Not Every Dog Wants to Play: Mrok and Dog Socialization

You’ll find quite a lot about our ACD, Mrok, here on Paws to Peaks. And there’ll be more. So it’s only fair to start with a small disclaimer:

– we are not dog trainers – we are not behaviorists – we don’t run an ACD kennel

Mrok and Fifka exploring the meadow — nothing else matters.

What we write are just our reflections, and we’re happy to share them. But…They won’t always match current dog-world trends, nor will they necessarily solve whatever issue you’re facing with your own dog. What we can promise is this: they will always be true.

If something isn’t going well with Mrok - we’ll say so. Of course, it feels much nicer to write when something finally starts to go well 😊. And if you’ve got a dog, you probably already know: amazing training results happen instantly... only in videos on the internet 😉.

Young Mrok and a large Cane Corso — Vesna. We met a few times during walks, but there was some tension between them, which we noticed early enough not to push either dog too far. We don’t rule out that Mrok and Vesna might meet again someday.

Where It All Started

We used to believe that to live happily with a dog, you had to train it. That a dog should follow every command without question, and that training was how you made it happen. It didn’t take long before we realized something was missing in that picture - the dog.

Mrok and Panda — from distance to wild chase buddies.

Our search for a trainer ended the moment we first heard someone say, “A dog can have its own opinion.” That living with a dog means respecting its needs, finding compromises - ones where the dog doesn’t walk all over us, and we don’t crush what lives inside the dog. That idea didn’t just intrigue us - it clicked. It suggested something we hadn’t really considered before: that a dog could be a partner, part of a team, not just a command-following companion.

Hektor — one of Mrok’s teachers. Wise, calm, and always up for a good walk.

I once asked Agnieszka - trainer, behaviorist, and one of the two people guiding Mrok’s education - what we should work on. What skills to train. What to focus on. She smiled and said: “Just live with him.”

That deceptively simple sentence opened the door to one of the biggest adventures of our lives — life with Mrok 😊.

Meet the Breed, Meet the Challenge

ACDs (Australian Cattle Dogs) are working dogs, bred for generations to herd serious livestock - we’re talking heavy cattle, not sheep. So imagine what a cultural shock it was for little Mrok to find himself… in an apartment. With no cows. And three adult cats running the show.

Fifka’s the older one — she knows when to play and when to say “enough.”

We began the slow process of showing him the world: the city, public transport, big groups of people, cyclists, rollerbladers, strange sounds, strange machines - and of course, dogs. Young ones, older ones, the shy, the wild, the unpredictable.

Mrok and Vesna — those meetings taught us a lot.  It’s the small details that show how dogs really feel about each other.

Back then, we hadn’t yet met Agnieszka and Kuba (he’s the other person guiding Mrok’s training). We were going on instinct - and reading even more than usual about what to do with a puppy. Mrok, barely four months old, was curious about every dog. He had no problem making contact, even with those ten times his size.

Mrok (4 months) meets a random buddy — spontaneous socialization in action 🐾

He’d often take off like a rocket the moment another dog started to run - didn’t matter if it was standing right next to us or 20 meters away. We caught it early and tried to redirect his attention - toys, games, anything. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn’t. But it ended on a good note.

The crew — Hektor, Panda, and Mrok. One puddle, zero hesitation.

Enter the Professionals

Then we met Agnieszka and Kuba. And the very first sentence was: “Mrok needs to develop the skills for good interactions with other dogs.”

That was the beginning of supervised meet-ups with carefully chosen dogs. Mrok would observe them, interact with them, be guided by Kuba, while we stood nearby trying to understand what was going on. Turns out that two dogs meeting isn’t just two dogs meeting.

There’s a whole system of communication before they even touch noses - scent, body language, posture. Then comes “conversation,” full of subtle gestures, sounds, movements. We were learning to read our dog.

And Mrok? Mrok didn’t care about any of that 😊. He just had to meet every dog, immediately. Didn’t matter if the other dog was interested. Didn’t matter if it growled or looked away. Mrok had one setting: full speed ahead.

Fifka and Mrok — joy in full sprint mode.

Each encounter was different. They all began with a fence between the dogs - no exceptions. That way, Agnieszka and Kuba could “read” both sides before making a decision. We just watched and tried to keep up.

Some dogs didn’t want to play. Mrok, with a face like “What do you mean you don’t want me jumping on your head? I’m awesome!” - had to start learning to listen to what the other dogs were saying.

Hektor doesn’t shout — he just makes things clear.

