Socialisation is integral to helping your dog happily and confidently exist in the world. But it’s so much more than throwing them into new situations and hoping for the best—especially for adult dogs. Many mature dogs’ ‘bad’ behaviour stems from past traumatic or negative experiences. Building new positive associations is a key part of how to socialise an adult or rescue dog.
To learn more about dog socialisation and find out if it’s ever too late to start, we spoke with a certified professional dog trainer and behaviour consultant. With their expert advice, we uncover what socialisation is (and isn’t), how to tell if your dog needs socialisation training, and how to approach it for the best results.
What Is Socialisation Training—and Does Your Dog Need It?
While most people think of dog socialisation as how to get dogs to get along with other dogs, it’s actually much bigger than that.
Alexandra Bassett, CPDT-KA, professional trainer and owner of Dog Savvy, explains: “Dog socialisation is when a pet parent purposefully exposes a dog to unfamiliar people, dogs, and settings to get them used to the world around them.”
Essentially, socialisation is preparing your newly adopted dog to feel comfortable and confident in the things they’ll encounter frequently in their new life with you.
Without proper socialisation, it can be challenging to go for walks with your dog, invite guests into your home, or take your dog to the vet. Depending on the severity of your dog’s reactivity, it can hinder their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of the people and dogs around them.
Signs your dog needs socialisation
“If a dog is highly reactive towards anything new and unfamiliar and barks and lunges at other people, dogs, or any moving object or sound they hear at home, on walks, or in the car, then they may need help getting socialised,” says Bassett.
Signs that a dog may need some socialisation training include:
It’s common for adult rescue dogs to need some extra socialisation practice. However, your approach will be a little different than what you may expect from puppy socialisation.
Daniel Megias via iStock
The Difference Between Adult Dog & Puppy Socialisation
For both puppies and adults, socialisation involves introducing your dog to new situations and helping them have a positive experience. The difference, Bassett says, lies in understanding your dog’s background. Puppies are far less likely than adults to have a history of negative experiences behind them. Because of this, they may adjust to new situations more quickly.
For adults, Basset explains that it can take much longer and require more finesse on the part of the pet parent to create positive associations with ‘the unknown’. She says this is especially true if the dog has been traumatised by spending time on the streets or was abandoned at a shelter.
The bottom line: socialising a puppy is all about creating positive associations with new things as they experience them for the first time. Adult dogs, on the other hand, may already have a negative history with dogs, people, or situations. They need help slowly replacing their negative associations with positive experiences.
How To Properly Socialise an Adult Dog With Other Dogs, People & Places
Socialisation of adult dogs begins, surprisingly enough, at home. Building a strong foundation with your dog in a place where they feel safe will help them feel more secure out in ‘the wild’.
Start slow and keep things positive
Too often, pet parents unwittingly put their dogs into intense situations without first giving them the tools to deal with them. The result is usually not what pet parents intend. Instead of adapting to the situation, a dog can quickly become overwhelmed and afraid. This flooding creates a negative association with the event—and it increases the likelihood that the dog will react in an undesirable way in the future.
Bassett recommends using positive, rewards-based training that promotes trust between a dog and their guardian. “Training can teach a dog to focus more on their handler, develop their impulse control around distractions, and boost their confidence so that the dog is better able to handle encounters with things that may scare, concern, or excite them when they occur,” she says.
She recommends keeping your training close to home for a while. As your dog’s skills and confidence grow, you can venture further and slowly introduce more stimulating situations. This intentional integration reduces the risk that your dog will encounter too much unfamiliarity before they’re ready.
Understand your dog’s triggers
Most reactive or anxious dogs that weren’t socialised properly have a number of triggers, ranging from common (someone new at the door) to bizarre (the ping of a text message).
Observe your pup in all situations, especially if they’re new to your home, and make note of the things that cause them stress. Understanding these triggers can help you plan your approach. You’ll want to tackle one or two issues at a time before moving down the list.
As you work with your pup, use treats and praise so they have a positive experience. Stay calm and confident, reassuring your dog that they are safe. If you notice your dog becoming increasingly uncomfortable in a situation, remove them from it. Then assess what to do differently and try again another time.
