A Sensible Approach to Socializing Your Young Puppy
Want to make yourself a little crazy? Ask a bunch of dog experts if it’s a good idea to socialize your puppy with people and other dogs before completion of their vaccinations at four months of age. Guaranteed, you’ll hear, “Absolutely!” from some and, “Absolutely not!” from others.
Why the discord?
We know that the optimal window for socializing pups is between 3-12 weeks of age. Every new encounter for pups during this time period are opportunities to make positive associations.
Without this socialization, puppies are more likely to develop undesirable traits such as fear, stranger danger, anxiety, and inappropriate aggression. Such behaviors can result in backyard isolation, rehoming, lingering in an animal shelter, and even euthanasia.
And, it just so happens that, during this 3-12 week learning window puppies are yet to be fully vaccinated against the highly contagious, dastardly disease duo — distemper and parvovirus.
Canine distemper, spread through respiratory secretions, saliva, and urine is a heartbreaker in that most pups who contract this disease don’t survive, no matter how aggressively they’re treated.
Parvovirus organisms, passed in the feces of infected dogs, remain active in the environment for months after being shed. Most pups with parvovirus disease can survive, but not without aggressive medical care.
The contagion of these two diseases makes it tempting to raise your puppy in a bubble.
But… don’t do it!
Sensible Socialization
In their position statement on puppy socialization, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior states:
“The primary and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life. During this time puppies should be exposed to as many new people, animals, stimuli and environments as can be achieved safely without causing over- stimulation manifested as excessive fear, withdrawal or avoidance behavior. For this reason, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior believes that it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated”
So, how exactly does one achieve this? Here are my recommendations for sensibly socializing your pup. I recognize that many dogs are adopted well after 12 weeks of age. Several of the principles below still apply.
Try to visit with the litter even before your puppy comes home to live with you.
Avoid the temptation of bringing your puppy home as soon as it’s weaned (by five to six at weeks of age). By staying with the litter until 8-10 weeks, Mama’s reprimands and all that rough and tumbling between siblings will build a solid foundation for good dog-on-dog social skills. This is predicated on the assumption that the mama dog’s owner will be exposing the litter to lots of people.
Invite as many people as possible to your home. Try to include children of various ages and people of different sizes, shapes, and colors. Think beards, sunglasses, hats, people with disabilities, etc. Have your guests hold, talk to, and play with your puppy. Since parvovirus spreads through feces, it’s a good idea to ask your guests to leave their shoes at the door.
If you don’t know a lot of people, consider carrying your pup to a public location such as a park bench, grocery store, or coffee shop. Invite people to interact and feed treats. No one can resist a cute puppy!
Expose your pup to lots of new sights, sounds, surfaces, and textures. Think stairs, linoleum, carpeting, clamoring pots and pans, doorbells, washing machines, kids giggling, trucks driving by, etc. And, if possible, have them see and smell a variety of animals such as cats, sheep, chickens, goats, cows, horses, and llamas.
Set up one-on-one playdates with other dogs who will tolerate a clumsy, shark-toothed puppy and are current on their vaccinations.
Puppy kindergarten classes are a fabulous way to socialize your pup with a variety of people and other dogs. Do your homework to find a conscientious trainer, one who keeps up-to-date vaccine records on all participants (the dogs, that is) and has a facility that can be disinfected.
No, no, no to dog parks! Not only is there risk of disease exposure, many dogs all at once can be overwhelming for your pup.
“Positive” is the key word when socializing your puppy. While the happy-go-lucky nature and curiosity of most puppies works to their advantage, be sure to take things sloooowly, especially if your pup is timid or fearful.
***
How have you socialized your puppies? If you are a trainer, behaviorist, veterinarian, or breeder, please chime in.
We take our puppies by the groomer and let her put them on the grooming stand and pet the puppy with the clippers. Two or three brief introductions to the clippers assures happy behavior when old enough for real grooming.