The "Concrete Head" Phase

ACDs are bold, independent thinkers. Mrok wasn’t just bold - he was overloaded with boldness. And that meant playdates often ended before they really began. We started recognizing the signs. We were learning dog language - what our dog was saying, what the others were saying back.

But Mrok… well, Mrok was like concrete. If he decided he was going to cause trouble - he’d try, proudly. And we were the only thing standing in his way.

Tracking mode: on. Mrok, Panda, and Hektor with noses to the ground.

Then came a shift: a few calm, powerful adult males entered the scene. And to our surprise, Mrok started watching them. Observing. Mimicking. Just like he once did as a tiny pup with a huge Czechoslovakian Wolfdog.

Now, nearly every day includes a dog meet-up. Sometimes with Agnieszka and Kuba -once or twice a week. Other times with neighbours and local friends, whose dogs know Mrok and vice versa.

One of Mrok’s first teachers — a giant with patience and a serious nose.

Real Dog Conversations

We still remember the first time we really saw dogs talking. It was about a stick. Mrok and a young labrador named Kira were having a loud, toothy, growly, barky argument. Mrok knocked Kira over.

We were about to step in - and then came Agnieszka’s calm voice: “It’s okay. They’re just discussing the stick.”

And it was okay. Neither dog hurt the other. The conversation ended. They walked away together. Stick abandoned. We, sweaty with nerves, learned a few new words in Dog.

Since then, we’ve seen more of these talks. And funny enough, when humans don’t interfere, dogs often sort things out just fine on their own.

Panda and Mrok — it looks intense, but it’s all part of the game.

Advanced Classes

After a series of supervised meetups with other dogs, under the watchful eyes of Kuba and Agnieszka, Mrok got promoted to the next level 😉.

These are one-on-one sessions with Kuba in a large city park in central Warsaw - a place full of people, dogs, moods, behaviours, and all the sounds you'd expect from a European capital.

Hektor says something wise. Mrok processes it with his whole tail.

In this environment, Kuba guides Mrok’s individual walks. We meet at different times of day - early morning, noon, after dark. The city always feels different. All the while, Kuba quietly comments on what’s happening, suggests what we might try, explains the consequences, and teaches us how to work with the long line that Mrok sometimes moves on.

With time, even these walks evolved. Now Kuba expects more from us. He’ll ask, “What do you think will happen?” Or “What’s the consequence of doing this?”He’s always ready to help - always on the side of what’s good for Mrok.

Partners in patrol — Fifka leads, Mrok follows with focus.

Where We Are Now

Mrok has a few close friends - dogs we see regularly. Their humans, luckily, are just as tuned in to their dogs’ needs as we try to be. Sure, the dogs sometimes get annoyed with each other. It happens. But we watch, we stay out of the way, and we learn.

Mrok also meets new dogs. When he was younger, it often ended in chaos - chasing, trying to dominate, ignoring every signal the other dog sent. Now? Now, and we say this with great pride (okay, very great pride 😊), he sometimes chooses not to approach a dog on a tight leash. Or he’ll check out a dog off-leash, then calmly walk away.

The pack — silent, steady, and right where they belong.

He’s maturing. Right now, he’s like a teenage boy - a strong, stubborn one who sometimes doesn’t care what anyone thinks. We’re trying to help him grow. We watch carefully. We try to foresee things. And it’s working.

Truly!

Our little Mrok is still, well… a bit of a goofball 😉.

But honestly? More and more often, he’s more of a little goof 😊.

Early days — Mrok trying all the tricks to get Fifka’s attention.

So… Why Bother With Socialization?

Fair question. We used to wonder that too. Maybe it’s a waste of time and money?

Well, not for us. Socialization is the key to a peaceful life with Mrok. It means being able to meet, or just pass, another dog on the street without drama.

But it’s also something deeper: dog friendship. It’s like having a good gang in the neighborhood. Someone to talk to about your day. The alternative? Growing up alone, with no one to understand your world.

Hektor and Mrok — two silhouettes, one path.

And About Agnieszka and Kuba…

We’re both teachers. We’re very careful about who we let into our lives - especially if they’re going to be teaching someone in our family.

Meeting Agnieszka and Kuba was one of those rare moments when someone helps you hear what your dog’s been trying to say all along. It was surprising - in the best way. Relieving. And just right.

This duo builds real connections between people and dogs who share a home. They’re not about shortcuts. They’re about the dogs. And we write about them here because we recommend them to anyone who shares their life with a dog.

You can find more of their work at: udomowione.com It’s not just about dogs. It’s about people, and living together.