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Dog Training Workshop, and an element of the Dog Science Network
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Socialization
Socialization is the process in which you endow your dog with the skills and sensibilities that he needs to live in harmony among humans, in order to guarantee that he will be free of the kind of dysfunctional behaviors that can make him a nuisance to and a target of the people around him.
When the socialization process is complete, your dog should have some approximation of a human's sense of what is and is not acceptable, and be free of any behaviors that might work to the detriment of the surrounding community.
Socialization is the greatest gift that you can give your dog, because it geometrically increases his chances of surviving and finding his way happily in a world where the slightest of canine behavioral problems can lead to death or something much worse for a dog - isolation.