So, I feel like I haven’t written many blog/Facebook posts lately. Or at least not a proportionate amount compared to all the activity that’s going on over here! To tell you the truth, I’ve been working hard doing lots of “behind-the-scenes” things, like getting ready to make friends with other San Diego pet-related business owners, meeting other local pet photographers, and exploring the local neighborhoods to get a feel for what’s where. And while I haven’t been meeting lots of new dogs lately, like I normally do when sessions are in full swing, I’ve been spending plenty of time with Bailey. I love my girl so much – she just turned 4 on Monday! It was a great day and we didn’t have the slight fiasco of Birthday #3. We even spent the weekend with her doing extra-special fun things, like visiting the Coronado Dog Beach and joining my extended family in Los Angeles for a barbecue!

 I would post a new photo of Bailey at Coronado, but in the moving chaos, I can’t find my card reader. GAH. So here’s an oldie but a goodie :)

However, I have a confession to make.

In the first year we had Bailey, I’d like to think we did a pretty great job at socializing her. When we adopted her, she was 6 months old – found in the middle of nowhere when she was 4 months old – and we took her to the dog beach most Sundays, constantly met other dogs on our walks, and generally took her with us whenever we could. She was a happy, social dog!

But after that first year, we moved farther away from that dog beach, and pretty far (a solid 25-minute drive) from dog parks too. We were lucky enough to move into a neighborhood with several playful dogs, and Bailey got along fabulously with them! But those dogs became 95% of her dog-to-dog interactions. I’ll admit it – we got lazy. With long walks in a neighborhood where we could let her off-leash and run, what could possibly be wrong with a few less trips to the dog beach? So we thought.

Bailey has been stressed since we moved: she spent 3 whole days in a car, and we’d never boarded her before but she spent almost a week at Bark Boulevard while we visited Portland. So who can blame her for being stressed? But I’ve noticed in the trips that we’ve taken to San Diego dog parks so far that she’s not getting along with other pups as well as she used to. And maybe a dog behaviorist can help me out with the “why” behind this, but she seems to be quite particular about other dogs that she simply doesn’t like. And then she gives them a hard time: barkling, growling, snarling, etc. She never attacks – my gosh that would be horrible! – just makes it very clear that the other dog is not her friend.

It doesn’t happen often; probably with 5% of all the dogs she meets. If that. I certainly don’t mean to say that she’s lost all her social skills! She usually loves to meet other dogs, and she typically plays just fine with new friends! But every dog parent wants their pup to be social and sweet with everyone they meet… And as much as I’d like to play innocent and say “I have no idea why she’s like this all of a sudden”, I’m pretty sure all the evidence is right in front of me. Less socialization over the past couple of years. Stress of moving across the country and all the chaos that comes with it. In general, just less-than-ideal situations for my girl.

I feel guilty for how things have gone, so I’m making San Diego a new beginning! I’ve resolved to take Bailey out to dog parks and beaches MUCH more often than I used to! And since San Diego is incredibly dog-friendly, we can take her out to restaurants and more places too! It’s going to be great; we’ll get to spend more time with her and hopefully she’ll decide that more & more dogs are her friends. I’ll keep you updated on how it goes; I know nothing will happen overnight but I’m trying to create a pattern of lots of positive interactions. Hopefully my knowledge of dog psychology will help the process along.

I’ll always respect Bailey’s limits. I can promise you that. But until she tells me she’s had enough, I’m going to socialize the crap out of her. :)