"I'M getting a puppy!" a friend said with much excitement.
"What is the first thing I should do?" she asked
"Socialize it!" I replied.
An unfortunate reason dogs are either euthanized or given up for adoption is because of behavioural problems - problems that could have easily been avoided if the owners of the dog had taken the time to socialize it during puppyhood.
In relation to dog training, socialization means to continually expose your dog, while it is in its imprinting stage, to a variety of environmental stimuli and experiences so that it develops a positive imprint in its brain of the said experience or stimulus.
When pups are born their mother takes care of their basic needs, feeding, cleaning and safety. She is also responsible for the initial stages of canine social interaction and socialization. As the young puppy interacts with its mother and litter mates it learns the intricate details of canine body language. The puppy is also exposed to whatever environmental stimuli might be present while it is with its natural mother.
Once the puppy leaves its natural mother and littermates the socialization must continue. It is just not possible for a puppy to have learned everything there is about canine life with humans while it is within its small world of brothers, sisters and mum. This is where the new human family has to step up to the plate and introduce the world to their new charge.
Generally speaking the pup should experience everything it is going to experience as an adult dog. This means that if you plan on sitting at an outside patio with your dog when it is an adult, the puppy must be exposed to this experience. Sit with a bag of treats and give the pup a treat for being calm and relaxed. Allow strangers to pet and treat the pup so the young dog considers the environment a safe and rewarding place to be.
The imprinting period for puppies is a short window of learning opportunity.
For large breed dogs the imprinting period lasts until they are around 16 to 20 weeks of age. For small breed dogs it's much shorter, only 12-14 weeks before it begins to shut down.
That's why it's especially important to socialize small breed dogs! Imprinting is like inserting a blank DVD into your puppy' s brain. Once a pup is exposed to a situation it records the experience on its DVD. It cannot be erased, that is why the experience should be as positive as possible.
Not that the pup shouldn't experience anything fearful or painful, but if it does, the end result of the experience should be positive. This way a puppy confidently learns that a veterinarian isn't all about needles and probing fingers. It means that the uncomfortable feelings it experiences go away if they are patient and calm and it is sometimes rewarded with a treat.
Poor socialization results in bad behaviour such as fearfulness, aggression, impatience, low tolerance thresholds and an inability to read other dogs' behaviour.
Some people still think that just because a dog is a dog it automatically knows how to behave around other dogs.
Wrong! Dogs need to be exposed to other dogs so that they can practise what they learned from their mother as well as learn that not all dogs have the exact way of expressing themselves. They also need to learn to respect older adult dogs, unneutered males and if they don't they might get a whoopin' - canine style. But it's OK, it's all part of learning. No one enjoys watching their dog get put in its place, especially a puppy, but it's part of a normal, healthy socialization process that all dogs need to go through.
Socialize your pup, join a puppy training program and learn how to prevent problems from happening instead of trying to fix - or worse - give up on your adult dog. Remember, your dog is a reflection of you.
