Absolutely.

Is it that simple? Are we done?

As with most worthy endeavors, it is a bit more complex than that.

Is Dog Socialization a Good Thing?

What is Dog Socialization?

What is Dog Socialization?

As I understand it socializing a dog means introducing him to a variety of objects, people, animals, and environments so that he becomes comfortable in a wide range of situations.

This is a good thing because when confronted with something new and possibly scary, a well-socialized dog is confident enough to handle it without resorting to aggression. Instead, he may just be copacetic about the whole thing, look to us for direction, or try to diffuse the situation through calming (body) signals.

When we talk about dog socialization, most people only think about dog-to-dog socialization. Dog to dog interactions are certainly a part of dog socialization, however, socialization encompasses all things new including objects, noises, people, animals, and environments.

Note that socializing our dog does not mean that we completely remove all possibility of aggression. Socialization, however, will help raise our dog’s aggression threshold so that he is capable of using other behaviors to deal with new and possibly threatening encounters.

Socialization, however, will help raise our dog's aggression threshold so that he is capable of using other behaviors to deal with new and possibly threatening encounters.

Dog Socialization Is Frequently Misunderstood

Today, dog socialization has become one of the popular metrics for measuring a good dog owner.

• I take my dog everywhere and let him meet each and every dog that we see.
• Since my dog has been to more places and has met more people than your dog, I am a better dog parent.

Dog owners gather together and compare notes on the number of places their dog has visited, the number of people met, and the number of dogs played with.

I am a better dog parent because my dog loves my beard.

However, what we sometimes miss is that dog socialization is not just about throwing our dog into as many new situations as possible. The key part of dog socialization is to help our dog become comfortable in those new situations.

If we keep throwing new things at our dog and he keeps experiencing a negative outcome, we are not really socializing him. Instead, we are teaching him to fear new things.

This is the opposite of what we hope to attain with dog socialization.

Dog Socialization = Dog Parks?

The other day I was walking my Sibe puppy, and we stopped to talk to one of our neighbors. The topic naturally turned to puppies and socialization.

My neighbor tells me that her now adult dog is very dominant towards other dogs. She says,

“We socialized him by taking him to the dog park when he was young, so I do not understand why he is so dominant now.”

Then she goes on to explain that when the dog was a puppy, he was alpha rolled by other dogs at the park.

Dog-to-dog socialization does not mean leaving our dog with a group of other dogs and hoping for the best.

Dog-to-dog socialization does not mean leaving our dog with a group of other dogs and hoping for the best. Enclosed dog parks are usually poor places to socialize a dog because –

• The environment is often chaotic and under-supervised. Dogs get over-excited, and this may lead to dog-to-dog aggression.
• There are older dogs there who may not want to interact with other dogs.
• There may be dogs who only want to play chase the ball with their owners. If another dog steals their ball, they may get aggressive.
• Some owners have a “let the dogs work it out for themselves” mentality. This means they spend all their time chatting and do not supervise or pick up dog poop.
• Some owners bring small children who run around and shout at the dogs. This can trigger a dog’s prey drive, and cause the dog to chase the child.
• Some owners may try to correct other people’s dogs and get hurt as a result. This usually means bad things for the dog.

Unless a dog is already well socialized, calm, and has great recall, an enclosed dog park is often a risky proposition.

Unless a dog is already well socialized, calm, and has great recall, an enclosed dog park is often a risky proposition.

I used to take my Shiba Inu to the dog park, and there was this Australian Cattle Dog there together with his fireman companion. Like any other dog, he wasn’t perfect, but his recall was awesome. Every time things got too excited, or it looked like something was about to start, the fireman would call his dog, and the dog would run to him. He would put the dog’s collar on, and wait until things got resolved. Sometimes, they would just leave.

It was very impressive!

A dog like that I would have no problems taking to an enclosed dog park. On the other hand, in-training dogs are more likely to pick up bad habits at the park than to actually be “socialized“.

