Social Dogs vs. Socialized Dogs! What’s the difference?

Are we not talking about the same thing? Afterall, social is part of socialized….

Nope. We are not talking about the same thing. 🧐

In fact, social dogs and socialized dogs are very different.

What does it mean to have a “social dog”?

It means you have a very friendly dog who…

• loves everyone

• plays well with others

• gets gold stars at doggie daycare

I’m very familiar with social dogs. The “Fab 5” considers themselves very social 😆

However, socialized dogs and socialization in general are much different.

It’s not about how friendly your dog is or how many dogs they play with each day.

True socialization is about exposing your dog to new:

·      Sights

·      Sounds

·      Smells

·      Surfaces

·      Environments

·      People

·      And other dogs

And ensuring that they behave neutrally to these stimuli.

In other words,… a well socialized dog should be able to go somewhere new and have a neutral “Ok cool” reaction.

Socialization is about helping your dog learn how to process the world without overreacting or losing their minds when they see or experience everything that’s new.

They may be very excited mentally, but they remain calm and behave as they’re supposed to because they trust that their owner will provide all the fun, love, rewards, and stimulation they need.

Socialized dogs can move through spaces and places under control.

Don’t get me wrong, socialized dogs have a ton of fun as well 😄

Remember when I said “The Fab 5” were social?

Well, they are but the math breaks down like this:

I have 4 “social” dogs and 1 “socialized” dog.

Hudson, Erwitt, Prayerie and Daisy are all social dogs.

But Fleetwood is socialized… although based on his energy and antics, one would not always think that to be the case😂

If you follow us, you know that Fleet is a busy guy. He loves a job. He’s animated (oh, is he ever).

He’s energetic.

He is everything you would expect from a high drive Airedale.

Here is what you might not expect:

• He can sit ringside at a dog show and just observe

• He can walk through a crowd – even at a dog show👏

• He can work obedience in distracting environments

• He sits at my feet when dining out

• He moves from excited to calm on command

Fleetwood has put in the work to move from social to socialized.

Don’t get me wrong, my social dogs are more than happy and most of them probably won’t want to be socialized but they are putting in the work to eventually become fully socialized. 🐶💕

For example: Erwitt loves his house, yard, family, doggie daycare and is very social.

He doesn’t like shopping, walking in crowded places or dining out.

He is very social… but all that other stuff is just not his thing. However, he is working on socialization too.

It’s not so much that he can dine out but more of being confident and comfortable no matter where we go…and Erwitt likes a good car ride!

Social vs Socialized…a training course that may depend on you and your dog.

Just know that they are different.

-Kim Opdyke

💗

PS – My trainer says that all dogs should be properly socialized to give them the best quality of life possible😊