Similarly, when it comes to encountering other dogs, if we keep insisting that they socialize with every canine on the street, we should not wonder why it keeps blowing up in our face. We may think that all dogs should stop and sniff each other or play. We might force the issue by warning, “Say hello,” or “Be nice,” when our dog hides behind our legs or lunges, barking Go away! at the big Labrador coming straight for him with outstretched arms. We wouldn’t make our children meet every child they encounter in public, so why would we force our dog to greet every new “friend” we see? It’s unfair, and we shouldn’t be surprised if some dogs behave aggressively or defensively in response to such social flooding.

There’s a lot to be said for minding our own business while holding out the possibility that every now and then, there will be someone really worth meeting. We would be wise to provide our dogs with selective social opportunities where there are context-relevant interactions with people and animals, rather than adopt a free-forall approach to socialization. While some dogs are natural socialites, a great many of them prefer to casually enjoy their walks with their loved ones and only passively smell and observe their human and canine compatriots from a safe distance as they go by.

The Common Sense of Learning

Life is complicated. There’s a lot to figure out about getting through it, and things are always changing. Learning is how we keep up. For animals, including pets, the evolutionary purpose of learning is to provide the best chance of survival in a world filled with both predictable patterns and constant changes. Learning does not happen despite conditions. Learning happens within conditions, and even directly because of conditions. Learning is also inextricably linked to the other elements of L.E.G.S.®

Lessons do not benefit only the learner. The really important stuff learned, over time, becomes evolutionary “family wisdom” carried through DNA, as offspring are born “knowing” what to do in a variety of important circumstances. An animal’s forebears learn critical lessons that genetically prepare them for a new generation of learners, as significant experiences can literally change the information passed on to their offspring. Those new student animals in turn discover if the shoe still fits in their ever-changing environment. In this way, the past serves as a genetic “user manual” to guide the animal’s understanding of how things work. And that user manual is constantly modified and improved for future reference and subsequent generations.

Recognizing and adapting to meaningful conditions is the essence of the learning process. The truly beneficial strategies and most meaningful experiences leave their mark on the genetic information that gets passed on. Evolution may happen over generations in a given animal’s heritage, but it happens in just one little moment—of trial and error, of success or failure, of critical discernment—at a time. Genes learn how to best win at the game of life through individuals.