Dog Socialization Training by Maureen Keene of Keene Kanine

Puppies and many rescue dogs need socialization around cars, school buses, trucks, and bicycles. Urban areas can be terrifying to a dog from a rural area. This requires intense working outdoors and spending enough time to help the dog relax and have fun in the new environment.

-Maureen Keene,

Dog Socialization Trainer

Dog Socialization Trainer in Long Beach and Serving all of Nassau County, NY

Dogs require socialization just the way humans do. Often I will get a call from someone who has rescued a dog, and this dog has yet to be socialized around other people, dogs, or cars. The dog may have been kept in a minimal environment or a puppy mill.

The dog may act aggressively around humans if it has yet to be socialized with many people, and it may act aggressively around other dogs—a lack of appropriate socialization results in various unwanted behaviors. Therefore, proper positive socialization in the new environment here is critical; that is where I come in.

I am experienced in how to make positive associations and how to handle negative triggers when they arise. I can teach you how to minimize and extinguish your dog’s negative triggers, associations, and behaviors that stem because of them.

Fear is usually at the bottom of many negative reactions due to a lack of socialization. Fear of the unknown, of course. Many people fear the unknown, so, understandably, dogs may be fearful of this too. Therefore, we will carefully introduce them to new things and places that they will regularly frequent in their new lives with you.

Always remember the experience of meeting other dogs at this young age is invaluable and irreplaceable. Puppy training also involves dogs meeting people outside of your family. Unfortunately, many dogs I meet missed out on meeting new people during the pandemic quarantine time. As a result, some may be mildly fearful of other people, and some dogs take that wariness to the extent of attacking anyone entering the home.

These dogs need further advanced socialization with people and lots of counterconditioning to understand that meeting new people in the home is a good thing. And even though it is an unknown, it is not something to be feared but something to be enjoyed.

To counter the fear of people, I might sprinkle tasty tiny pieces of chicken or steak upon the arrival of any guests. It is optional who throws these rewards, you or the arriving guests, just that they are given at the exact time as the entering people. 

Now we are counterconditioning as we are presenting something that the dog does not like along with something that he likes very much. Counterconditioning is a beneficial technique with dog sociability training. Dogs socializing well with other dogs is one of the most important needs that my clients express to me.

Some dog breeds are more reactive to dogs than others; we will keep that in mind when training. For example, some puppies come right out of the gate barking at everything that walks by, and we immediately get rid of that unwanted behavior.

Some dogs are more challenging in this department and need more socializing with other dogs, including special specific commands and lots of counterconditioning. This process requires a lot of time, expertise, and a lot of creative dog socialization. When dogs are reactive and aggressive towards other dogs, often, it is a learned behavior that can be successfully modified.

Puppies and many rescue dogs need socialization around cars, school buses, trucks, and bicycles. Urban areas can be terrifying to a dog from a rural area. This requires intense working outdoors and spending enough time to help the dog relax and have fun in the new environment.

Many dogs need dog socialization training when a new baby comes into the family. We call this baby socialization training. Sometimes we make new rules that the dog has to follow, perhaps not getting on the couch when people are on the couch. We familiarize and socialize the dog with items coming into the home for the baby, and then we work with the dog and the baby together upon arrival.

Many dogs need socialization around wheelchairs, crutches, and walkers, which can be very frightening upon first seeing these items. In addition, many dogs react negatively to the vacuum in the home, and sometimes a blow dryer can trigger chaos in a home for hours.