A friendly dog is a good dog!

Many years ago, I learned in a psychology class while in college about the detrimental effects of proper external stimuli on animals (both the two and the four legged variety), and how it can adversley affect them as they get older.

An example in our text book reflected on two groups of kittens. One group was allowed to roam free, and do what kittens do...climb, jump, play fight, play with toys, chase string and so on.

Another group was deprived of those experiences. They were kept in an area that was comfortable, but devoid of the space needed to learn play, develop proper socialization skills with other animals, and devoid of changes in their external stimuli. The area they were kept was always lit, very quiet and they were kept from prolonged exposure to other of their kind.

The findings of this study were quite informative. The kittens who were exposed to an open, stimulus filled existence, were able to jump up and down at will on things like furniture. They had no apparent fear of heights, reacted in a positive manner when exposed to other kittens from outside their control group, and enjoyed play activities.

The kittens that were deprived of the same open environment were not well developed. The would not jump up on furniture - like chairs or couches. When placed up on these items, they were afraid to jump down. They did not climb like normal kittens, and when exposed to high levels of external stimuli - like screaming children, loud music, etc., they became very fearful and withdrawn. They exhibited anti-social behavior when exposed to others of their age group and species. When presented with toys, or string to chase, they just sat there and stared at them. Also, because they were never exposed to darkness, they showed a marked lack of development with regards to their night vision ability, and so they also became fearful of darkened spaces, because they could not navigate like normal.

Why do I relate this story? Mainly because on my daily travels around Eureka, I often encounter many animals that display the unfortunate behaviorial symptoms of those under stimulated kittens. These animals tend to be fearful of people, agressive towards people and/or other animals - even of their own species - and are fearful of doing things that normal animals would take for granted...like playing with toys, jumping up onto a seat in a vehicle, or walking on a leash. Often, these animals are not even trained well enough to come when called by their own name.

Many of these animals have not been properly socialized, spending much - if not all -of their lives at the end of chain in the back yard. Not much use for a name if they are left to chase their tails all day as they wrap those chains around a tree.

No need to learn to come to their name when they are called either, since once they are finally free to run, they have no intention of returning to the meager existence from which they just escaped. They view most other animals as either threats to their personal safety, or competition for mates or food. People walking, other animals attempting to be sociable, children playing are all seen as things to fear. In the animal kingdom, you either run from what you fear...or you try and dominate it.

The point of this article is not about whether or not an animal should be chained up or not. It is about the need to properly socialize our pets. Not just to other animals, but most importantly to people. Walking people, people riding bicycles, children running and shouting. All the things that normal people do everyday. Your dog does not have to be so well socialized that it would rather sleep in your neighbors bed than yours...but it should not try and bite your neighbors hand off when offered either. It should be trained to learn and respond to its named being called, even by your neighbor. It should not chase people walking or riding a bike in a threatening manner, and it should never chase and try and bite children runnning in play.

The good news is that when the deprived group of kittens were provided with the necessary stimuli need for proper growth and development, they began to act as kittens should. After three months of normal exposure to all the things they lacked, they were all at the same point of development as their peers from the first group. By the age of nine months, all the kittens from both groups were perfectly normal. Well socialized and happy!

Your pet can also be properly socialized - even in the later periods of its life. Although studies show that the maximum benefit of training comes in the early stages of its life as a puppy, training can also be very effective even as late as six or seven years old. It also proves that you can teach an old dog new tricks!

These studies also show that a well socialized animal is happier, less destructive to its home environment, and more tolerant of other animals - often even those of a different species, like cats. So take a little extra time with your dog. Ten minutes a day, every day to start. It will pay diividends down the road for you and your pet. And remember, a freindly dog is a good dog! All dogs want to be good...they just need us to show them the way!