More structured alternatives for dog-to-dog socialization include dog training classes, well supervised puppy play groups, supervised one-on-one play sessions, fun hiking trips in large unenclosed parks, dog daycare, and group dog walking.

In-training dogs are more likely to pick up bad habits at the park than to actually be socialized.

Dog Socialization – Some Things to Consider

1. Go at a pace that our dog is comfortable with.

Dog socialization is not some competition. There are no medals, prizes, or monetary rewards for the dog that visits the most locations or meets the most people.

The goal of dog socialization is to enhance our dog’s life, and our own life by helping him become a more confident and less stressed out dog. This allows us to integrate our dog more fully into our lives, and have him with us wherever we go.

As such it is important to set our dog up for success, and only introduce him to new things at a pace that he is comfortable with, and can handle. Of course, being over-protective can also result in a dog being under-socialized. Thus, there must be balance between the two.

Dog socialization - Go at a pace that our dog is comfortable with.

2. Careful planning and management.

Another important part of dog socialization success is to have a plan. When I was socializing my Shiba Inu puppy, I always try to plan out our social training exercises in great detail. Plans help me cope with stressful situations because I know what to do, and I am ready to take charge.

I also try to set up training exercises in areas where I have more control over, and with dogs that are pre-screened. For example, I would bring my Shiba Inu to a nearby SPCA to have one-on-one socialization sessions with friendly SPCA dogs. Sessions were supervised by us, and an SPCA trainer.

We would only let Shiba play with friendly, non-dominant dogs. Sometimes, we would also practice with less social dogs, but in this case, we train both dogs to stay calm and ignore each other.

There is great value in neutral dog-to-dog encounters.

While some dogs may be social butterflies, others prefer to carefully choose their friends and playmates. Therefore, I do not believe in forcing my dogs to be friendly and meet, greet, or sing kumbaya with every dog that they see.

There is great value in neutral dog-to-dog encounters.

3. Always have an escape strategy.

Dog Socialization - A quiet place to calm down.

I always try to have an escape strategy. Sometimes, things just do not work out no matter how many precautions we take. Therefore, I plan for what to do when a dog socialization session turns bad.

Usually, when things go bad, I focus on removing my dog from the situation as quickly as possible, and taking him home. I do not stick around to quarrel with the other people, I try my hardest not to shout, and I try my hardest not to get stressed or fearful.

When my dog gets so excited that he goes rear-brained, he starts to only act on instinct and is no longer able to learn and reason. He stays in this state for some time afterward, even after removing him from the problem stimulus. Therefore going home or going to a quiet place to let him calm down always seems to work best.

4. Listen to our dog.

Dogs may not communicate to us in the same way as people, but they *do* try to communicate with us. An important part to dog socialization is to listen to what our dog is saying.

This is mostly done by looking at our dog’s body language. A dog’s body language may change quickly, and may be difficult to catch. In the beginning it was difficult to tell what my dog was saying, but it got easier as I spent more time carefully observing him.

Also, some dogs are more “vocal” about their needs than others. My Siberian Husky Shania will try to endure things in silence and on her own, but my Shiba will usually get in my face, and let me know that he is unhappy. However, silence itself, is a type of communication.

Dog Socialization - Listen to our dog.

5. Be flexible

What worked best for my Shiba Inu in terms of dog-to-dog socialization, are more structured environments such as supervised one-on-one play sessions.

During neighborhood walks, he meets friendly, calm dogs that are under good control of their owner. We pass by yippy dogs, unneutered dogs, and dominant dogs. I also do not let him meet uncontrolled or over-excited dogs, even if their owners ask for a meeting.

However, this is based on my Shiba’s own particular temperament and quirks. Different dogs will have different socialization preferences and tolerances. We must be flexible and tailor our dog socialization program to suit our dog’s temperament and our own temperament.

We must be flexible and tailor our dog socialization program to suit our dog's temperament and our own temperament.

