When Dogs are Not Socialized

By Marie Frank

Dogs can become a very important part of our families, but when they are not properly trained or socialized, tragic things can happen.

Several weeks ago, two dogs attacked and killed another dog in Galesburg. When a tragic event such as this happens, the County Animal Shelter immediately becomes involved.

The dogs are picked up and placed in quarantine for 10 days and tested for rabies. “The owners are encouraged to have the dogs euthanized, but it depends on the situation and we generally will do what the owners of the attacked dog wants,” said Stephen Lawrence, Director of the Kalamazoo County Animal Shelter.

“People need to socialize their dogs,” Lawrence added, “This is very important and people tend not to properly train or socialized their dogs.”

Laura Meyer, a licensed veterinarian technician with the Southwest Michigan Animal Emergency Hospital said, “We see many dog attack victims, we can see as many as 3-4 cases each weekend.”

Meyer said that most of the dog attacks she sees involve pit bulls and big dogs picking on smaller dogs. “The problem occurs most often when there is no supervision and the dogs have that pack mentality,” added Meyer.

No doubt, it’s always sad when an aggressive dog escapes the control of its owner and attacks, injures or even kills another dog. However, this can be prevented.

The obvious prevention is to have complete control of your dog. The law is clear about using a leash and not letting your dog run free, especially unsupervised.

By exposing dogs to different kinds of people, animals and environments, which involves everything form dog obedience classes to walks in the park, we can help them develop confidence and ease.

Veterinarians, dog trainers and other dog professionals urge new puppy owners to take their dogs to puppy classes and to provide other socializing experiences. However, this should not be the end of a dog’s socialization.
For more information about dog socialization techniques, contact a local dog trainer or talk with your veterinarian.