Socializing is not only essential, but it dang right fun....I probably will never stop socializing my girl since there are so many places to go and so many people to meet. Mrs Kratty is starting to complain that I take Nikita out more than I do her now....
Getting them out in public to experience as much as possible is the key. Getting use to walking in large crowds, hearing the blarring sirens of an ambulance racing by, sitting outside the local coffee shop meeting new people, going to get the oil changed (idea I got from D&D),walking by other dogs nicely, walking on new surfaces, this list will go on forever. And the most fun is training in public. Even if its just sitting there nicely while I talk to someone, its still training, its real life. My main goal is to be able to take my girl anywhere and I can do my thing, where I do not have to worry how my girl will react. I have found that when others see you training in public, they will stop and watch and even want to meet my girl because they do not see a vicious doberman, but a nice doberman....(Blame the deed, not the breed).
And when we find something that is distracting or scary to her, we can work on that and not make it an issue anymore. This really makes the dog more confident when out in public. I know I accomplish my goals when we stop for a break on a bench and my girl will lay down and take a nap on the sidewalk as people are walking by.
And BTW, its not expensive at all to do this, it just take time.....