If you are adopting or buying a puppy your canine will usually be 8 to 10 weeks old when you bring her home. This corresponds to the time the puppy is able to bond with other dogs and people. Owners should take the opportunity to immediately socialize (teaching your dog to react calmly around new stimuli) their dog by exposing them to as many situations, places, people and other socialized animals as often as possible. Since puppies are extremely impressionable and sensitive to both positive and negative environmental stimuli make sure you avoid any harsh training methods such as raising your voice, choke chains, squirt bottles, electric collars or other strong corrections. Socializing your dog should be done incrementally and using positive reinforcement so your dog can make positive associations to new stimuli. Be careful not to over stimulate your dog which can cause fear reactions such as fighting, flight or freezing! Remember the primary and most important time for puppy socialization is the first 3 months of life.
Because incomplete or improper socialization during those first 3 months can increase the risk of behavior problems including fear, avoidance and/or aggression the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior’s (AVSAB) standard of care for puppies is to receive socialization after their first vaccinations at 8 weeks, and before they are fully vaccinated. The AVSAB believes puppies should receive a minimum of one set of vaccines at least 7 days prior as well as a deworming. While the puppy’s immune system is still developing during this time, the combination of maternal immunity, primary vaccination and appropriate care makes the risk of infection relatively small compared to the chance of euthanization due to behavior problems occurring because of lack of socialization during this critical period. Adequate socialization can be achieved without undue risk of contracting Parvo or other diseases by avoiding un-sanitized highly canine trafficked areas such as dog parks. Until their canine receives its full set of vaccinations (usually 16 to 20 weeks) owners can take the puppy places such as outdoor restaurants, shopping centers and friends’ homes which are more sanitary and are likely to have vaccinated puppies/adult dogs also.
The AVSAB believes puppies should be handled from birth learning to accept manipulation of all body parts. The Iditarod trainers I worked with in Alaska encouraged visitors to pick up, massage and talk to their 2-week-old sled pups giving them a jumpstart on socialization with strange humans! Remember socialization goes beyond ordinary encounters with adults, children and other animals. It also includes exposure to different environments, surfaces, sights, sounds etc. Puppies should be encouraged to explore, investigate and manipulate their environments. Exposing your pup to interactive toys and games, a variety of surfaces, tunnels, steps, chutes and other stimuli can enrich the puppy’s environment. Also include your puppy in family trips whether on the golf course on a golf cart or in the car to the store. Take a treat bag along and make sure you have strangers ask your dog to sit and give her a treat. Remember socialization continues through the dog’s lifetime so even if your dog is not a puppy continue to expose your dog to different environments, people, animals and situations as often as possible! The payoff will be a calm Canine Good Citizen.
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