Best Social Club Ever
Recently a client contacted me because her dog barks and growls at a particular dog while out for a walk. The client was further baffled because the other dog, as she put it, “Is such a friendly breed.”. Other clients have expressed similar surprise that their dog’s response was less than sociable or that the other dog owner did not want their dog to engage in a “social moment”.
We all have individual preferences for social circles; with some being perfectly comfortable in large groups whereas, others prefer the intimacy of smaller social situations, and dogs are no different.
When I was a toddler, I lived in a wonderful world watching my favorite TV shows such as Romper Room, The Lone Ranger, and The Mickey Mouse Club, just to name a few. I also dabbled in finger painting, listened to records, and did some reading; actually I was just memorizing the stories so it appeared I was a flipping genius when being observed by adults, but I digress…
My days were happily spent having fun and developing my imagination and then my mom decided that I needed to get out more in order to be more social, so she enrolled me in the Lad and Lassie Day Camp. Now, being a dog lover I really liked the name, “Lassie”, however that was about all I liked. Every morning my mom peeled my tiny fingers off the banister as I screamed and resisted as much as a 3 year old could, before being dragged down the stairs and handed off to the the driver who tossed me into the Lad and Lassie station wagon! And except for the little boy I met, this place would have felt like a labor camp. He and I hung out all day to the exclusion of everyone else until it was time to leave, which was my favorite part of the camp experience! I remember sitting in that station wagon singing Harry Belafonte’s words, “Daylight come and me wan’ go home”. Ah, freedom, until the next day!
So what does this have to do with dogs, you’re asking? Well just like my mom, whose intentions seemed good, she totally disregarded how happy I was, so she forced me to socialize, clearly a topic for a shrink session. And from where I’m sitting, I see many well intentioned pet-parents do the same thing to their dogs by “socializing” them in doggie daycare, the dog park or they run up to pet-parents with dogs on the street for a meet & greet, totally disregarding the Fido’s body language that is screaming, “Get me outta of here!”
Rather than putting dogs in situations that they are not prepared to handle, whether emotionally overwrought due to fear or frenzy, why not show them that you are their advocate by asking them to join a “social club” that the two of you can participate?
We do this by showing Fido, that when a dog shows up in the environment, this means something good happens. As an example they can play the “Go sniff” game and search for scattered food. They can play the “Catch me” game and respond to the cue that tells them to run with you. They can play the “Touch” game that gives them a new place to focus.
While these are just a few examples, the one thing is certain, and that is the human end of the leash is not yelling at their dog, is not giving leash corrections or forcing the dog into unsafe interactions, thinking the dog will become sociable. And the best part is that your dog learns that you will keep him safe, provide him with a fun outlet for his energy, and he is participating in the best social club ever, with you and he as members!
HAPPY TRAINING & ENRICHMENT
© Fran Berry CPDT-KA, UW-AAB all rights reserved 2022
