Dog Socialization

I'm so sad that we only have one more week of dog socialization classes left. I have no idea what Kozmo and I will do on Wednesday evenings. I hope I don't sound like a broken record but I can't stress enough how important dog socialization is for both humans and dogs. When I first signed up to take Kozmo to dog socialization I was thinking the benefits would mainly be to get him some exercise and bring home a tired dog.

What have we learned from this blog?

A tired dog is a good dog.

The exercise is an important part of socialization but the benefits for the dogs go far beyond running off some energy. In seven short weeks Kozmo has shown huge improvements in many life skills. He better understands how to approach and play with other dogs. Kozmo is a high energy dog. He lacked a lot of socialization and when I first put him in doggy daycare he thought it was ok to greet all new dogs by biting their necks. He no longer greets new dogs this way.

Kozmo continues to struggle with recall. If he is distracted he acts as though he can't hear you. After 7 weeks of dog socialization we have seen huge progress in getting his attention and having him come to me from across the room, a room full of distractions. This isn't perfect and we still have a lot more work to get a recall you can trust every time. The safety of the socialization group being inside was a great way to work on recall without the dogs being able to run away.

Kozmo has always been a happy and friendly dog. He hasn't always understood how to greet humans. I've been working hard from day one to teach him not to jump up on people. Although he's friendly and wants to be a part of what is going on he has had problems letting strangers approach and pet him. Through dog socialization Kozmo is learning to trust and let strangers greet and pet him.

I am more excited than every for the dog park to open. Regular socialization is so good for the dogs. It's also been a very positive experience for me. I've made so many wonderful new human friends.

Below are some photos from week 7 socialization. Enjoy.

Photo by: Kaylee & Rosco P's Human

 This big orange ball actually belongs to Marcy. Kozmo went up to Marcy and dropped his tennis ball. Poor sweet Marcy then dropped her big orange ball to check out the tennis ball Kozmo was offering. Kozmo instantly ran off with Marcy's toy. Poor Marcy.

Photo by: Sunny & Marcy's human

 I love how the dogs are checking out the newest member to the group.

Photo by Kaylee & Rosco P's human

 Look how happy Kozmo is after stealing this ball from Marcy.

Photo by Kaylee & Rosco P's human

Another great action shot. Here Marcy is trying to catch Kozmo. Koz only showed an interest in his frisbee when another dog wanted the frisbee. 

Photo by Lexy's human

Look closely, Sunny has two toys in his mouth! Sunny loves his lady bug toy. Another dog had the same toy. Sunny decided they were both his. I love the expression on his face.

Photo by Lexy's Human

 The above photo is an excellent example of many things happening at once during dog socialization. Some dogs take a break and watch the activity and other dogs and humans are playing in the background.

Photo by Lexy's Human

I am so grateful that other human's take and share photos each week. I love to see the photos they take. Here Lexy's human got a great full body shot of Kozmo. He was actually standing still for a change. 

Huge Progress

I love everything about the above photo. Kozmo made friends with this human because he has a great arm and throws tennis balls much further than me. Each week Kozmo has gained a little more trust with the new human and finally at the end of week 7 Kozmo allowed his new friend to get close and pet him. You can see Kozzy's blurry tail wagging. He was very happy and relaxed and I am one proud human.

We will miss our weekly dog socialization classes but will see many of our new friends at the dog park and are forever thankful for the lessons and friends made.