By Kristen Brubach
Socialization is a
topic that is near and dear to the hearts of most dog trainers, so there is
quite a lot of good information out there about it. However, most of it is very general and doesn’t
really address the specific needs of different breeds of dogs. Also, much of it deals with that window of
opportunity that you have when you are dealing with a puppy. Many people of course get their dogs as pups,
but more and more folks are bringing an adult Catahoula into their
household. So I’ve come to look at
socialization as a two-stage process. Stage 1 is the opportunity you have with a
pup. Stage 2 is the life-long process,
on-going work of keeping your well-socialized puppy that way. Stage 2 is also the usually large and slow
undertaking of working with an adult dog that’s not had the benefit of a wide
variety of good experiences as a pup.
In my experience
working with dogs, Catahoulas in particular, most of the material I’ve read for
socializing puppies would be very useful for this breed. A good puppy class with a reputable trainer
is an excellent place to start. But far
too many people take their pups once a week for the required 6 to 8 weeks and
consider the socializing job done. Consider
for a moment the things your dog might possibly have to deal with during the
span of his or her lifetime. Unless you
are a hermit living on a mountaintop somewhere and never take your dog anywhere
or have company, your job is really just beginning.
First off, there is the
“People Category”. People obviously come
in all shapes, sizes and colors. Your
dog adapts fairly quickly to YOUR particular look and mannerisms, but that
still leaves a whole realm of possibilities of folks who could look mighty strange
to your Catahoula. Even the clothing
variations we humans go through with the changing of the seasons can produce a
whole different visual picture to your dog.
If you acquire your puppy in the summer or fall, don’t be surprised if
you get a strange reaction from them the first time you put on a parka, hat and
mittens! Stop for a moment and just
think about the huge variety of hats there are in the world. I was at an agility trial on the weekend of
April Fool’s Day and the judge for my class wore a rather large jester’s
hat. My dogs certainly gave him a very
thorough looking over, but they still ran well, as they are used to unusual
looking people. Many other people with
breeds that are reserved with strangers did not fare as well. A very close friend of mine, who also
competes in agility with her Catahoula, discovered recently that her dog was quite
put out by a member of the ring crew running around with a baseball cap. A very small detail you would think, but
Catahoulas are a breed that notices those little things because at times in
their line of work, their lives depend on that ability. Rather than viewing his fear as a temperament
flaw, my friend has taken to training with a baseball cap on and having
visiting boyfriends of her daughters, put on baseball caps and give her dog
treats. He’s fine now.
I am tall, rather thin
and generally soft-spoken. The meter man
for the gas company that shows up at my door periodically is very dark-skinned,
about 7 feet tall (well, he seems that tall anyway!), speaks very loudly and
has all kinds of instruments attached to him that make assorted beeping and
clicking noises. He is a very nice man
and my dogs are used to him now, but it didn’t happen overnight! Plan ahead when you have service people coming
to your house for one thing or another.
Have your dog on a leash and have treats on hand. Most Catahoulas are reserved with
strangers. So don’t be too hard on your
dog if they act slightly spooked or wary of an unknown person showing up in
your home. Most service people don’t
have time to really interact with your dog, but they usually don’t mind if you
and your dog sit in the area where they are working and watch them work. As a starting point, just reward tolerance
and not reacting. Take your time and
your dog will get more comfortable with each exposure to someone new and
different.
A subtitle in the
“People Category” is “Children”. I
frequently hear students in Obedience class lamenting the fact that their dog
responded badly to a child. When they
are questioned about what happened in more detail, they usually respond with
something like “Well, my grandchildren played with Fido a few times when he was
a puppy.” Again stop and think about
this. Whatever age this person’s
grandchildren were, that’s what the dog filed away in their memory bank as a
“child”. But a 7-year old boy doesn’t
present the same picture to a dog as an 18-month old toddler. Eleven-year-old girls squeal a lot for some
reason. Three and 4-year olds run
everywhere and wave their arms around a lot.
MOST Catahoulas are fairly tolerant of kids, but until your dog has
experienced a wide variety of ages and personalities of children and gotten
somewhat comfortable, don’t assume you’re home free. Always stay aware of your dog’s stress
level. If you see them starting to get
spooked by a certain child or group of children, jump in and help your dog
out. Don’t wait until someone gets hurt. Even when your dog is well acclimated to
children, it still pays to keep an eye and ear on things. The more you can get your pup out and exposed
to a wide variety of situations and people as a young dog the better. But always remember that Stage 1 of
socializing is just the foundation.
Because Catahoulas generally are cautious with new things and people,
Stage 2 is going to last the rest of their lives. Why do I say that? Because tolerance and adaptability are like
muscle groups. If, for example, you blow
off going to the gym for a year or two, do you think you can just walk in and
pick up where you left off as far as the intensity of your workout and the
amount of weight you can lift? Not if
you want to be able to move the next day!
Throw your Catahoula in the pen out back for a few years and over time
their world shrinks. I notice every
spring my dogs can be somewhat “goosey” and hesitant when they see more people
out and about. And that’s just from a
couple months of not getting out as much.
I often bemoan the fact that for now I have to live in a city
environment. As unpleasant as it
sometimes is though, I do have to admit that for dog training it does have its
advantages. For 9 months out of the year
it’s like living in a 24-hour a day temperament test. On a typical walk we encounter all kinds of
other dogs, children of all shapes and sizes on bikes, roller-blades,
skateboards, people in wheelchairs and using walkers, bag ladies, fire trucks,
street cleaners, construction equipment….the list is endless. For relief I pack the dogs in my SUV and head
for the country at least once a week!
For those of you fortunate enough to live in the country, how about
switching hats and take a ride once in a while to a more populated area? Throw some goodies for your dog in a bag and
go take a stroll in town. Make it
fun! Give him or her a chance to
exercise their mental muscle. You will
be repaid a thousand times over with a happier more adaptable Catahoula and
that can only be a good thing both for you and for this breed of dog!