What
is socialization?
Socialization
is the process during which
the puppy develops relationships
with other living beings in
its environment. Two other important
terms in a pup's development
are "habituation"
and "localization".
What
is habituation?
As
all animals develop there are
numerous stimuli (sounds, smells,
sights and events) that when
unfamiliar can lead to fear
and anxiety. Habituation is
the process whereby dogs get
used to repeated stimuli, and
stop reacting to them provided
that there are no untoward consequences.
What
is localization?
Localization
is the process by which the
puppy develops attachment to
particular places.
Why
are these terms important?
To
reduce the possibility of fearful
responses as a puppy grows and
matures, it is essential to
expose young puppies to many
stimuli (people, places and
things) when they can most effectively
socialize, localize, and habituate
to these stimuli. Early handling
and events that occur during
the first 2 to 4 months of life,
are critical factors in the
social development of the dog.
Dogs that receive insufficient
exposure to people, other animals
and new environments during
this time may develop irreversible
fears, leading to timidity and/or
aggression.
What
can I do to improve my chances
of having a social, non-fearful
dog?
Pedigree
The
genetics of the breed and of
the parents in particular play
an important role in how sociable,
playful, fearful, excitable,
or domineering a puppy becomes.
Choose a breed and parents (both
male and female) that have the
type of behavior that you would
like the puppy to have. Of course,
there is a great deal of variability
between individuals, so that
breed and parental behavior
will not always be indicative
of what the puppy will be like.
Puppy
assessment
Even
the most social and playful
of puppies may become fearful
and aggressive as they develop
out of puppyhood. Avoid selecting
puppies that are shy, withdrawn
or fearful. But selecting a
friendly and non-fearful puppy
does not ensure that this behavior
will persist into adulthood.
In fact, little or no predictive
value has been found in assessing
puppies under 3 months of age,
since these puppies are still
developing their social skills
and many problem behaviors do
not begin to emerge until sexual
or social maturity. However,
as puppies age these criteria
do begin to become more reliable.
Assessing the behavior of the
parents, and understanding the
behavior of a breed are far
more critical than assessing
an individual puppy.
Early
handling
Puppies
that are stimulated and handled
from birth to five weeks of
age are more confident, social,
exploratory, faster maturing
and better able to handle stress
as they develop. Puppies obtained
from a breeder or home where
they have had frequent contact
and interaction with people
are likely to be more social
and less fearful as they develop.
Primary
socialization
There
is a sensitive period in the
development of most species
when they develop social attachments
with their own and other species,
independent of punishment and
rewards. In fact, both positive
and negative events seem to
accelerate socialization. The
events that occur during this
socialization period determines
the puppy's future social
partners, as well as to what
species it feels it belongs.
By recognizing the critical
time frame in which canine socialization
develops, you can help to ensure
a healthy social attachment
to people and other animals,
including other dogs.
The
primary socialization period
for dogs begins at 3 weeks of
age and is diminishing by 12
weeks. Peak sensitivity is at
6 - 8 weeks. Beyond 12 weeks
there is a tendency to act fearfully
towards new people, animals
and situations. Many young dogs
will regress or become fearful
again if they do not receive
continued social interaction
as they grow and develop. The
6-8 month period is another
important time for socialization.
To
help a healthy social relationship
with other dogs throughout life,
dogs should maintain their social
contacts with their mother and
littermates until 6 - 8 weeks
of age. They should continue
to have regular social interaction
and play sessions with other
dogs after it is taken into
a new home. The puppy would
likely do best if there was
another dog in the new home,
or if it had playmates in the
neighborhood that it could interact
with on a daily basis.
What
is the best age to obtain my
new puppy?
Since
it is so important for the puppy
to develop and maintain social
attachments to their own kind,
puppies ideally will remain
with their mother and littermates
until about 7 weeks of age.
Then when placed in the new
home they can expand their social
contacts to new people and species
while still in their primary
socialization period. Also by
this time puppies will begin
to develop preferences for elimination
sites, so that this timing can
be helpful for house-training.
What
can I do to assist my puppy
in its social development?
There
should be little problem with
a puppy that is less than 12
weeks of age developing healthy
and lasting attachments to the
people, sights and sounds in
its new home. Your puppy is
most likely to become fearful
of stimuli that are not found
in its day-to-day routine. Make
a conscious effort to identify
those people and situations
that the puppy is not regularly
exposed to. For example, if
there are no children in the
home, you might arrange regular
play sessions with children.
If you live in the country,
make a few trips into the city,
so that the puppy can be taken
for walks on city streets, or
through neighborhood plazas.
Conversely, a puppy that grows
up in the city might become
fearful or aggressive toward
farm animals that it was not
exposed to during its early
development.
Introduce
your puppy to as many new people
and situations as possible,
beginning in its first three
months of development. People
in uniforms, babies, toddlers,
the elderly, and the physically
challenged are just a few examples
that might lead to fear and
anxiety, unless there is sufficient
early exposure. Similarly, car
rides, elevators, stairs, or
the noises of cars, trains,
airplanes, or hot air balloons
are some examples of events
and experiences to which the
puppy might be usefully exposed.
One
way to facilitate the introduction
of the puppy to new situations
and people is to provide a reward
such as a favorite toy or biscuit
each time it is exposed to a
new stimulus. Having a stranger
offer a biscuit to the puppy
will teach it to look forward
to meeting people and discourage
hand-shyness since the puppy
will learn to associate new
friends and an outstretched
hand with something positive.
Once the puppy has learned to
‘sit' on command,
have each new friend ask it
to ‘sit' before
giving the biscuit. This teaches
a proper greeting and will make
the puppy less likely to jump
up on people.
Be
certain that the puppy has the
opportunity to meet and receive
treats from a wide variety of
people of all ages, races, appearance
and both sexes during the formative
months. There will of course,
be times when your puppy is
in a new situation and you do
not have treats. Be sure then
to use a happy tone of voice
and encourage your puppy.
If
your puppy seems to panic, back
off a little and try again later,
rather than aggravating the
fear. Never reassure the fearful
dog as this might serve to reward
the fearful behavior.
Is
it healthy to take my puppy
out in public at such a young
age?
There
is always a concern about the
risks of taking the puppy out
of its home before it is fully
vaccinated because it may be
exposed to infection before
the vaccines have had time to
become protective. However benefits
gained from these new and early
public appearances can be enormous
and without them the risk of
the puppy developing permanent
fears or anxiety is a serious
concern.
One
solution is to have people and
healthy vaccinated animals visit
the puppy in its own home, until
it is sufficiently vaccinated
to be taken out. A compromise
is to take the puppy out to
meet people and other pets in
low risk environments. As long
as vaccines are up-to-date,
taking the puppy for walks along
the sidewalk and avoiding neighborhood
parks where stools and urine
might accumulate is generally
safe.
Another
valuable aid is to enroll the
puppy in puppy socialization
classes. If these classes are
held indoors in a room that
can be cleaned and disinfected,
and all puppies are screened
for vaccination and health prior
to each class, then these classes
provide good exposure to people
and other dogs, in a low risk
environment. Not only do these
classes offer an opportunity
for play and socialization with
a variety of people and dogs,
they also help guide the owners
into proper training techniques
from the outset.
This client
information sheet is based on
material written by Debra Horwitz,
DVM, DACVB and
Gary Landsberg, DVM, DACVB.
© Copyright 2002 Lifelearn
Inc. Used with permission under
license. March 11, 2004.
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