6. Endurance is key

Dog socialization is an endurance activity.

Last year, I saw this couple walking their tiny pit bull puppy. They stopped to talk, and to let their puppy “socialize” with Shania. It turned out that their puppy was 6 weeks old.

In general, it is best to only remove puppies from their litter-mates at 8 weeks or later. Also, puppies do not start their immunization injections until 8 weeks old, and they are not fully immunized until a few months after that. Exposing puppies to unknown dogs or random dog poop before they are fully immunized may put them at risk of getting parvo or some other disease.

Since that one time, I have never seen them again. Perhaps they are simply walking their dog somewhere else, but dog socialization is something that we need to continue throughout our dog’s life.

Socializing our puppy is a very good thing. However, if we lock our dog in the house or backyard once he leaves puppy-hood, he will become unaccustomed to seeing and experiencing new things. After some time, he would lose all of the socialization mojo that he got when he was young; and may become fearful when he steps out of his house.

Therefore, it is important that we keep up with some socialization throughout our dog’s life.

7. What is the end goal?

Dog socialization - It's not about you, it's about the dog.

Dog socialization is not about projecting a good dog parent image, and it is not about gathering the most accolades from friends and colleagues. Rather, it is about helping our dogs cope with adversity without resorting to aggression.

Our eye should always be on our dog and not on ourselves or what others may think of our dog parenting skills.

Dog Socialization and Getting a Second Dog

Finally, general dog-to-dog socialization is a bit different from integrating a second dog or puppy into our household.

• The puppy will be living in the same house as our other dogs.
• The puppy will be eating in the same areas as our other dogs.
• There is more time to get our existing dogs comfortable with puppy.
• We have full control of all the dogs.
• We also have control over conditions in the house and backyard.

Just because a dog gets along with other dogs in his pack, does not mean that he will get along with other dogs that he meets on the street, or at the dog park.

Just because a dog gets along with other dogs in his pack does not mean that he will get along with other dogs that he meets on the street or at the dog park.

Today I got to go to an awesome place called the SPCA.

There were many dogs there and many interesting smells. There was also a nice, enclosed play area where I got to romp around in an off-leash format.

A very happy Shiba Inu after a visit to the SPCA.

This play area had many balls, frisbees, ropes and interesting objects strewn about, so I had lots of fun.

It wasn’t long before I saw this really hairy dog called Zen.

His face had some similarities with a Shiba, which means that he is quite handsome; although not as handsome as me.

A handsome hairy dog called Zen. But not as handsome as me!

True to his name, Zen was very calm, so it was a challenge to get him to play. In fact, for some incomprehensible reason, Zen just wanted to be with the 2-legged ones.

Everybody knows that 4 legs are superior to 2 legs! And a Shiba Inu is the most superior of all.

Anyway, I was not about to give up, so I did my best to get Zen to relax and acknowledge my Shiba-awesomeness. I jumped up on him, I ran around, I play-bowed, I did my air-butt move, I humped him on the side, back, and front. Ultimately, Zen realized what a cool dude I am and started romping around with me!

True to his name, Zen was very calm, so it was a challenge to get him to play with me.

Den Female says that I was a pest and Zen played with me a little in the hopes that I would leave him alone; but I know better.

Everybody realizes that I am totally AWESOME … eventually.

I just need to apply my legendary Shiba persistence and everything always works out in the end. 😀

Shiba Wisdom

If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again!

Everybody realizes that I am totally AWESOME … eventually.

Shiba Sephy is particular about his food, how and when he is touched, how he is held, stepping on puddles and wet mats, and of course …

he has his own ideas on how other dogs should or should not behave in his royal Shiba presence.

Here are some things I have noticed about Shiba Sephy when it comes to meeting dogs.

You’re not the boss of me

You're not the boss of me!

Shibas are rebels and do not like having a boss – human or canine. They may sometimes decide to follow certain requests from their human companions but only when there is cheese on the line.

