Socialization Isn't Saying Hi (Virtual)

Service Description

Socialization is often reduced to meeting people, greeting dogs, visiting new places, and being exposed to unfamiliar sights and sounds. But exposure alone does not tell us what the dog learned—or whether the experience was helpful. In this workshop, we will explore socialization as the development of processing, recovery, and choice. Handlers will learn how to help dogs observe without interacting, investigate without becoming overwhelmed, disengage from distractions, recover after being startled, and settle while life continues around them. Sometimes successful socialization means saying hello. Sometimes it means watching from a distance, choosing to leave, or deciding that something is not important. The goal is not to teach dogs that everything in the world exists for them to approach. It is to help them receive information from their environment and continue functioning within it.