The personality of a dog is flexible and indeterminate. Dogs can be
exuberant or shy; friendly or hostile; fearful or bold; aggressive or
passive or some combination of the above. These differences in
personality may to some extent be determined by breed, or individual
genetics, but for the most part it is based on how and to what extent
each particular dog has been socialized.
So what is socialization? Simply put, this is the process where a dog
learns to relate to people, other dogs and other animals based on direct
experience. You are certainly aware that the relationship your dog has
with you is based on the exposure you have had to each other, and
whether or not it has been positive or negative. This same principle
extends to the relationship your dog is going to have with other living
beings – it is based on both the quality and quantity of his exposure to
those beings. The one difference is that while your relationship with
your animal is a specific, one-to-one connection, socialization is more
general and category-based. In other words, if your dog learns during
the socialization process that strangers or other dogs should be met
with trust and openness, then he will learn to treat any strangers or
dogs he might encounter in the future with the same kind of positive
attitude he learned when he was younger.