I take my dogs almost everywhere with me.

Do you think this is a good plan for you & your team? Why or why not?

Yep, all or some or one of my dogs come with me most places.  I tend to think that most situations are improved by having one (or possibly five!) well mannered dog/s around.  :)

I want to ensure flexibility and confidence in my dogs both out and about, and also when they have to stay home without me, so I do change it up a bit, trying to get each dog out for one-on-one trips.  

When new foster dogs come here, I'll often use my whippet Slipstream, or my scruffer Iota to accompany the new dog and I when we first head out into the real world, for the social facilitation they provide for the new dog - modelling confidence in a variety of social situations.

I always make a judgement call on how stimulating any new environment is likely to be, how much management is available to me in terms of confinement (fencing, etc.), and which dogs have the responsiveness and skill set to be placed in a new environment with minimum chance of fall out of one kind or another. 

While I dearly love my little clan of dogs, I do occasionally share a moment with Slipstream when I catch his eye and remember what it was like when he was an only dog.  They were good times, and there's something special in my relationship with him because of it.  My dog prior to that was an only dog too, Jock.  He was my Once in a Lifetime dog and he did come pretty much everywhere with me.  He was the sort of dog who won friends and influenced people wherever he went.

:)

Absolutely. Dobby goes pretty much everywhere I go when I can take him. Dobby and I did not have the relationship we currently do. Before getting into agility and really training some foundation obedience I could not trust Dobby. He would bark, growl and lunge at everyone and every dog that came near me. Totally resource guarding! Well once we opened up his world a bit by going to agility practices and workshops and all that goes with the dog sport world I started to see him calm down in new places. Eventually I was even confident enough to take him to the IACP conference last year which meant airports, hotels, etc and than nevermind a huge flooding of people and dogs! LOL He absolutely had his moments there but he did so well. Today I can even take him to work in a medical clinic for the day and people don't even realize there's a dog in the clinic. It took a lot of work, dedication, patience and consistency but I wouldn't have it any other way. I've enjoyed everything I've learnt in order to get him to where he is now. Even the bad times where my communication was way off! LOL Now I don't feel ashamed and embarrassed going to places because I have such a good little guy by my feet. And I just love having him experience a new place. Whenever we go visit my mother for a weekend and her 3 dogs I totally take those dogs places and get them out and about in the world. I love building a dog's confidence this way!

Sif tends to travel more than my other dogs. Simply out of ease of transport. 80lbs vs 13lbs is an easy choice sometimes! 

Shayla, you're absolutely dead on with your comment about exposing dogs to new environments to help them become more confident. It is such an undervalued aspect of dog ownership.

I certainly understand your concerns Erwin, and they're not unfounded. But don't you take Zully for walks? How do you keep him safe in those scenarios, and what do you think sets them apart from other opportunities to have him accompany you?

Sometimes I think we over think the history of dogs coming from wolves. When humans started working with wolves it was a simple survival instinct on both parties. Today we've created many different breeds of dogs that no longer resemble the wolf. Dogs are social creatures and rely on humans for survival. Wolves were more pack only or solidarity creatures.

I think when we socialize dogs we aren't asking them to make "friends" but to simply be a well rounded member of our society and to accept people and other dogs who may come into our space. Just like humans dogs aren't going to like every dog or human they meet but it's vital that they learn to accept and respect sharing of space. You don't have to play or engage with that dog or human but also don't attack or be worried about them either. I think it's extremely important to remember that we as a human species domesticated these animals so it is up to us to help them survive in our world. 

Just my thoughts on the subject Erwin brought up :) 

Im really glad you guys are digging into this topic! 

Erwin, there are a few different types of socialization events. There is the obvious interaction between dogs, but also, the environmental socialization that I think is really important too. Getting our dogs used to the normal hustle and bustle that we exist in. 

I don't necessarily think that you need to meet dogs on the street for socialization. I certainly don't! But I think it's important to make sure that our dogs can be well behaved around other dogs.

You also might be able to meet up with a group in your area with smaller dogs, there are a lot of people with smaller dogs that enjoy getting them together with other dogs their size.

Sheryl you hit the nail on the head, and I think made some of my points for me! 

Thanks!

Here's avideo I made not too long ago. Fits with this discussion of integration.

July I spent three weeks living between the family cabin and my mom's house to take care of her three dogs while she was away on vacation. My mom typically does not do anything with her dogs including daily walks LOL her rotti mix (approximately 10 months old) lacks confidence and had some car anxiety issues so I spent a lot of time working with her on those two things. Happy to report that she can now ride anywhere in a vehicle and no longer pant drool and vomit and actually enjoys car rides. Her other two dogs I worked on taking them out and about with lots of walks. Her one dog I even went to a sheep herding workshop which he loved every minute of. 

I truly loved everyday that I worked with these dogs. I miss waking up and just working with the dogs. If I had my dream job it would be doing exactly that! 

https://youtu.be/e_NWD0Q0zrE

Well I certainly believe in fully integrating my dogs into my everyday life. I enjoy their company immensely for one, but I like to give them a lifestyle that is fulfilling to them. I also like them to have a broad world view, to me this is socialized. I use my greatly missed little muse, Ruby, as an example all the time. We did as much as we possibly could together, she went everywhere with me. If I showed up, there was about a 98% chance Rubz would be there too. Tons of adventure and exploring, she would go to see clients with me not only because it was something else to do together, but it was also to let people see what a dog that is socialized and fulfilled looks and acts like. If I was working, she would patiently wait until we were done. If I need her to stay away for safety then she would, if I wanted her to be involved then she would do that too. Then we would have our fun and a good meal. She knew it was coming ,just not always when exactly. A real partnership if you ask me. I do this with all my dogs, whether its just one or three.  When I get my next pup I will do the same with them. Really integrating our dogs into our lives just amplifies the connections we have with them. Actually it is what creates the connection.  I see it happening so much with Ruby, the Australian Shepard I have used in some of my videos. She does a lot with me too and she just thrives with all the interaction.  I find it to be a truly beautiful experience. 

I am starting to think about my next dog since it has been about 10 months since Ruby passed. I am a terrier nut....just love them. Maybe another Cairn, but I am really interested in a Malinois  as well. The thing is, as I watch these videos, I am finding myself fascinated with little Sif, so I have been looking into them a little too. Any recommendations on where I mind find a nice rough coated Patterdale Josh?

Jay, I got Sif from a guy named David Mason out of Tennessee. Very nice guy, and breeds Patterdale's only at this point. He used to breed JRT's. 

There are a lot of Patterdale Terrier breeders out there. But most of them breed Staffordshire into the lines, which makes them too game to really do the work, and or too big.