What is puppy socialization?
Is it puppies going out into public meeting other dogs and having play dates with them? Is it going out into public and meeting strangers and jumping up and getting pet? Is it going to group classes? What is socialization to you?
This is what socialization is to me…co-existing in the world we live in and NOT getting to play with every dog they meet and NOT getting to have a meet and greet with every person they meet. Socialization means taking in the world around you and learning how to behave appropriately in it. If you are a strong leader for your new puppy this will become cut and dry what is acceptable out in the world and what is not.
What I see WAY too often is people are trying to socialize puppies (or adult dogs) in the wrong way and force them to make bad decisions because they are feeling pressured. Below is what I would consider a good day of socializing of a puppy in my care or in this case a typical day for my new puppy.
Weather permitting we get up and do the morning routine at home, eat, play, maybe naptime (in a crate) while I get ready and head out to some appointments. Get in the car in a crate with the rest of the dogs coming with for the day. Once at the appointment the puppy/other dogs stay in the crate while I am out working with the owner and their dogs (puppy/dogs can hear us because all the windows are open). Appointment ends and I get back in the car and leave, drive to some public place to potty the puppy/dogs, get back in the car and drive to next appointment, repeat like first appointment. After last appointment or in between appointments take puppy/dogs out for a walk in a public place working on leash skills and learning to walk without needing to “see” and be pet by everyone. Also working on ignoring other dogs, skateboards, people, strollers, and anything else that can be a distraction. Get back in the car and head home or to another appointment depending on the time of day. Finish the day up with a little more playing, dinner and then off to bed.
Well how can that be socialization one might say? The puppy didn’t even get to touch another human or dog.
Well let’s just think about this for a minute and what SO many people come to me about in regards to problem behaviors. Jumping up on people, pulling on the leash, reactivity (barking and lunging) at people or dogs are all VERY common issues people bring to me.
I start my puppies off immediately by teaching them that they do not and should not go up to every person or dog. They can be part of the world and just exist in it without having to be part of everyone else or every other dogs’ business. I start setting up the ground rules of what I want the puppy to behave like as an adult the second they come into the house.
The second part of this is if you take your puppy up to every person and dog they expect to go “meet” everyone. One of the biggest problems I see with the friendly dogs is that they bark, lunge, jump and sometimes even scream on walks because they want to see the other people or dogs. And why wouldn’t they? That is the expectation we have set them up for by allowing them to run up to every person and dog they wanted to as very small puppies. Of course they are going to act out when we finally don’t allow that behavior! Your expectations of a well-behaved dog and what was supposed to happen during meet and greets was never addressed. Start them at 8 weeks learning that when they meet someone or another dog they are just supposed to hang out by your side and by the time they are an adult you will have no problem.
If you will notice as well almost all the exercises I do with all the board and train dogs that come into my place is to get the dogs to learn how to ignore distractions. It doesn’t matter what their problem is almost all of them need to learn to ignore their surroundings and focus on making better choices. My theory is why wait for them to have bad behaviors before you start instilling what you wanted in the first place.
Do they get to play with other dogs and get to be pet by other people, of course, however it is on my terms with dogs and people that I know so I can make sure the puppy also has a good experience? One attack from an unknown dog, one person pushing a puppy that is nervous to interact will start the ladder of troubles as an adult dog.
So what is socialization to me…co-existing in the world we live in whether that means indirect or direct interaction with the rules and structure I as the leader have set forth. Examples of this for me would be taking a walk in the park heeling, sitting on the bench and watching the world go by, going out to an outside café and having a cup of coffee with the dog in a down stay, sitting at a campfire with the dog lying next to me and the list goes on and on. Socialization in the experience not the number of people the dog has been touched by or the number of dogs the dog has played with.
There are some sayings that are tossed around about socialization and getting puppies out like “100 places in 100 days” however to most this becomes a daunting task when they also have work, kids and much more going on. However, the idea is important and could be scaled back to your own abilities and time constraints. Maybe try “30 new places in 30 days”…or even “7 new places in 7 days” then work your way up. But remember this isn’t about 30 places and 30 physical interactions but instead just being in the space.
The most important thing is that puppy socialization does not stop when the puppies get older. This is also a super common and hugely detrimental problem I see. As the puppies age (at about 5-6 months) the owners think that the dog is socialized and no longer needs the out of house exposure. In fact between the ages of 5 months and 3 years I believe your dog actually needs more exposure on a consistent basis on different environments and how to act appropriately in them. Besides the secondary fear phase that most dogs go through during this later time you also have dogs that just push boundaries and see what they can get away with in public.
So my own dogs travel in the car, go camping, visit relatives, visit friends, walk in parks and so on their whole lives so they are socialized with all sorts of environments. They see people, dogs, skateboards, bikes, strollers, kids, adults and so on and for the most part are not allowed to go up and “socialize” with those people or things. Instead they are just supposed to stay next to my side and hang out.
To date none of the dogs I have personally owned from puppyhood have ever had any issues with anything (dogs, people, objects and so on) into adulthood by me not allowing them to meet and greet everyone and everything. The few dogs I have had that already had issues when coming to me slowly lost their fears of new environments by taking them to new places all the time and allowing them to get adjusted to the idea that new isn’t bad.
The biggest mistake that I see is this people bring their puppies out and force them to interact with other people and dogs. People are putting too many of those “scared and fearful” dogs in new situations AND making people come up to them and touch them, compounding their fear even more. The tough and outgoing puppies will not care and brush it off. However, any scared or nervous dog that is forced to interact will ultimately loose trust in their handler/owner. If the owners can’t keep them safe who will? They then learn that they have to keep themselves safe by growling, barking or lunging at the stranger that is trying to interact with them.
In my mind socializing puppies and even adult dogs is WAY different than what society has told us to do. Should puppies and dogs be allowed to interact some of the time, sure, when it is appropriate. However, the biggest step to socialization is actually having the dog in the environments you expect them to be in as adults without any interactions at all.
And although I have used puppies as an example this applies to adult dogs as well.
If you have any other questions about this or are struggling with your own dog please give us a call or send and email.
