Tailored Dog Training: Socialization

Often overlooked, socialization is one of the most important aspects of having a puppy/dog. You see, there is this "magic window" when puppies are more open to accepting novel things (between 3 and 16 weeks). Of course, it is important to socialize an older puppy or dog as well, but this special window is when puppies absorb things like little furry sponges! So how would one properly socialize a puppy?

It is incredibly important that the experiences the puppy has are positive ones. I can't tell you how many times I have heard, "Oh, we socialized him. I don't know why he is fearful. We took him to farmer's market every weekend and handed him off to strangers." or "Yeah, we socialized her. She went to the vet, and the groomer and a few of my kid's friend's homes." Unfortunately, the novice dog owner is unaware that places like farmer's market, the vet, the groomer and places crawling with kids can be scary for a puppy and that exposing said puppy to those negative experiences may lead to fear (growling, snapping and even biting) of kids, the groomer, and the vet. Socialization is key to preventing a myriad of behavior problems such as dog reactivity or fear based issues.

Every dog breed may have a different socialization "curve." Herding breeds and guardian breeds are more wary in general and will take more effort to socialize. Whereas sporting dogs and companion dogs may not need as much exposure to positive human interactions since they are bred to work closely with humans.

Here are some ideas to positively socialize a new puppy:

1. Only allow puppy to have interactions with other puppies of similar demeanor and adult dogs that are vaccinated and well behaved. Do NOT take the puppy to the dog park. It is a great idea to enroll your puppy in a puppy class when young simply for socialization and to continue to the next class series to learn more commands as he gets older.

2. Allow calm children to feed your puppy treats and gently pet him. Keep the interactions very brief with him wanting more! If there are no children in your family, there may be some at puppy class. You can also bring your puppy into a pet store (held in your arms if the shots aren't completed) to find children that are happy to volunteer.

3. Expose your puppy to people of all ages, shapes and sizes. If he is nervous, watch people from afar at a park at first, then pick out the friendly people and have them feed your pup while you hold him in your arms.

4. Have fun in your home with different sounds and objects. Clank bowls around in the sink, show him your keys, the broom, the hair dryer, the vacuum. If at any point he is fearful of a sound or object, take a step back and re-introduce the scary item more gradually and pair with a yummy treat. For example, if the puppy is afraid of the vacuum when on, turn it off and leave it out of the closet for him to look at on his own. After a few days, put treats on the still vacuum or reward him for investigating it. Pitch treats to him if he chooses to keep a safe distance from it when it is on.

5. Have fun letting puppy explore different surfaces such as sand, grass, asphalt, carpet, wood, tile, gravel etc. I can tell you that Lucy somehow did not encounter gravel till 2 years old and we had a heck of a time getting her to walk on it or do anything on it for several weeks!

6. Take advantage of places that allow dogs such as: petstores, home improvement stores, vet offices, grooming salons, training facilities, parks, outdoor restaurant seating, outside public places like city buildings or the supermarket.

7. Don't go overboard. Keep the interactions short and sweet and only do stranger or dog interactions 2 times per week. During downtime, focus on the surfaces, noises, smells and of course, potty training and crate training!

8. If your puppy will ever have interactions with livestock or other animals, expose him to those as well.

Don't push your puppy to interact with people or things he is scared of, as that can make him more afraid. Go at his pace and take cues from him. Think about how to help make his experiences more fun for him.