The how's and why's of
proper socialization
Socialization describes the process by which a dog learns to relate to
people, other dogs and his environment. Your dog will continue learning
throughout his whole life. However, during his puppy stage is when any
experience—good or bad—has the greatest, longest lasting impact.
What your puppy experiences in his first few months will effect his behavior
for the rest of his life.
When considering purchasing or adopting a puppy, be
certain that you have the time to invest in socializing your puppy during
his first few weeks with you. Socialization forms the foundation for your
dog's behavior later in life. It's also a great way to get know your puppy
very well.
Begin socialization as soon as you bring your puppy
home. Adhering to your puppy's vaccination program can be seen as an obstacle
to socialization, but with some considerations this can be done without
compromising his vaccinations. Much of the early socialization can be
done in your home. Besides, the risk of your puppy contracting an infectious
disease is easily minimized by just carrying him when he is outside your
home.
To properly socialize your puppy, here are some things you should commit
to doing:
• Identify situations and environments in which your puppy will
need to be comfortable. These often include:
• Interacting with your children and their friends
• Riding in the car
• Meeting the mailman, other deliverymen, repairmen or landscapers
• Walking along the street or through the neighborhood
• Tolerating large trucks and cars
• Larger animals, like cows or horses
• Resident pets already in the household
• Vacuum cleaners, hair dyers, washing machines and other loud
appliances.
Basically, you are trying to prepare your puppy for
all eventualities, so that when he encounters anyone or anything new,
he will greet it with inquisitiveness rather than fear or aggression.
• Expose your puppy to all sights and sounds gradually
and allow him to explore and learn for himself. For example, turn on the
vacuum cleaner in another room to avoid startling him by a sudden loud
noise, and let him go to find it. Make every effort to ensure that when
he finds it, it is rewarding rather than threatening. You can do this
by placing a piece of food next to the vacuum cleaner. If your puppy is
quite shy and frightened, you can start off by having a snack next to
the switched off vacuum cleaner, and then work your way toward your puppy
tolerating it when it is switched on.
• Introduce your puppy to a variety of different people. Let him
meet people of all descriptions, bearded, thin, overweight, tall, wearing
hats or glasses, carrying bags, pushing bicycles, etc. When taking your
puppy for a walk, take some tasty snacks with you and ask people to give
one to your puppy. Soon, your puppy will learn that all people are friendly.
You can incorporate some basic training into this by teaching him to sit
before people give him a snack. This will prevent him from jumping up
at strangers.
• Teach your puppy to interact with other dogs
correctly. Puppies, like all young animals, love to play, and games play
a vital part of a dog's development. Dogs develop their canine communication
skills through playing with other dogs as puppies. Bite inhibition is
one behavior taught through play. When puppies play physical games, they
soon learn that a littermate or adult dog will not tolerate sharp teeth
pulling on ears or necks. If a puppy bites another dog too hard, he will
get a quick reprimand, and the other dog stops the game for a brief moment.
A puppy soon learns to inhibit the strength of his bites and will cease
to bite too hard when playing with other dogs. One way of getting good
socialization with other dogs and puppies is by attending “puppy
parties” at your local veterinary clinic or your local dog training
group. Here, your puppy can meet other dogs and people in a friendly and
structured environment.
• You and your family should continue to teach
bite inhibition at home. Whenever your puppy uses his teeth on your skin,
you should respond with a sharp yelp of pain (even if it does not hurt).
This teaches your puppy that touching human skin with his teeth is not
allowed, no matter how gentle he is. Stop the game you and your puppy
were playing momentarily, and your puppy will quickly learn that in order
to continue having fun he must not bite you.
Complete socialization is an unattainable goal. It
is impossible to expose your puppy to everything that he is likely to
meet in his future years. However, if you can teach him that new experiences
are pleasant, he will grow up learning that unknown things and situations
are something to explore, rather than to be fearful of. And don't be surprised
if your previously confident puppy starts to show apprehension towards
objects that he used to be fine with as he enters his juvenile period
(at approximately 14 months of age, dependant on the breed). This is normal
in many dogs at this age. If it occurs, you should carry on with your
socialization program by re-exposing the adolescent dog to new experiences
on a regular basis.
