Puppyhood 101
Socialization: 1oz of prevention (proactivity) is worth 10 lbs of cure (reactivity)
When it comes to properly raising and training a puppy, one of the most important things to consider is socialization. Most people hear socialization and think “puppy party”, while they can be beneficial, it is not the exhaustive definition of socialization in puppies. What socialization means in dog training is acclimating a dog or puppy to any and everything you would want your dog to be comfortable with in their entire life. This means sights, smells, situations, other dogs, other people, how you handle them physically, how they behave on leash, where they use the restroom… all of these fall under the umbrella of “socialization”.
When you get a puppy, whether it is from a breeder or from a shelter or anywhere in between, you must think about preventing common issues before they begin. Being proactive with preventing behaviors is the absolute best way to prevent any issues down the road. There is a general socialization “window” from about 6-18 weeks old where it is important to teach dogs about their life and what to expect. Common behavioral issues you want to consider are food/ toy/ resource guarding, respecting personal space, reactivity towards new dogs and people, being calm in public, separation anxiety, etc.
We have compiled a list of what we find to be the most important socialization activities to do with your puppy to curb bad behavior before it ever begins.
Accepting Friendly Strangers without dogs
It is important to have your puppy meet as many new people, calmly, as possible within the socialization window. I would shoot for 300 people within this time frame so that your dog has no issues with anybody. Think about the different sizes, shapes, skin tones, outfits, etc. that you will encounter in 300 different people. This will ensure that your puppy has no problems later with new people and fear of the unknown. Let’s face it, most reactivity issues are because a dog has no past experiences to draw from. With this information, we can set ourselves up for success by having tons of positive experiences with people in the formative period in a puppies life.
Accepting Friendly/ Well mannered dogs with and without humans
The key here is “well mannered” and fully vaccinated dogs. The last thing you want to do is introduce your dog to an aggressive dog and have a negative experience with a new dog early in a puppies life. Also you want to make sure all the dogs you introduce your puppy to are fully vaccinated for the safety of both dogs. I will note there are times other dogs may “check” your puppy, they may nip them if your puppy is being rude by intruding on another dogs’ space, this is fine, we simply want to be choosy with whose dogs we introduce our dogs to. Avoid dogs that growl, stare way too long, are licking their chops, stiff etc. Do not avoid dogs that look happy, are playful, calm, they typically have responsible owners as well that will be very communicative about their dogs temperament, trust your gut as you know your dog better than anyone else. Finally, you want to have your dog to meet dogs on leash as well as off leash so there is no distinction between the two. Free play in enclosed areas are great if there are only friendly dogs, avoid off leash situations without boundaries until your dog is old enough and has a proven off leash track record.
Crate training
This is one of the most important aspects of socialization. Socializing your dog to a crate. Dogs will not be trustworthy until they are close to 2 years old (this is not an exact timeframe, every dog is different!). You need your dog to be comfortable in a crate so you have a place to put them when you are gone. Even if your dog lives primarily outside its a great idea for your dog to be crate trained for boarding and vet scenarios, just so they are ok in these situations. Do not feel bad about crating your dog! Dogs are den animals and sleep in confined spaces naturally, if raised in this environment, it is an easy every day option to prevent accidents and destroyed property.
Handling exercises with food/ grooming/ and children
A huge behavior issue is reactivity towards groomers, veterinarian staff and people around food. I would practice sifting your dogs food in their dog bowl so they do not get possessive over their food, have your kids do this, have visitors do this. Repeat this process with bones and toys and around other friendly dogs. Resource guarding can be avoided easily by following these directions in the socialization period. Trust me when i tell you, resource guarding is scary and dangerous, it is way easier to prevent than it is to fix.
Another important thing to consider is grooming and general handling. A lot of dogs develop reactions to grooming due to inexperience. I would practice nail clipping with your dog 3 times a week, not by clipping them every single time, but simply tapping the nail clipper to each nail. It is also important to firmly grab ears, tails, feet and overall rough handling, this way when your young child grabs the dog later in life or if a friends child grabs the dogs tail, they have experience with it and will not bite out of fear of the unknown. Lastly, brush your dog early and often so they are comfortable with this as well.
Promoting calmness in public spaces
A lot of unsocialized dogs display anxiety type symptoms in public. Again, this is simply from a lack of experience. Think, if you took a prisoner out of solitary confinement and placed them at a patio restaurant, it most likely would not go well. The same holds true with your dog. I highly recommend going places with your dogs early in their life so they learn that it is a normal part of life. A helpful tip is to play with your dog or take them for a long walk before you go in public so they are not overly hyper when you get there. If your dog is still overly stimulated at first DO NOT PET THEM TO CALM THEM, this is actually perpetuating the overstimulation/ hyper-activity. Simply ignore bad behavior and wait for your dog to be calm, tell others not to interact with your dog when it is excited/anxious/hyper, only allow attention from people when the dog is calm! Look at attention as a reinforcer in this scenario, the dog should only be rewarded with attention when it is calm!
Food luring
The last thing on my socialization list is teaching your dog to follow your hands for food. This is an easy way for your dog to learn new behaviors, tricks and obedience commands. The earlier you teach your dog this simple activity, the earlier you can teach your dog awesome new behaviors. Almost every dog can be food motivated if you start their lives like this, there are always exceptions to this rule though.
I want to leave you with this: These actions are the most likely way to prevent major behavior issues in your dog. So many behavior issues can be prevented by following these simple protocols early, often and habitually for the first year of life, but more importantly within the first few months. If you have any questions on this, please reach out to your Head Tilt Society Dog Trainer.