Why Socialization Matters More Than You Think (Especially If Walks Feel Hard)
By Alisha Navarro
If your dog pulls, reacts, or feels unpredictable on walks, you are not alone. It is not "just energy" or stubbornness, it is more about how comfortable they feel out in the world. When a dog feels unsure, it shows up in the form of barking, lunging, or just acting differently on walks than they act at home.
The good news is...once you figure out what is going on, this can change!
Why Some Walks Feel So Hard
One minute you are walking along, enjoying the sunshine and breeze and then you spot another dog. You try to turn and go in the other direction, but you don't move fast enough, your dog also sees the other dog.
Suddenly you are playing a game of tug of war with the leash and your dog. Your dog is barking and lunging, you feel like the other owner is giving you the evil eye. It is frustrating, embarrassing, and you start to wonder what you are doing wrong.
The good news is your dog isn't "bad" and they aren't trying to make things hard. If they could understand that "easy" walks mean they get to walk more often, your dog would be a lot more cooperative.
We don’t like everyone we meet. That is just a fact. We find some people annoying, others talk too much, or we just don’t plain like them. Dogs feel the same way, but communicate by pulling, barking, or sometimes just shutting down.
That’s where socialization comes in—but not in the way most people think.
What Socialization Actually Means (And What It Doesn’t)
When most people think about socializing their dog, they think of dog parks, doggy daycares, trips to the store, or eager tail wagging greetings on walks. In reality, it means calm, comfortable, or even neutral interactions.
This matters most on walks because your dog is going to encounter other dogs, strangers, and even strange noises. You don't need your dog to happily greet everything, you need them to observe neutrally and continue on the walk.
Its not about saying "hi" to every dog
It feels like your dog should meet everyone, or maybe you see it as a chance to meet new people. If it doesn't go well, it can lead to
- frustration
- overexcitement
- leash reactivity
It is ok to walk past other people and dogs you see, say hi and keep moving calmly past. Indifferent observation is more valuable than interaction. This will help in the future as you meet other dogs on your walks with varying levels of socialization experience.
How to socialize a dog:
When your dog pulls you along to greet another dog, it enforces in their minds that they can pull you - and, therefore, will continue to pull.
The Freedom No-Pull Harness helps direct dog’s attention back to owners because it has 2 points of leash clipping:
- Front connect loop works like power steering to easily direct your dog’s attention back to you.
- Back martingale loop activates a compression wrap hug-like feeling when pressure is applied, signaling for them not to pull.
With the use of a slip loop to go around the owner’s wrist, and the two leash connection points on the harness, owners can hold the leash with two hands and can set the pace of the walk/steer the dog safely.
Steps to socialization with the Freedom Harness:
Step 1: Ensure the dog has been properly fitted in Freedom Harness. There are 4 points of adjustment on every harness that fits dogs weighing 15 - 250 pounds. Ensure leash is connected in front and back of harness. The Freedom Harness is designed to prevent dogs slipping out/backing out of harness because of 2 points of leash clipping. (This enables owners to keep their dog safe by having their dog secure.)
Step 2: If introducing two dogs for the first time, NEVER allow them to meet head-on. To a dog's perspective, this can be construed as an act of aggression. Also, this enables the leashes to get tangled together which can lead to dog fights.
Rather, have one owner and dog start walking down the street, and have the second owner and dog catch up and walk parallel together. This enables each dog to slowly get comfortable with their new companion, and it gives the owners room to walk farther apart/closer together depending on the dog's demeanor/ body language.
Step 3: If all goes well on the parallel walk and tails are wagging, turn around and go to a fenced in area (such as a backyard.) You never want to socialize dogs for the first time in one of their homes because this causes the dog of the home to view the new dog as a potential foreign danger intruding on their home turf.
Rather, going into a backyard allows owners to see how dogs do off leash - BUT, with harnesses still on. A benefit of the Freedom Harness is that the leash can unclip from the harness, but the harness can stay comfortably on the dog. The Freedom Harness:
- Sits above the shoulder muscles, giving the dog a full range of motion AND below the trachea - so pain is never part of the equation
- Swiss velvet lining chest strap helps prevent rubbing and chafing sores behind the front legs
- Leash can be clipped in one spot - either front or back - which allows dogs to still be on leash, but have more freedom to sniff/play with other dogs (while remaining safe)
Step 4: If backyard time goes well, bring dogs inside, unclip leashes, BUT leave harnesses on. Leaving the harness on can feel comforting to the dog, and it gives owners a handhold if dogs show signs of distress/aggression towards each other.
You Don't Have to Do Everything at Once
It can feel overwhelming, like you need to expose your dog to everything all at once in order so they are successful in the world ASAP. You can work on one skill at a time.
Too much too fast can actually cause worse behavior.
- Let your dog learn how to meet other people first. Plan a meeting with a friend to practice polite greetings, but plan walks at a more quiet time so you don't have to worry about dog greetings yet.
- Slowly try a dog greeting with a dog that you know gets along with other dogs and see how your dog reacts.
- Use short sessions and controlled environments to set your dog up for success at each step.
Better walks start with patience and no two dogs are alike. See below for more articles that can help you have better walks, every day.
