Thursday, May 31, 2012

Socializing Our Dogs --
http://www.ourpack.org/socializing.html
I hear the phrase, "it's all in how you raise them" quite a bit. Well, in our experience, we've taken dogs from all sorts of abuse cases such as fighting cases, neglect cases..., etc. But outside of rescue, I'm a trainer by trade and I see all breeds and types of dogs. I've seen dogs grow up in perfect environments that can still have issues. I'm not saying that environment is not important, I want to be clear on that. BUT to say that a dog has to have issues becuase he/she was abused only puts him in a box that can be hard to get out of. Some dogs come out of tough cases just fine and some dogs have issues with a perfect environment. That just tells us that they should be assessed as an individual, based on what they are NOW. Having said this, I'm posting tips on socializing our dogs in positive situations.. It is important to socialize, train and manage throughout a dog's life. However, while at times history is certainly important to take in, in many cases it may be a moot point. Look at him for who/what he is and not what was.