When I was a child my parents and I would go to Italy on vacation and spend the days at the beach. My parents were older and did not have much of a sense of playfulness. When I got bored and complained, they would invariably point to a strange kid near us on the beach and say: Oh, just go play with him or her!
But why should I? Was my reaction. I did not know them and I had no interest in playing with a complete stranger. I felt my parents were simply palming me off because they were not interested in engaging with me.
I feel this is what we do to our dogs more often than not. We throw them into daycare: Hey! Just dump them in with 40-50 dogs! That must be fun! After all: they are all DOGS!
This is what we do to our dogs under the guise of socialization.
We expect dogs to like something when it is convenient for us and as it is convenient to us. We convince ourselves that it has to be true because we want it to be so and so it is.
But are we taking the dogs preferences into consideration? Are we being fair or are we being coercive?
Kay Lawrence makes several astute points in her latest article:
http://kaylaurence.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/lead-off-good-lead-on-bad
As always her articles are thought provoking and valid. Definitely worth a read.
