Suggested Reading: "A Dog Who's Always Welcome"

Here, I'll give you the ending of this post first. I highly recommend the book, "A Dog Who's Always Welcome" by Lorie Long. Feel free to quit reading this blog entry if you want to leave now to buy, read and start following the great information this book contains.

Socialization is one of the topics I want to cover soon. Actually, socialization and habituation would be the full topic. I have had a few dogs who were real go anywhere, do anything dogs. By that I do not mean the "Lassie, get the C-clamp" kind of do anything, though my Greyhound did retrieve an empty soda can for me the other day & a binder clip today. Instead though I mean dogs who were not only happy and willing to come along with me anywhere I went but also well behaved enough to be able to go and do just about anything we were doing. One of the reasons I chose Greyhounds was the hope of increasing my odds of getting another such dog and I did. However, proper socialization and some habituation is required. 

Greyhounds never cease to amaze me. We take them out of the racing kennels, a controlled and regimented lifestyle that is nothing like the one other pet dogs have been raised in, then expect them to quickly adapt and join in our busy lives. The amazing thing is that so very many of them do just that, barely missing a beat. However, some need more help and a longer transition time than others. Careful socialization and a logical approach to habituation can really help this along. 

Lorie Long has written a book I believe could help quite a few of us as we work to help our former racers make the switch to full time companion. It is a big wide world and I know my little piglet, "Oh d-d-d-dear me", Greyhound would have benefited a lot if I had read this book much earlier. The insights and suggestions apply to a wide range of circumstances and temperaments. If you want to do pet therapy work this book could be even more valuable. Whether you adopted the social butterfly or the wall flower this book has good advice to offer to all.

Here is the publisher's write up. I believe this does a good job of summing up what is in the book, much better than I could do:

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You can take her with you...

 If you're like most dog owners, you want a trustworthy companion you can take on family vacations, to ball games, on hikes, and to cafes and festivals. You want your dog to behave when you have guests, stay peacefully at hotels, ride calmly in elevators, and maintain proper doggie decorum in all kinds of situations.

Chances are, you've watched and admired assistance and therapy dogs who are attentive to their owners' needs no matter what. This book taps into the secrets of assistance and therapy dog trainers and shows you how to use focused foundation socialization training to make sure your dog is well behaved--even in unfamiliar environments loaded with distractions and temptations. It goes beyond typical behavioral training and basic commands and covers:

• Evaluating your dog and recognizing traits that will affect her needs
• Using reward-based processes to teach complex behaviors and self-discipline
• Creating a socialization program that makes your dog focused on you and confident in different environments
• Reading your dog so you can anticipate her reactions and keep her focused on your directions

With these sophisticated training techniques, you'll turn your family pet into a sociable, take-anywhere dog who will always be welcome!

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