Getting to know the world

People expect dogs to just understand and adjust to quite a bit of things that just aren't part of a dog's normal world.

And while folks are starting to understand that socialization is important, they don't quite get how to properly do that. Just exposing a dog to a person/place/thing isn't enough. It has to be a positive experience or all you do is make things worse by confirming to them that being around "x" is scary.

There is a LOT in this world that a young pup needs to be positively exposed to. Textures, tastes, sounds, places, people of different ethnicities, different forms of transportation. And it's the human's job to give the puppy those good experiences. Puppies are a ton of work - at least they are if you are raising them correctly - and it is one of the reasons I personally prefer older dogs.

As Magill's foster mom it's been my job to get him used to the big world, and even though he is a very confident puppy, some things still are a little scary and take some time to get used to.

He was in the bathroom with me so I could keep an eye on him while I was drying my hair and when I looked down I saw he was a little frightened of the hair dryer. I turned it off, laid it on the ground and let him walk up to it cautiously. Then I put some treats down after he approached if for a few sniffs to reinforce him for being so brave. After he was over that being scary I turned it on low and we started over again. He quickly moved past his fear and loved this game where he got treats for sniffing stuff.

Some folks would think stuff like this wasn't necessary, but if you've ever lived with a terrier who is afraid of their shadow and barks at everything anxiously you know that for both the dog and the humans living with them, acclimating them to things like hairdryers, vaccuums, garbage truckes, buses, etc. is a very important thing to do.

And with a brave little guy like Magill it goes fast - he just needs me to find him the opportunities to try new things. Our next trek will be to the trail that runs through our suburb so he can safely experience bicycles, scooters, skateboards and strollers while having fun at the same time.