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Archived Newsletters and Video
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Featured
Article
The Importance of Dog Socialization and
Exercise
by Cheryl Orletsky, the DogGuru
and Founder/Director of Holiday Pet
Care
Why is Socialization
Important?
Although social skills may seem to be just
a nicety, the level to which your dog is
socialization, directly affects its temperament. A
properly socialized dog is more likely to be
even-tempered, less likely to show aggression or be
fearful, and will have fewer behavioral issues.
The ultimate goal of socialization is to have a
well-behaved, well-mannered dog, who can be a welcomed
member of your family.
Socialization, in combination with obedience
training and neutering, create a well-adjusted,
even-tempered dog you can be happy to take on with you
on vacations, to parks, and on visits to other’s homes,
without it being stressful for you or the
guests.
What do you mean by
Socialization?
Many people, often mistakenly, create overly
structured routines for their dog. If dogs are not
exposed to a variety of people, animals, places,
weather, terrains, objects, sounds, they can develop
fears of anything new, or of any change in their
routine.
A properly socialized dog has been exposed to
everything possible.
It is important to socialize your puppy from
the time you get it. The younger you can begin to
expose it to a variety of people, places and situations,
the more success you will have with its
socialization. Exposure should continue as they
grow. As a dog owner, there is an inherent
responsibility to regularly seek out, and take advantage
of, new experiences.
Examples of different experiences include:
people of different sizes, ages, gender, skin colour and
attire. Different attire include people wearing
different types of clothing (i.e. costumes or flowing
dresses); different types of headwear such as hats,
helmets or turbans, and sunglasses. It is very
common for adult dogs to be fearful of men, children,
people with darker skin tones, or people wearing
headwear & sunglasses. Early, and regular,
exposure to these types of situations is crucial.
Help to facilitate exposure of your dog to
different animals - dogs (of all shapes & sizes),
cats, livestock and wild life, as well as to many
different homes and buildings. Staircases,
especially open backed ones, and metal grates are often
a source of fear for many dogs. Expose them
to the traffic in parks, on streets. Have
them walk on grass, gravel, in sand, water, dirt, snow,
rain, while there is lightening and thunder. Use this as
a checklist. Go on regular walks, and take
different routes. Meet any willing dogs and their
families. Fenced-in off leash areas, Dog
Daycares and Cagefree Boarding facilities are safe and
secure opportunities to give your dog the experiences
that are an important part of their
well-being.
What about Socialization with other
dogs?
Your dog is born knowing how to be a
dog. They start their socialization with their
mother and their litter mates. Continued
socialization with other dogs, is necessary, to
reinforce their learning about the language of dogs –
how to play, how to listen to reprimands, how to
interpret another dog’s mood, etc. Dog language
can be thought of in the same way as human
language. If you were to go through life not
having anyone around you who spoke your language, you
would soon get pretty rusty at it.
Dogs can teach one another many valuable
lessons, which they cannot learn from humans. For
example, bite inhibition is learned at a very young
age. Puppies are born with extremely sharp teeth,
yet they are constantly ‘mouthing’ everything around
them. Many people work hard to try to soften the
play-biting of puppies, however, simply providing
socialization with other dogs will cure the rough biting
almost immediately. Basically, if they play too
rough, they lose their friends. The other dogs
will stop playing with them. Since they want to
play, they quickly learn how to soften their mouthing,
so that they have willing playmates. For another
example, if you have a crazy, hyperactive puppy, usually
around 5 to 18 months of age, socialization is the key
to tempering his craziness. Older dogs, who know
proper dog language, will correct him immediately, and
in essence, take him down a notch. When he
realizes he can’t get away with his out-of-control
behaviour all the time, he will start to learn to be
more aware of his surroundings, and respectful of
others.
Besides the lessons they can learn, one must
also realize that dogs simply crave interaction with
their own species. They are pack animals, and as
much as we want them to be a part of our family, they
are still dogs. It is not fair to deprive them of
their own kind. A happy dog, is one who can have
the canine companionship they desire, and who can return
home, a tired bundle of fur, ready to cuddle with their
human family.
Exercise
How do I know if my dog is getting enough
exercise?
The better question might be, ‘What are the
signs he or she is lacking in exercise?’ Dogs that
do not have a regular avenue to work off their energy
will develop problem behaviours. Destroying
property, digging, chewing, licking, excessive barking,
& aggression are all examples of unfavourable
behaviours that can manifest from built-up energy.
In addition, this build up of stress and energy will
determine how they interact with you, your children,
other people, and other animals. A bored dog,
becomes a ‘bad’ dog, whereas an exhausted dog can do no
wrong.
But I walk my dog? Why isn’t this
enough?
Different breeds have different exercise
requirements; however, in general, the occasional walk
around the block is not enough exercise for the average
dog. Many dogs that were originally bred for
hunting, guarding or herding, now find themselves
relegated a life of sleeping, eating and simply
wandering around the house & yard. Such a
daily routine, often results in weight problems and loss
of muscle mass. For large breed dogs such as Labs,
Shepherds & Rotties, this can prove to be
significantly harmful to the joints, thus shortening
their life-span.
Long, regular walks are helpful, but what
your dog really needs is some ‘dog time’ where he or she
can run, jump, play, chew & dig. Dogs naturally greet one another by jumping,
mouthing, and smelling. Most of a dog’s natural behaviours are ones
we tend to want a dog not to do. Kind of
ironic isn’t it? Giving your dog permission to
perform these behaviours in a specific environment,
doesn’t mean he or she will expect to be able to do them
anytime they wish. Dogs don’t generalize
well.
For example, if they are allowed to jump up
on & mouth other dogs to play, this does not mean
they can expect to be able to jump up & put their
mouths on people. Another example: One of the best
ways to curb a digging habit is to provide your dog with
an area that they are allowed to dig in. Give them
a spot under a tree or out of the way, and bury treats
or toys to encourage them to go there. Then, if
they start to dig in a forbidden place, reprimand them,
and take them to the ‘digging spot’ and praise
them.
Exercise releases stress and energy, and is
needed every day. Forms of exercise could include
playing catch, Frisbee, wrestling with other dogs, and
running in large open spaces. Your fenced yard or
a fenced-in off-leash park is perfect for this.
Dog Daycare and Cagefree Boarding are also wonderful
options if you find your schedule too busy to
accommodate your dog’s exercise requirements.
Most dog owners report that after a visit to
an off-leash park or Dog Daycare, their dog is less
agitated, more relaxed and in general nicer to be
around.
____________________________________________________
Cheryl Orletsky is the Founder and Director
of Holiday Pet Care, a thriving pet care facility in
Thornhill, which has been serving York Region since 1998. Cheryl’s interest
in exercise started, with humans, with a degree in
Kinesiology and over 12 years as a Certified Fitness
Instructor. Her passion for animals extends over a
lifetime of experience with dogs and pets of all
types. Her formal training includes working as a
Veterinarian Assistant and a Dog Trainer, as well as
numerous workshops and seminars including those by world
renowned Veterinarian and Animal Behaviorist, Ian
Dunbar; Certified Applied Animal
Behaviorist, Patricia McConnell; and
Sue Sternberg, one of the most respected
trainers and kennel owners, specializing in temperament
evaluations.
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