When it comes to other dogs, they do not usually get along with dominant personalities – and this includes other Shibas!

• Shibas are not submissive and will not surrender even to a larger dog.
• Shibas like to play rough and wrestle.
• Shibas will bully other dogs if they can get away with it.

As a result, socializing your Shiba to other dogs can often be a challenge.

Size *does* matter

Shiba Sephy defeated by puppy Siberian Shania.

Shiba Sephy gets along much better with larger, playful dogs, who also like to play rough. I never let him play with smaller adult dogs because he will very quickly overwhelm them.

Puppies seem more tolerant, are more submissive, and usually like to wrestle, so Sephy has fun playing with smaller puppies.

To the right, my little Siberian puppy is showing Sephy who is boss!

If you are thinking of getting a second dog, make sure to get one who will be a good playmate with your first dog.

The “Human” factor

While socializing your Shiba, you must also deal with other dog owners, and many people are uncomfortable with the rough and tumble style of Shibas. During play, a Shiba can appear quite fierce, showing lots of teeth and making Shiba war-cries.

It is best to keep your Shiba away from fearful people and their dogs as they will likely project bad energy that may trigger extreme behavior in their dog and possibly even in yours. Do not socialize your Shiba with unbalanced dogs and unbalanced owners, as they may teach/cause your Shiba to engage in bad interaction habits including fear aggression and mouthing on people.

Just as it is important to screen your children’s friends, it is important to screen your Shiba’s friends.

Shiba Sephy is very sensitive to my emotions and to the emotions of the people around him. He quickly picks up on fear, frustration, anger, or excitement, and gets even more crazy.

While meeting other dogs, stay calm and do not put undue tension on the leash.

During play, a Shiba can appear quite fierce, showing lots of teeth and vocalizing.

Personal space

Shiba says - My Space!

Shibas do not generally like having dogs come unannounced into their space.

Many other guard breeds, such as German Shepherds, feel the same way.

If your Shiba has this preference, you should protect him from strange dogs. Tell other dog owners not to come too near because your Shiba is wary of new dogs. Suzanne Clothier describes this issue very well in her article "He just wants to say hi".

My Shiba is reactive to other dogs so I am very careful during dog-to-dog greetings. He is always supervised when he is with other dogs, and he is not allowed to bully or hump. He also does not enjoy new dogs sniffing his butt without permission, so I will body block dogs from going into his buttockal region.

For reactive dogs, it is best to introduce them slowly to other dogs and have one-on-one play dates. One-on-one play sessions are easier to supervise and there is less excitement and uncontrolled behavior.

Fun one-on-one play session with Kai.

On-leash vs. off-leash

A Shiba may display different behaviors when he is meeting dogs on-leash or off-leash.

The leash can sometimes create fear (Shiba can’t run away) and barrier frustration (Shiba can’t get to the other dog). As a result, a Shiba may show more aggression when he is on-leash compared to when he is off-leash. Nevertheless, it is useful to teach a Shiba polite greetings whether he is on or off-leash.

If your Shiba is only aggressive on-leash, then you can use off-leash time as a reward for good on-leash behavior. If you are unsure of your Shiba, first start desensitizing him to dogs from a distance and slowly work your way towards a greeting.

It is also possible to use a muzzle, but that may cause the same fear and barrier issues as the leash. Shiba Sephy does not like the muzzle and shuts down when he has a muzzle on. Another possibility is to let the dogs meet from across a fence, but this can also cause barrier frustration.

Desensitization from a distance has worked best on Shiba Sephy.

I am King whether on-leash or off-leash.

Spaying and neutering

Spaying or neutering can also help with the dog-to-dog socialization process.

Un-neutered males may posture more when in the company of other dogs. This can lead to dominance displays, which may escalate into dog aggression. Female dogs that are in heat should always be separated from all male dogs, as she may trigger competition among the males and cause a dog fight.

