AVSAB Position Paper on Puppy
Socialization
The primary and most
important time for puppy socialization is the first
three months of
life.[1]
[2]
During this time puppies should
be exposed to
meet as many new people,
animals,
stimuli and environments as can
be achieved safely and without
causing overstimulation
manifested as excessive fear,
withdrawal or avoidance
behavior.
For this reason, the
American Veterinary
Society of Animal Behavior
believes that it should be the
standard of care for
puppies to receive such
socialization before they are
fully
vaccinated.
Because the first three
months are the period when
sociability outweighs fear, this
is the
primary window of opportunity
for puppies to adapt to new
people, animals, and
experiences. Incomplete
or improper socialization during
this important time can increase
the risk of behavioral
problems later in life including
fear, avoidance, and/or
aggression.
Behavioral problems are the
greatest threat to the owner-dog
bond. In fact, behavioral
problems are the number one
cause of relinquishment to
shelters.3 Behavioral issues,
not
infectious diseases, are the
number one cause of death for
dogs under three years of age.
While puppies' immune systems
are still developing during
these early months, the
combination of maternal
immunity, primary vaccination,
and appropriate care makes the
risk of infection relatively
small compared to the chance of
death from a behavior
problem.
Veterinarians specializing in
behavior recommend that owners
take advantage of every
safe opportunity to expose young
puppies to the great variety of
stimuli that they will
experience in their lives.
Enrolling in puppy classes prior
to three months of age can be
an excellent means of improving
training, strengthen the
human-animal bond, and
socializing puppies in an
environment where risk of
illness can be minimized.
The Process of Socialization:
Puppies should be handled from
birth, learning to accept
manipulation of all body parts.
Every effort should be made to
expose them to as many different
people, well-socialized
animals, situations, places,
etc. as possible. Puppies should
be encouraged to explore,
investigate, and manipulate
their environments. Interactive
toys and games, a variety of
surfaces, tunnels, steps,
chutes, and other stimuli can
enrich the puppy's environment.
Puppies should accompany their
breeders/owners on as many car
trips as possible.
These exposures should continue into
adulthood to maintain an
outgoing and sociable dog.
Puppy socialization classes can
offer a safe and organized means
of socializing puppies
and more quickly improve their
responsiveness to commands. Each
puppy should have
age appropriate vaccinations
(see side bar) and be disease
and parasite free before
entering the class. Where
possible, classes should be held
on surfaces that are easily
cleaned and disinfected (e.g.
indoor environments) . Visits to
dog parks or other areas
that are not sanitized and/or
are highly trafficked by dogs of
unknown vaccination or
disease status should be
avoided.
Classes and at-home training
should be based on positive
reinforcement with frequent
rewards praise, petting, play
and/or treats. Positive and
consistent training is
associated
with fewer behavioral problems
and greater obedience than
methods that involve
punishment and/or encourage
human dominance.[4],[5],[6].
Time must be scheduled for
puppies to play alone with their
favorite toys (such as stuffed
food toys) or take naps in safe
places such as crates or puppy
pens. This teaches puppies
to amuse themselves, and may
help to prevent problems of over
attachment to the
owners. Continuing to offer dogs
a wide variety of experiences
during their
first year of life is also
helpful in preventing
separation-related
behavior.[7]
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