dog owners of non-socialized animals decide to take their dogs to local pet friendly stores, camping, vacationing etc. By having their dog behave in such negative ways it also makes it more difficult for communities to be pet friendly and have more pet friendly businesses and spaces for the animal lovers to enjoy.

One great way of socializing your dog is to join a pack walk. You can watch for the community notices of pack walks on the Brownwood Dog Community page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1276891772425319/