Puppy Socialization Resources

So you got a new puppy and you have heard of the importance of socializing them. What exactly does this mean? Should you take the puppy everywhere right away? Should you wait til after they have all their vaccines? We will go into detail ahead.

Baby Roo Dog fresh from a pile of puppies found on Craigslist

Socialization means sub threshold exposure to novel stimuli during The Critical Socialization Period. That is between 3-12ish or 16ish weeks of age. This is a developmental stage in which your puppy’s brain is a little sponge ready to form opinions about the world. This means you are putting your puppy in situations to observe, investigate, sometimes interact with new things, while ensuring they feel comfortable.

Most people do not realize how incredibly important adequate socialization is, or what that even means. Everyday I interact with dogs who have behavioral issues likely caused by experiences or lack of experiences they had from 3 to 12 weeks of age. These dogs are stressed and fearful in normal, everyday situations. Situations that they should have learned about during their imprinting period.

Under socialized dogs can be awkward, nervous, fearful, aggressive, over exuberant, overstimulated, and living in an unreasonable state of stress in their day to day lives. These are the dogs who bark at trash cans, are scared of the dark, won’t pee outside when it’s raining, bark and lunge at men with beards, won’t jump in an unknown car, pace and pant when they travel with you, pull towards and growl at dogs on walks, bark the entire time you have guests over, hump other dogs, hide from the vacuum, nip at children, howl in the bath, fight the vet, have to be muzzled at the groomer while they shake in fear, bite your cable guy… are surrendered to a shelter.

Yes, behavior issues are not always related to the Critical Socialization Period. Yes, genetics matter, a lot. Yes, everything is a combination of genetics and environment. Yes, each individual puppy benefits from different degrees of Socialization. But once you have a puppy, adequate Socialization is the biggest thing you can do to help this dog become well adjusted for their future life with you.

While, being in a pandemic does present challenges to socializing your puppy, there are also many advantages. Fortunately, we live in a Professional Dog Service Utopia, here in Portland, with every single imaginable service available. Did you know there are puppy nannies? Play date matchmakers? Forums for meeting up with other dog owners? Professionally led Puppy Social Hours? Pick up and drop off puppy socialization programs? Puppy Day Camps? Those are all things you can pay for and are well worth the investment in your life with your dog.

This is how I socialize my puppy: I scouted out opportunities around town months before I brought her home. I found trains, elevators, arranged meetings with cats, sports complexes, skateparks, found livestock, and signed up for Puppy Socials from trusted trainers. I selected a checklist to complete, this is linked below. I had the checklist 75% completed by 12 weeks of age and 99% completed by 16 weeks of age. We went on outings 3-4 days a week and stayed home 3-4 days per week to work on body handling, walking on surfaces, listening to music, and to learn about household stuff like vacuuming and being left alone. I always, always had a treat pouch or pocket full of treats on me. I was completely dedicated to observing her body language and adjusting accordingly. If she yawned or licked her lips I moved her away from the stimuli. My goal was for her to always be displaying relaxed and confident body language. We watched things at a distance, getting closer as she showed interest. She got treats if anything scared her. I advocated for her and demanded that people stop their dogs from approaching her. We passed by most people without greeting. We went to playgrounds. I gave my vet a squeeze tube of baby food to help build a positive association. We went to the vet just to get treats and leave, we walked outside when it was raining sideways and dark out, we walked through puddles, we sat in busy parking lots, we walked near busy playgrounds, and had so much fun exploring together.

Socialization does not only mean letting your puppy wrestle with other puppies. That is about 5% of it. Mostly, your puppy should be learning to observe and not interact with animals, people, places, or things. That’s what good canine citizens do, they settle at food cart courts, they nap next to your friend’s dog when camping, they pass by the neighbor’s screaming kids, they mind their own business while calmly keeping you company. The world is not overly exciting, novel, or scary to them. Teach your puppy how to be this dog. Even if this is not in your dog’s genetic lottery, do your best to support your dog as they mature.

If your dog is over 16 weeks, it is not too late. They are still young and impressionable. Treat them like an 8 week old puppy and work with them where they are at. Dogs can continue to gain confidence and life skills well into old age.

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