I have been reading through this thread and I find it very interesting! Here is my take on "socialization".

Before I got my two Co pups in 2012; I did ALOT of research on the breed. One thing I kept hearing was that it was VERY important to socialize my pups before they became adults. Now, because I had never owned or even seen a Co before I was hell bent on following the rules on how to raise a "Well behaved" Co.

My sole purpose for getting my Yasha and Sezja were to be guardians of the home, yard, family etc. I wanted dogs that would kill anyone that was a stranger to my home! Period! And my house is located in an area  that is isolated and surrounded by bush. My closest neighbor is about a half mile away.

Once I got  them, their socialization started . For the first year and a half of their life in The Bahamas, they went to the beach at least 4 times a week. This was a great time for us because we bonded, they got to swim a lot, and this is where I did their obedience training. However, they would also walk past many strangers (on leash) . There was also one time when I allowed a stranger to pet the pups (because this was what I was told to do). Also, when family members came by,  I would give the command "friend"  and then allow my family members to meet them (again, I was told to do this).

Once my Yasha and Sezja became adults, I will admit that I became  disappointed in my female Sezja's "aggression" towards strangers. Yasha, well he was everything I wanted him to be and then some. His aggression was always on point for my liking towards strangers. Unfortunately, he died a few months ago.

Sezja does bark at strangers and she protects the yard but she is just not assertive enough for my liking. My wife says to me that Sezja is intelligent and that she knows when she needs/should react. This may be true BUT, Yasha reacted to ALL strangers. Period!

Before Yasha died, I was going to have a trainer do a break in scenerio to test them but it was obviously postponed. But, I am still going to do it to test Sezja.

But my point for writing this is to say that I am 100% convinced that doing that socialization crap  turned Sezja into a lesser version of what she is supposed to be.

I will be getting two new pups this year and I will do the opposite of what I did with Yasha and Sezja. They will of course be fully obedience trained but I will do that solely at my home. Sezja's level of aggression is just not what I expected or wanted. Thus I will do everything possible to ensure my new pups are fire breathing dragons!

In conclusion; socialization of a true guardian breed will result in a lesser version of said breed!