This chapter will detail why socialization is important for so many parts of your dog's life, but here's an example to help you understand. You bring home your pup on a long weekend so that you and your family can spend the first few days with him and really get your schedule off to a successful start. You have a dog walker lined up so that, when it's time to go back to work and school, your pup will continue to be well taken care of. When your real life of work, school, and other activities settles into a routine, you continue to walk your growing pup in the morning and evening, and your kids play with him in the afternoon, often with friends. He learns Sit, Down, Stay, Wait, and Off, and besides some accidents in the house, things seem to be going well. Your pup/dog is always happy to see you, sleeps in your room, plays nicely with the kids, and seems well adjusted.

Then you decide he can come along on a holiday weekend to your in-laws' house. They also have a dog, and you are excited to introduce your dog to theirs. You finally arrive at their house and everyone piles out of the car to excitedly say hello. You put your pup on a leash to introduce him, and your in-laws' dog comes bounding out of the house to greet everyone. He is a pleasant but large dog. When your puppy sees him, he wants to bolt. He doesn't know what to do. His fear causes the other dog to assume an aggressive stance, and your pup responds in either fear or aggression. There is a squabble and everyone is upset. As the weekend goes on, your dog has accidents in the house, especially when there are several people in the same room together. When strange kids want to pet him, he runs away or, worse, snaps at them. You are upset and reprimand, then punish, your pup, exacerbating rather than appeasing him. You return home wondering if getting a dog was such a good idea, and whether your dog will ever be able to go on trips with you.

Is it Your Puppy, or You?

While you're driving and wondering what's wrong with your dog, you should be looking in a mirror, because the problem is you. In the throes of work and a busy family schedule, you didn't take the time to expose your puppy to all different kinds of people, places, and experiences. Then you took him along and threw him into one of the craziest experiences any dog can have: a family holiday, with the common ingredients of extra people, extra noise, easily available trash and food, strange people, strange smells, strange animals, and many distractions.

Read on to discover how and why socialization can make a major difference in your life with your puppy.