Reply To: blog post about genetics and behavior and fear

[rebecca rice]

Interesting post. However, what it really highlights is that people approach socialization with the wrong idea. It’s not about having every stranger play with your dog, or coaxing them onto strange surfaces. It’s about exposing them to the situation, and allowing them to decide what to do about it, and ENSURING that the interactions are positive. For example, with the bleachers, hanging out with the dog around them and waiting to see if the dog goes and explores them. Maybe, just maybe, if the dog does seem interested in them, putting something the dog wants up on a step, so that the dog can figure out a way of getting it. And then leaving.

Or, paraphrasing a meme I saw once: “What if I told you that socializing was teaching your dog to ignore things, not play with them?”