My husband hates fish.  I wish he liked fish.  I like fish. Don’t all normal, healthy people like fish?  Maybe if I put fish on his plate every night for dinner, fed him MORE fish, got him used to fish, surrounded him with fish…he’d learn to like fish.  He just needs more exposure to fish… How ridiculous is that reasoning?  But it’s exactly what we do with our dogs when they do not like or act politely around other canines.

Some people just don’t enjoy fish, and some dogs just don’t enjoy other dogs.  So why do we keep trying to force them?  Bringing a dog that doesn’t like other dogs to a dog park, “so he’ll get socialized and learn to play well with others” is like me serving fish for dinner every night to a husband who’s made it clear that he doesn’t want, like or need fish.  Never has, never will. My husband is happier with a salad and steak than fish, and many dogs are happier with you than with other dogs.  Now, is that so bad?

Socialization is great and I highly recommend it, but it cannot transform a dog-averse canine into the social chairman of the dog park, any more than fish 7 days/week will transform my husband into the Gorton’s Fisherman. 

Let them be.

-Diva

Tagged as: animal behavior, Dog Behavior, dog bites, dog parks, dog safety, Dog Training, Dog Training Tips, dog-dog aggression, dominance, family dogs, growling, natural training, puppy behavior, puppy socialization, Social group, social order

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