LAST week I wrote about how it was possible to be friends with your dog and still provide them with the essential tools of leadership.
You don't have to call yourself the pack leader to set the boundaries and limitations required to have a healthy relationship and a well-behaved dog. If you are clear with your boundaries of behaviour, being friends with your dog is the same as being a leader or boss.
But can the same thing be said about socialization and leadership? Can you have a well-socialized dog that receives no leadership? And, visa-versa, can you provide leadership to a dog with no socialization and have a well-behaved dog?
First, let's review what leadership is. Leadership is a term used to describe the hierarchal position of a dog owner in a canine/human relationship when the dog owner is acting as the alpha dog, or boss. This leader provides the dog with behavioural boundaries that the dog must comply with. Since dogs are pack animals, this leadership satisfies their instinct to have an alpha or pack leader and they willingly oblige to the leader's fair request.
The consistency of the leader's application of the boundaries determines whether a dog behaves itself or not. In other words, the dog learns to live within the consistent guidelines set out by the alpha and is a well-behaved, happy dog as a result.
When it comes to dogs, socialization refers to the lifelong process of providing the animal with the skills and habits necessary for participating in social gatherings within its social network. In other words, it means regularly exposing the dog to other dogs (and people) in social situations, in order for it to remain friendly and tolerant of other dogs (and people).
Dogs enjoy each other's company but, at times, their start in life isn't that great and they don't get the time to learn how to interact with other dogs. Dogs need to be exposed to, and guided through, proper behaviour when interacting with other dogs in order for them to be social.
When a dog is left to its own devices with little knowledge of canine social interactions, it more often than not ends up in conflict with other dogs. It takes on a "lone-wolf" attitude and lives in a state of flight or fight. It rarely learns to tolerate dogs enough to learn from them and be social with them. Yet, when provided with knowledgeable leadership, the unsocialized dog can be systematically exposed and introduced to other dogs while slowly learning proper social behaviour. In a short time, that unsocial dog could become a party animal!
When a social dog with little or no leadership is left to interact with other dogs, it often becomes the bully of the park. These leadership-lacking yet social dogs with no boundaries believe that they themselves are the pack leader (since they have that role at home) and try to force their presumed position on other dogs. They can often be found mounting other dogs obsessively, and picking fights with little or no provocation.
Yet, as soon as the bully is confronted by a confident, social dog, the bully dog backs down until it can find another victim to express its insecurity.
What creates confidence? Leadership - plain and simple. Leadership-lacking social dogs are insecure dogs. The only way to give that dog confidence and maintain its social behaviour is to be a leader and set boundaries.
So, a dog lacking socialization can become social when provided proper leadership, yet a social dog becomes insecure without leadership.
Choose leadership. Both you and your dog will be happier as a result.
Joan Klucha has been working with dogs for over 15 years in obedience, tracking and behavioural rehabilitation. Contact her at k9kinship.com.
