Dogs have long deserved the title of the best and most faithful friend of man. They are able to thoroughly examine the habits of the master, to anticipate his desire, to understand his mood, empathy setbacks, show its love, and affection...
The dog understands human nature and it is amazing! After all, a dog and its owner are two different species, different language of communication ... What does the dog pay attention to when communicating with the person? To his face, intonation, and gestures, because this animal is extremely observant by nature.
For example, a dog-beggar. Among the people gathered around the table, unerringly finds a guest who will not be able to refuse to give it a piece of goodie. How it does that? According to the view, the guest gave it: friendly, interested and that is enough.
The dog feels in advance that a skeeve is about to enter the house. It is already at the threshold and growls. A polite guest shows his displeasure by such a manner. Then, while the master, is struggling to be polite and hospitable.
Of course, such stunning heights of discernment is able to achieve only a dog living in the house with people. It is proved the dog is on the top of the bar by the decision of the experimental tasks, beating an elephant, wolf and an ape. What is the reason? In order, the dog can use the help of the owner!
It is enough to undertake such an experiment: put the dog in front of several identical containers with toys. Which one has the favorite? On the other hand, treat? Moreover, the dog will choose the one the master shown himself! How? By a slight gesture of the head, hands, eyes or the smell of the master, where it is the most, so here is hidden a "treasure".
An example from the everyday life of the dog: the dog wants to walk, the door is locked, but the dog will not scrape the door, it would run to the owner and will attract his attention. Moreover, "cool ones" will bring the owner the leash and toys. It is this trick, any other animal from the animal kingdom should be taught.
Perhaps that is why, K. Lorenz said the dog that has grown among men, treats each family member as its flock. The dog builds its relations with each family member on the principle of hierarchy. It is true, but partially. The dog understands its owner is a human and he lives on his own principles! It realizes it would never become a family member, it, the favorite of this human pack. In addition, doing some common chores: herding, rescue, search or hunt, between a dog and a man there is some other feeling ... sixth, or what?
Updated Socialization Guidance
Understanding of canine socialization has sharpened since this article was written, particularly around the critical window between roughly 3 and 14 weeks of age, now considered the single most important period for shaping how a dog responds to people and other animals for the rest of its life. Current guidance recommends starting supervised exposure to new people, dogs, and environments as early as safely possible, ideally beginning as soon as a puppy has had its first vaccinations rather than waiting for the full series, since missing this window is a leading cause of fear-based behavior problems later in life.
Group puppy classes built around this early-socialization window have also become far more widely available and affordable than a decade ago, giving most owners a practical, structured way to meet this window rather than relying on informal exposure alone.