Some owners may be reluctant to spay or neuter their dogs because they are afraid that the process may change their dogs’ personality. According to the Humane Society of the United States,

A dog’s personality is formed more by genetics and environment than by sex hormones.

This article by the Dog Owner’s Guide also has useful information on spay and neuter surgery.

Socialize your Shiba slowly

Start socializing your Shiba by walking him on-leash in your own neighborhood. See how Shiba reacts to calm dogs, fenced reactive dogs that he can’t see, and then fenced reactive dogs that he can see.

Desensitize him to each of these situations slowly so that he does not practice any aggressive behaviors.

Remember to maintain calm energy when meeting other dogs. If you are tense, your Shiba will pick up on that energy, and get tense and reactive as well.

Once Shiba is calm around the neighborhood, you may want to take him to a nearby SPCA and desensitize him there. At the SPCA there are usually fewer dogs around than in a dog park, and SPCA dogs are usually handled by trainers or trained volunteers. There is less danger of things getting out of control at the SPCA.

Taking a dog obedience class is also a good way to socialize your Shiba and have him focus on you even when there are other dogs around. A class is also a good way to meet friends that you can later invite for play dates.

Socialize your Shiba slowly.

Options for dog-to-dog socialization

1. Dog Playgroups

Fun play session.

Dog playgroups are usually organized by training facilities or dog daycare facilities. The advantage of a playgroup compared to an enclosed dog park is that these sessions are supervised, and owners are usually very conscientious about cleaning up after their dog, and making sure that their dog is behaving properly.

Dogs in these playgroups tend to be more balanced because they are more socialized compared to the average neighborhood dog.

The disadvantage is playgroups usually only occur weekly or monthly, and at a specific time; whereas a dog park is open at all times.

2. Dog Daycare

Help! Help! I'm being harassed!

While Shibas may be aloof and independent, they generally like being with their humans. At a daycare center a Shiba gets to enjoy dog and human company all day long. This will help to socialize Shiba and increase his confidence when facing new people and dogs.

Make sure to thoroughly check out the daycare facilities and their staff before enrolling your Shiba. Ensure that the dog playgroups are not too large and are well supervised, otherwise fights may occur or your Shiba may get harassed by the other dogs.

Here is more on what to look out for in a daycare center.

3. Enclosed dog parks

Shibas really need to have off-leash time to do their Shiba running and get rid of excess energy. If you do not have a backyard, an enclosed dog park may be a good place for your Shiba to run free.

On-leash walks alone (3 hours daily), were insufficient to drain my active Shiba. Unfortunately, it may be difficult to find a good dog park with responsible dog owners. Unless you find a good dog park, your Shiba may get into fights, get injured, or pick up bad behaviors from the other dogs at the park.

4. Group Dog Walking

Group dog walks may be a good way to socialize your Shiba if he is uncomfortable being in a large group of dogs. Dog walks usually have a maximum of about 6 dogs per walk and is a less stressful social environment for a Shiba.

Walks are a lot more structured, well supervised, and conducted in an interesting environment (e.g. an outdoor park). This means that Shiba has other things to focus on, and need not obsess on dog-play the entire time. Finally it is good training for Shiba to feel comfortable about walking with a pack of other dogs.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find a good dog walker who can handle a Shiba without resorting to forceful aversive techniques. Here is an article from the San Francisco SPCA on choosing a good dog walker. If you cannot find a good walker, it is best to stick to the dog playgroups and daycare.

Shiba has other things to focus on, and he need not obsess on the other dogs the entire time.

Socializing a Shiba Inu to other dogs

If your Shiba is showing aggressive behaviors, do not push him too quickly in the socialization process.

Socialization is now a popular buzzword in dog training, but do not force your Shiba into becoming a social butterfly if he is not comfortable being one.

It is important to teach your Shiba good manners when greeting people and other dogs, but do not force him to interact or play if he prefers not to.

Do not force your Shiba into becoming a social butterfly if he is not comfortable being one.