Students

Max, a 4-month-old golden retriever puppy, gets a lesson at a local park, where he is calmly watching a group of dogs play behind the fence. Max is here to learn that all of the commands that he learned at home, such as walking without pulling, ignoring distractions, and not eating things off the ground, go with him when he leaves home. He is also learning that when he sees other dogs, he should simply notice them, but not try to play with them. The reason for this is not to be mean; it’s because Max has the potential to be a future Service Dog for his owner, who struggles with mobility issues. If Max is allowed to get excited and pull toward other dogs, he could hurt his handler. Max already knows how to play well with other dogs, because he lives with a small pack. So socialization for him, and really for all dogs, should focus on ignoring strangers and strange dogs. If you have a dog with polite leash manners, you can go anywhere where people and dogs gather and not have a struggle on your hands. Well-behaved dogs with good training backgrounds have more freedom than dogs without training, because they get to go more places with their owners. Max will eventually be able to be trusted without a leash, so he can romp safely no matter where he is. Which is much better than having to be confined to a small, fenced area.