Puppy Socialization: What It Really Means (And What Most People Get Wrong)

Puppy socialization: life skills for puppies. Welcome to puppy socialization. You're here, which means you've got a new puppy. Congratulations! My friends and colleagues call me the puppy addict; not sure how anyone couldn't be. They're simply magnificent little beings, along with all their cuteness and energy and amusing antics. They're sometimes super-duper naughty. Understandable: they're just babies and have not learned all the rules yet.

Hold on, though. Before we start addressing some puppy naughtiness, we have a much bigger priority that must come first, and it's loads of fun: socialization. So let's get this puppy party started. Here's what we'll cover in this video: why early socialization is so important; the power of first and early experiences; socialization essentials; myths about socialization; socialization versus obedience; and puppy socials and puppy classes. And we're off.

Why is early socialization so important? From about 3 weeks to 18 weeks old, your puppy is in the socialization period of life. Puppy comes specially prepared for taking in lots of new stuff, with an extra bit of resilience and curiosity. The puppy socialization period is the most important period of your fur baby's life, so don't squander this time. Is your puppy already past 18 weeks old? You still want to continue your efforts with socialization tasks. Despite the extra-preparedness time having lapsed, your puppy will indeed be taking in all his new life has to offer.

Puppy socialization is all about preparation and prevention. We want to use this period of your puppy's life to prepare her for the many life experiences she'll encounter. We also want to do all we can to prevent serious behavior problems in the future that stem from fear.

The power of first and early experiences. As covered in the fear video, first and early experiences have enormous weight on whether your pup will see something as safe or scary. While in the socialization period, we want to blitz your little munchkin with as many experiences as humanly possible, yet always be ready to swoop in and be her hero if she gets overwhelmed. And remember, being your pup's hero is maintaining a calm and reassuring presence yourself. Our ability to set up those first and early experiences in a thoughtful way will ensure they're indeed good experiences.

One exposure to a particular new experience is not nearly enough. We want lots of padding, as in: many times, this situation has predicted lots of fun. When bad experiences inevitably do happen, your pup has had lots of previous good times, and the likelihood of her concluding “this is now dangerous” is much less likely.

What are the socialization essentials? People, people, people: of all ages, shapes, sizes, ethnicities and sexes. People with stuff on them, like hats, glasses and backpacks. People carrying stuff, like big boxes, canes, crutches, and in wheelchairs too. Your goal is a social dog, so we put great effort into exposing your pup right away.

We fostered Molly, a rescue dog from Kentucky, through our friends at Safe Hands Rescue. Molly came to us just weeks before delivering her six adorable babies. Our goal was to have those puppies meet, be fed by, held and played with by 100 adults and kids before they left our care at 8 to 9 weeks old, and we met that goal. That is what really good breeders and shelters do. My point here: you can't do too much, as long as it's approached thoughtfully.

When introducing puppy to new people, you're going to be prepared and keep a watchful eye. Have your most tasty snacks for this, something your puppy has already auditioned and gone bonkers over. I often use cooked chicken breast: easy to cut up or shred into tons of tiny tidbits, toss into a plastic baggie, and that goes into your treat pouch. When your puppy is about to meet anyone new, I want you prepared and armed with favorite toys and those yummy snacks.

Let puppy approach the stranger, not stranger approach puppy. Have strangers stop at a short distance and get on the floor or ground with your puppy and you, and let puppy go where she wants. If she beelines straight over to greet the stranger, awesome. If not, have the stranger toss those tasty snacks toward your puppy. Don't rush things. Let your puppy go at her own pace.

Especially with kids early on: don't let kids run in and up to your puppy until you're certain he already loves kids of all ages and has met many kids. Kids, with all their noisiness and flapping about, can be very scary for lots of young puppies. Do whatever you can to orchestrate lots of super-awesome experiences with lots of adults and kids. Once you can see clearly your pup is having a grand old time, you can sit back, relax a bit and enjoy the fun.

You'll want your puppy to also meet and play with lots of other puppies. Give your puppy lots of play with other puppies before adult dogs. Only have your puppy play with adult dogs you know well that have a great history of excellent play with puppies. Why only other puppies and not adult dogs? Prevention. Puppies have baby teeth and weak jaws, which means you have nearly zero risk of a really bad experience that could potentially leave your pup fearful of other dogs. No sense in taking unnecessary risks if we don't have to.

I recommend no dog parks until we've taken a thoughtful approach to getting your pup lots of padding, which comes from lots of good experiences. Wait until at least 16 weeks, and lots of experiences, before taking any risks with uncontrolled environments. Plus, your pup will be fully vaccinated at that point too. Don't forget other animals, too: if there's a chance you'll want your pup around any species, socialize early.

Now sit down and make a list. What can you expose your puppy to that will help him in his lifetime with you? List locations. Will your pup go to work with you? Homes of friends and family, various outdoor environments. What are the noises he will hear? Don't forget the vet office, groomers and favorite dog supply stores. Get out to all these places for nothing but fun and snacks. When early experiences are free from the yucky stuff and filled with lots of stuff your dog thinks is awesome, a good early impression is made.

When the yucky stuff does take place, give your pup those snacks during and after. Think of it like we do with kids: getting a lollipop after a yucky shot can help. The key is that the good thing happens immediately after the yucky thing. Your pup will learn over time that the yucky stuff predicts something awesome.

What textures or surfaces will your dog encounter in her lifetime? Add these to your list: carpet, tile, shiny slippery floors, wood chips and rocks. But resist picking pup up and placing her on unfamiliar surfaces. Let her explore and choose to investigate the new surface at her pace. Your role is presenting opportunities for discovery. Stay away from beliefs like “throw them in the pool and hope they swim.” We only have one shot at a good first impression.

