Key Insights:
- The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) believes that puppies should begin socializing in their first three months of life – even before they’ve completed all their vaccinations.
- Socialization during these early months is of the utmost importance, as dogs are more likely to be surrendered to shelters if they aren’t well-socialized.
- Socialization should include people, well-behaved animals, a variety of environments, and other situations and stimuli. Socialization should also be done with oversight to make sure puppies don’t become overwhelmed or fearful.
Puppies are born curious. The first three months of their lives are considered the critical socialization period when they are most impressionable about the world around them. All experiences during this period have the greatest impact on future behavior. New puppy owners can take advantage of this time by socializing their pups as much as possible while creating positive, happy experiences. What the puppy experiences now, good or bad, will likely stick with them in the future.
Socialization should include a variety of new experiences for your puppy, including different types of people, other (well-behaved) animals, new environments, and other types of stimuli they might experience in the real world. The more your young puppy experiences about the world around him, the more likely he’ll be to grow up into a happy, confident dog. Conversely, dogs that are fearful tend to adopt behavioral issues as a coping mechanism, making them more likely to act out and be dropped off at a shelter by their exhausted families.
The Importance of Socialization
According to AVSAB, behavioral problems in dogs who were not fully socialized as puppies are the leading cause of broken bonds between humans and their pups. Once a puppy grows out of the juvenile stage and becomes a full-grown dog, it’s more challenging (though not impossible) to change a dog’s perspective about a situation, environment, or stimuli.
By providing new and different stimuli in a safe, controlled way, your puppy will learn that not everything she’ll encounter in her life is a threat. She’ll be comfortable around many types of people in all kinds of environments and situations. If you keep your puppy sheltered from the world during the first three months of her life, it is likely that by the time she’s out in the world, everything will feel new, scary, and a potential threat.
What About Vaccinations?
According to AVSAB:
“While puppies’ immune systems are still developing during these early months, the combination of maternal immunity, primary vaccination, and appropriate care makes the risk of infection relatively small compared to the chance of death from a behavior problem.”
They continue:
“In general, puppies can start puppy socialization classes as early as 7-8 weeks of age. Puppies should receive a minimum of one set of vaccines at least 7 days prior to the first class and a first deworming. They should be kept up-to-date on vaccines throughout the class.”
In other words, it’s actually smarter to socialize your puppy before he’s had all his vaccines, rather than wait until he’s grown out of his naturally curious stage.
Socialization Best Practices
How do you safely socialize such a new puppy?
First of all, DO NOT take your puppy to a public dog park! One bad experience with another dog will most likely cause your puppy to be scared of other dogs in the future.
Structured puppy play groups are an excellent option for your pup. These are specifically designed to help puppies learn how to communicate, invite play, and read each other’s body language, as well as just play and have fun with friends! Private puppy socialization classes are safe, monitored, organized, and clean so that your puppy won’t risk running amok or contracting a disease at an unattended public dog park. Good Puppy Socials will require proof of vaccination and a negative fecal test for parasites. Puppies would also be separated into appropriate groups based on age, experience, playstyle, and size.
Encourage your puppy’s natural curiosity. Take her places, let her smell new things and hear different sounds. Let her meet 100 new people (who will give her a treat so that she learns to like strangers!) Give her plenty of interesting toys and games to discover, take her on car rides, and let her explore different textures and environments. Practice positive reinforcement when she reacts appropriately so she knows that these things are safe and fun.
At Pooch Pawsitive, we follow the guidelines for puppy socialization as established by AVSAB. We strongly believe that taking advantage of a puppy’s earliest curiosity about the world around them is one key to raising a great dog and happy family member!.
We proudly offer puppy training classes, Puppy Socials, and other socialization opportunities for families in East Providence, Barrington, Providence, and the surrounding areas. Contact us today!