If you can, quit while you’re ahead. It’s better to keep the encounter short and positive than to stay too long and have things turn sour, especially with an adult rescue dog working to overcome past trauma.
Understand your dog’s body language
Bassett recommends keeping your dog ‘under threshold’. That’s the point at which a dog starts to react to something. One of the best ways to know your pup’s threshold is by understanding dog body language.
While body language will look different for every dog, typical signs of stress include the following:
- tucked tail
- lip licking
- yawning
- scratching
- pinned-back ears
- shaking or shivering
- panting
- whale eye
- hiding
- fleeing
- raised hair on their back
When your dog has passed their threshold, their behaviours may escalate. They might refuse treats, try to escape, lunge, bark, growl, or snap. A dog in this state should be removed from the situation as soon as possible.
It’s also helpful to know the body language of a happy dog. If you see these behaviours, it’s an indication that your pup is having a good time. You can continue training if you see:
- a relaxed or curved stance
- play bowing
- panting with a loose ‘smile’
- soft eyes
- taking treats gently
- positive engagement with other dogs and humans
Mary Swift via iStock
Avoid flooding your dog
Putting a dog in new or intense situations before they’re ready is one of the most common socialisation mistakes made by well-meaning pet parents. This approach, called ‘flooding’, is likely to backfire. It can add to your dog’s stress and anxiety instead of helping them become more comfortable.
Instead, pet parents should slowly increase exposure to certain stimuli, letting their dogs get comfortable while moving at their own pace.
For instance, if your dog is fearful around other dogs or people, drive to a park where you know you’ll see both and work with them first inside the car. Then, slowly train with the door open, then right beside your car, and so on, slowly decreasing the space between your dog and their triggers.
Pet parents should also avoid punishing a dog for reacting or trying to escape. Punishment is more likely to reinforce that bad things happen when the trigger comes around. Truly effective socialisation creates positive associations.
For instance, using an aversive tool to punish your dog for barking at another dog will build a negative link. Other dogs mean pain and fear.
While it’s completely understandable to become frustrated during the process, try to stay calm and collected when around your pup. It’s also okay to take a break from your dog after disappointing training sessions or stressful encounters. Give them a puzzle toy or chew and go for a solo walk or do something kind for yourself to reset.
Set realistic expectations
We all love a good transformation story. Realistically, though, not every dog is going to be a perfectly socialised, ‘go-everywhere’ pup. As Bassett points out, a lot of things that are outside your control will impact your dog’s behaviour and confidence in the world, including genetics, past history, and temperament.
Plus, every dog is different. Some are naturally more comfortable in certain situations than others. Many dogs have limitations on what they can handle, and that’s perfectly normal. It’s just like how some humans prefer to be social butterflies while others would rather stay at home with a good book.
The key to good socialisation is meeting your dog where they’re at. It’s crucial to not only your training plan but your relationship as a whole.
And the good news is there are plenty of management tactics and compromises you can make to still have an enjoyable experience with your dog.
For example, if your dog barks at noises, play a white noise machine to drown out neighbourhood sounds that bother them. Walk a reactive dog on less-travelled trails, or hire a trusted pet sitter to stay at home with your pup if they’re unable to take trips with you.
Make play part of your training
Just because your adult dog can’t do everything doesn’t mean they can’t do anything—and having fun together can go a long way toward strengthening your bond.
Making play a part of your training is a fantastic way to make situations fun and bond with your pup. Agility training, scent work, trick training, and even barkour can all be fun ways to help your dog build confidence and greet new challenges with enthusiasm.
Knowing When To Get Help
Socialising an adult or rescue dog isn’t always easy. Behaviour modification takes time, and progress is not linear. You and your dog will both have bad days and setbacks. Be prepared to adjust your plan as you go and let your dog set the pace.
If your dog is showing signs of reactivity, anxiety, aggression, or other worrisome behaviours, reach out to a certified professional trainer who uses positive reinforcement techniques to help you build a plan unique to your dog.
With time, patience, and a commitment to your pup, your socialisation training efforts should pay off. And even a small amount of improvement is just that—improvement.
