Nervous Around People One of the most important steps in socialization is gently introducing the puppy to different types of people including children, people in hats, men with beards, senior citizens with walkers and people of different ethnicities.
Tips for Successful Socialization You can avoid the dangers of under-socialization with a well-constructed plan that addresses all of these potential problem areas. Help us make PetMD better Was this article helpful?
Yes No. Share this article. What did you find helpful? What was not helpful? Say more Sign me up for the PetMD Newsletter. Submit Feedback. Still have questions? Continue to Chewy. Just work further away or take a day off from counter conditioning practice. Timing is important here. The thing your dog is unsure or scared of needs to predict the good thing happening. Do not give your dog the treat or whatever reinforcer you are using until after their trigger appears.
It takes repetition, so stick with it! Instead, over time we systematically decrease the distance or increase the intensity. Take a breath and reevaluate your approach. You might need to add distance or decrease the intensity of the trigger. Perhaps you and your dog need a couple of days off from intentional counter conditioning practice.
Talk with your trainer or behavior consultant about what may need to be tweaked. Watch Coconut's amazing change from nervous "puppy mill" pup to loving life as a rescued dog. The video above emphasizes the point I make in every section of this article — get help! Every dog and every situation is different.
Set yourself up for success by getting professional help early on, as you really want to do everything possible to start off this journey on the right foot. An experienced and good trainer can be worth their weight in gold when formulating a plan to help with delayed socialization. There are also board-certified veterinary behaviorists that can help a ton, especially if anti-anxiety medications are indicated which they very often are, at least in the short term.
All dog trainers are not the same, and neither are training methods. But this is even more so the case when it comes to helping previously under- or unsocialized dogs get more comfortable in the world. Such methods will only make matters worse. You and your dog will be much happier using their services and approach. Find out what to ask a dog trainer and what their answers should be here.
If you need one-on-one support from a certified canine behavior consultant, check out our virtual dog training sessions.
During these virtual sessions, you and I will map out a plan to help you and your dog to live a safer, happier, and better life. Dogs that are stressed, anxious, or fearful have a hard time letting their guard down and learning new things. Some dogs are so stressed that they have a difficult time ever coming below threshold and even getting to a state of mind where they can learn.
The proper use of appropriate anti-anxiety medications, supplements, or other aids can help to bring these dogs below threshold, allowing them to start learning and forming better, healthier, happier associations with different things. Your behavior consultant can help determine if this is something you should consider and may recommend talking with your veterinarian or connecting with a veterinary behaviorist early in the training process rather than waiting.
This does not necessarily mean that your dog will need these medications long-term. Sometimes it takes a combination of different medications, supplements, and other aids. Because every dog and every situation is different, there can be some trial and error and some fine-tuning needed when using behavioral medication. Engaging the help and guidance of a board-certified veterinary behaviorist as part of your support team can greatly increase your chances of success with your new dog.
Doing so can also greatly decrease the setbacks and frustrations that may be encountered along the way. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist or ask your behavior consultant or veterinarian for a referral. Without early socialization, innocent play can easily turn into a fight. Your pet also needs to be introduced to a wide variety of people. Expose your animal to people of all ages, heights and ethnicities.
Also be sure to have your pet meet people wearing hats and folks with beards, wheelchairs and walkers. Believe it or not, those things can seem scary to an animal without proper socialization! Fear is often at the root of aggression, so while an animal might seem angry, they might actually just be plain scared. A reactive pet that is in aggressive attack mode might simply be under-socialized and not have the right skills to handle what they consider stressful situations.
Instead of running away, these pets act defensively in reaction to whatever is frightening them, whether that be a person, another animal or a motorcycle. Exposing a puppy or kitten to a variety of new experiences desensitizes them to unusual sights and smells.
Even seemingly benign things like shopping carts can make these animals cower and run away.
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