If puppy is not checking out the new surface or environment on her own, toss some of those tasty snacks at the edge of the surface, and gradually further onto the surface, but let your puppy choose. If she doesn't choose to go on the surface today, take note and offer opportunities for further exploration and building up the courage again another day. Don't risk a panic reaction by pushing before puppy's ready. If puppy panics, that experience will be chalked up as dangerous, not safe. Remember, it's much easier to prevent bad experiences early than to modify them later.

When you're playing with or snuggling your puppy, have your tasty snacks nearby. Touch and handle all those potentially sensitive areas on your pup. Touch or hold a paw equals yummies; checking ears equals yummies. You get the idea. The touch or paw holding comes first, then delivery of tasty snacks.

Myths about socialization. Myth number one: don't expose your puppy before she's fully vaccinated. There are two sides to this coin. Until your puppy is fully vaccinated, she is more susceptible to illness that could lead to serious health issues. But if we overlook the importance of socialization early, during that extra-prepared period of life, that can lead to fear, aggression or all-out phobias.

Lynn Bengtson, director of Safe Hands Rescue, presents a logical approach for juggling these sensitive issues. Stay away from outdoor locations frequented by dogs of unknown vaccination status, such as dog parks. Make sure indoor locations you visit have protocols in place for sanitization and checking the vaccination status of dogs welcomed. When you visit locations where you don't know how they handle sanitization or vaccination checking, keep puppy off the floor. Hold your puppy, or have him in a carrier, stroller or wagon. Keep those paws, which could be licked later, off the floor or ground.

Veterinary clinics, dog daycares and puppy training centers typically have very strict guidelines for sanitization, but not all, so do ask. With strict sanitization processes in place, you can let your puppy run around. Below this video we have links from Dr. R.K. Anderson, Dr. Ian Dunbar and the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior about the importance of puppy socialization versus completed vaccines. Decide for yourself what is right for you and your puppy. It's okay to be cautious, but please don't wait on lots of exposure. Just be thoughtful in how you approach it.

Myth number two: don't let your shy puppy hide. This is a tough-love approach, and anyone with strong fears knows that, though well-meaning, tough love can result in big fears. Some dogs are naturally shy, or like to investigate things before plunging in. That's okay. Respect where your puppy is at in this moment. You don't know what may cause significant trauma for your puppy until it's been experienced, which is why you want to provide exposure opportunities, be watchful, and let him explore at his pace. Then be his hero and bail him out if you see him get overwhelmed or scared. If your puppy feels she needs to hide for a bit, let her go at her own pace. Let others take that tough-love approach if they must, just not with your puppy, as you know better.

Myth number three: get an adult dog to put that overconfident puppy in its place. No, no, no, no, no. You think your puppy is overconfident? Good. Let's keep him that way for now. The alternative has much bigger consequences. Think about this: you're going to intentionally set up a puppy to have a terrible first or early experience because he might be a little naughty? That's insane. I have seen it time and time again: a puppy seems bold and is having a grand old time, with loads of naughtiness causing concern, and the very next moment something scares the bejeebers out of that very same puppy, leaving a nasty emotional scar.

I want you to understand this: everyone has areas in which they feel very bold and other areas where they feel super scared. It varies for everyone. Right now, you have no idea what those things are for your puppy. If your puppy is coming on too strong for another puppy, person or kid, redirect her or take her away for a time-out. Give her a chance to settle down a bit and give her another shot. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Don't use intimidation or fear to change behavior. The unknown fallout that could occur is not good. You want your puppy to have a social life, and fear is the number one thing that will rob you both of that.

Time-outs work when executed properly. Check out the time-outs video in the program to learn how to use them effectively and what to expect. Your puppy will get told off by adult dogs later without us setting it up. Let's make sure she's well padded with good experiences first.

Myth number four: too much play with dogs leads to a dog that blows you off. Every parent knows kids do not listen as well when at play with a bunch of other kids. No one would ever consider that not letting kids play is the answer to this problem. Play has loads of benefits for learning many social skills. We'll work on responsive skills around big distractions like other dogs, but don't deprive your puppy of important learning opportunities along the way.

Socialization versus obedience. We must prioritize socialization: lots of good experiences with lots of novel people, animals, things and environments. We don't teach babies how to keep themselves safe or behave appropriately; we set up environments to manage their safety and redirect them constantly to teach them the dos and don'ts. Don't get me wrong, you can teach your puppy skills along the way too. We'll want to keep our expectations in line with what puppy is currently capable of.

Early on, we're going to avoid rehearsal of the wrong stuff through management. Keep puppy someplace she can't get into trouble when you are unable to watch her. Redirect her to help her learn the right things until she has the skills for managing herself. For tips on setting your dog up for success through management, check out the recipe for success video in the Understand section of the program.

Puppy socials and puppy classes. I want you to be selective about where you go for puppy classes or puppy socials. Drive as far as necessary for the best in your area; it's only for a short time. Puppy classes and socials can be a total blast and great for both you and your dog when they are run and set up right. There are two links below this video for local classes. The first takes you to a graduate list from my alma mater, the Academy for Dog Trainers. The other is to the Association of Pet Dog Trainers list, people who tend to stay up to date on the most modern methods available.

Now, if you're instructed to do anything that makes you uncomfortable or goes against what you've learned here, do what you feel is best for your pup. Always be your dog's hero. One more thing before we're done: if you feel you are falling short on getting in enough socialization in this narrow window of time, hire someone. It's much too important for the many years to come to delay this.

Now make your lists, prepare your toys and snacks, and get your puppy out there to learn about this big world. Don't be in a rush. Go at your puppy's pace. Once your puppy shows this situation is fun and super cool, you can relax and enjoy the fun too.