Dog Socialization
When I bring this subject up with most dog owners, their mind immediately goes to their dog’s relationship with other dogs. Often they respond: “we have another dog at home, so do I need to socialize him?” or “We’re socializing him. He goes to the dog park regularly.” I’ve even heard “He’s never going to leave our house, yard or property, so why should I socialize him?” These people have missed two important points. First of all, none of these situations will socialize their dogs to meeting other, new dogs appropriately. And more importantly, while having a dog that doesn’t get along with other dogs is frustrating, and may force you to adjust your lifestyle, having a dog that doesn’t get along with people is dangerous for people and life threatening for your dog!
Puppies have a critical socialization period from 8 to about 20 weeks. Experiences they have during this time, whether good or bad, can have a permanent effect on their social development. A young puppy with many positive interactions with new people, dogs, places, and things will develop a positive attitude about new experiences. A puppy with no early experience meeting new people or situations will often develop into a shy, fearful, or aggressive dog. And the longer you wait to begin socializing your young puppy, the longer it will take. To equal the benefit of one positive association for a 10 week old puppy might require as many as 20 similar positive exposures for an adult dog. This is definitely a case of one ounce of prevention equals ten pounds of cure!
Living with a dog that is afraid of other dogs can be challenging, but it is possible to mostly keep them away from other dogs and avoid negative encounters. But keeping a fearful dog away from other people can be virtually impossible. Dogs must venture out in public, even if only to go to the veterinarian and other necessary outings. And having a fearful dog also means not being able to relax and enjoy visitors in your own home.
People come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and personalities. You must introduce your young puppy, in a positive way, to lots of different types of people. Socializing your puppy with adults will not make your dog comfortable with children. If your puppy grows up with school age children or teenagers, he still may not react well to toddlers. If you and your family live a quiet lifestyle, taking your dog to a big party or festival, or your children’s soccer tournament might be overwhelming. So you must introduce your puppy to all types of people, so he will be confident and comfortable with anyone he may encounter in the future.
For more information about socialization:
Great articles from Dog Star Daily blog
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/teach-your-puppy-and-respect-people
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/common-excuses-not-socializing-your-puppy
Also chapter three of The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson has a socialization checklist and great instruction for proper socialization techniques. (Personally, I think this book should be required reading for any dog owner!) You can find a link to this book on the resources page of my website.