Socializing a dog

[gaymer77]

So my boyfriend and I have moved into our own apartment after living with the in-laws for the past few years while I was going to school. We have this adorable & very affectionate Cojack (Corgi & Jack Russel Terrior mix) who's 2 1/2 years old. She is spoiled and rides in the car nearly everywhere we go and many times goes into the stores/businesses on a leash if she's allowed. The problem is she's very timid around other people and will some times bark at them. She doesn't bite at them or anything aggressive but she does bark some times. We started taking her to family functions at my grandma's house this year to help her get used to other people and that is working for the most part. It is just here in the apartment complex she is still very timid & skittish & occasionally barks at people. Anyone have any advice on how we could socialize her so she gets used to being around other people?

[gaymer77]

Just take her everywhere you can and expose her to tons of people in busy areas, but you may have a hard time if she’s 2 1/2. If dogs aren’t socialized well as puppies (7-15 weeks) it’s much harder to do it because they have already learned behaviors. Also, if she’s a Corgi, she’s a herding breed and they often have a guardian instinct. They’ve been bred to herd and watch property and livestock, so it can be natural for them to bark at strangers and animals that approach their yard/house, but they’re not supposed to be aggressive.

My Texas Heeler/Border Collie puppy does this. He’s sweet as can be to people outside of the house and approaches them willing, but once he’s on our property, he goes sorta into work mode and he alerts us of anything or anyone approaching.

She's totally different on a leash. She's very obedient on a leash but still skittish/timid around others. She's one of the most passive dogs I have ever met. The boyfriend's uncle's dogs have bit her and she's not bit them back. Like I actually watched one of them bite her on her cheek because she walked too close to the food the other dog had eaten out of earlier & our girl just walked away from the other dog afterwards. Another one of his dogs chased her down the hall and bit her too and she just walked away from it. She's a very loving & affection dog to the family. She loves to cuddle and give you kisses. Most of the time she's under my computer desk by my feet or she'll lay on the bed while I'm in the bedroom on the computer. She is well behaved for the most part and very active. She loves to run around and play but most of the other dogs we've had don't like to play. Her best friend was a cat we had until he ran away. He would actually play with her and we know that's why she loves to be around cats whenever she can. I think she sees them like her bestie and thinks they like to play since the dogs didn't like to.

Our problem though is she may be outgoing with us, she's not outgoing with strangers for the most part. We want her to feel safe around new people. When I go out on the patio between the upstairs apartments to smoke, she always comes with me. If someone from the other apartment comes outside, she usually goes and sits under the chair I'm sitting on or under my feet while I'm sitting down. She'll occasionally bark at them too but only like 3-4 barks then she stops.

[Forgettable]

Get the dog to read this article:

http://benefitof.net/benefits-of-socialism/

/s
I thought this thread was going to be about something entirely different.

[Mafic]

She's totally different on a leash. She's very obedient on a leash but still skittish/timid around others. She's one of the most passive dogs I have ever met. The boyfriend's uncle's dogs have bit her and she's not bit them back. Like I actually watched one of them bite her on her cheek because she walked too close to the food the other dog had eaten out of earlier & our girl just walked away from the other dog afterwards. Another one of his dogs chased her down the hall and bit her too and she just walked away from it. She's a very loving & affection dog to the family. She loves to cuddle and give you kisses. Most of the time she's under my computer desk by my feet or she'll lay on the bed while I'm in the bedroom on the computer. She is well behaved for the most part and very active. She loves to run around and play but most of the other dogs we've had don't like to play. Her best friend was a cat we had until he ran away. He would actually play with her and we know that's why she loves to be around cats whenever she can. I think she sees them like her bestie and thinks they like to play since the dogs didn't like to.

Our problem though is she may be outgoing with us, she's not outgoing with strangers for the most part. We want her to feel safe around new people. When I go out on the patio between the upstairs apartments to smoke, she always comes with me. If someone from the other apartment comes outside, she usually goes and sits under the chair I'm sitting on or under my feet while I'm sitting down. She'll occasionally bark at them too but only like 3-4 barks then she stops.

Dogs are very loyal.

A dog's trust must be earned so there is no work around with the fact that your dog is nervous around outsiders. The comfort level of your dog should take top priority IMVHO!

[Deleted]

Just take her everywhere you can and expose her to tons of people in busy areas, but you may have a hard time if she’s 2 1/2. If dogs aren’t socialized well as puppies (7-15 weeks) it’s much harder to do it because they have already learned behaviors.

This. The most important part to learn is how far they can go when playing. We have dog schools with groups of puppies where they learn

- when to play (they are all on same ground but leashed on different trees while their owners talk with each other and only unleashed after a few minutes with a command - repeated over the whole course ~2 times)
- how far they can go (not interfering if they get a bit wilder, even snapping is good for they will learn that their companion might not enjoy it as much as they do and snap back - most important lesson! Teacher only interferes if they gang up on one dog)
- how to behave with each other when they are leashed and with their owner (basic leashed walking stuff).

Since in those groups there are humans too, they also learn how to interact with them and more important how humans interact with dogs. Going scarecrow position as many do just enables them as playing mates in dog's brains. But the puppies also learn that humans sometimes are not interested in them by turning away. Or that the owner might loses patience when they don't come when they should and are shooed away when they want to get back to their owner... Lot's of stuff they should learn when they are young