Puppy Socialization
If you have a puppy, you've likely heard something about socialization. But what does it mean to socialize a puppy, why is it so important, and when should you start? Surprisingly, despite its importance, most puppy owners get this wrong. More and more over the last decade, I’m seeing increased fear-mongering around socialization, and as a result, significantly more fearful, under-socialized puppies. It used to be very natural and commonsense to socialize puppies. No one thought twice about it - and we had fewer behavior problems.
WHAT IS SOCIALIZATION
Basically, socialization is how we teach our puppies how to appropriately behave in, and cope with, the world. We can think of socialization as stress inoculation. We teach them about our human-centric world by exposing them to all the things they’ll encounter throughout their life - cars, new people, kids, babies, other dogs, cats, livestock, bikes, vacuums, scooters, hair dryers, lawn mowers, etc. This ensures that when they see these things as adult dogs, they’ll view them as no big deal.
WHY IT'S BENEFICIAL
The biggest reason to socialize a puppy is preventing behavior problems in adulthood. Socialized puppies are far less likely to have behavior problems as adult dogs, like aggression, reactivity, and fearfulness. Socialized puppies are more likely to be well-adjusted, confident, social dogs than their under-socialized counterparts.
From a neurobiological standpoint, socialization actually changes the brain by increasing the number of dendritic spines on the nerve cell, making sure that the nerve cell grows and increases the number of neural connections. Without socialization, the cortex actually shrinks. This is irreversible. There are more dendritic spines and neural connections in the brain of a socialized puppy.
“A 1961 study showed that puppies who were not exposed to people before 14 weeks of age were never able to develop normal bonds with people as adults. ”
WHEN TO SOCIALIZE
8-week-old Oak at the beach with his littermates - great socialization!
NOW!
Between 3-12 weeks. Puppies have a 9-week period of time in their development when their brains are most open to new things. The rapidly developing puppy brains have an abundance of neurons to make quick neural connections. This period is called the socialization period, and it begins at 3 weeks when their eyes and ears open and ends at about 12 weeks when those extra neurons begin to disappear.
One study showed that puppies gently handled daily from birth to 8 weeks behaved more calmly than puppies not handled. It's clear that very young puppies receive long-term benefits from appropriate handling. In addition, good breeders begin introducing their young pups to new sounds and objects and people very early on. This is why having a good breeder is really important, but even if your puppy didn't get that early socialization, there are still things YOU can do.
Veterinary behaviorist, Dr. Ian Dunbar, recommends that puppies meet 200 new people by 12 weeks of age.
WHAT ABOUT VACCINATIONS?
Many vets, though well meaning, give really bad advice, warning puppy owners to keep their puppy isolated until 16-24 weeks when vaccines are “complete” (this term is a misnomer - I’ll explain later).
The biggest problem with this is that the socialization period ends at 12 weeks. If you choose to wait, you’ve missed the most critical period in your puppy’s development, and you can’t get this time back. Doing this puts your puppy at much higher risk of reactivity, anxiety, and aggression.
And the research doesn’t support waiting, with one 2013 study showing no increased risk of disease for puppies with incomplete vaccines attending puppy class. From the same paper:
“No study to date has shown that puppies attending puppy socialization classes with other healthy, vaccinated puppies were at an increased risk of being diagnosed with CPV infection.”
“The Koret Shelter Medicine Program at the University of California, Davis and the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior both recommend that healthy puppies can generally start puppy classes as early as 7–8 wk of age...”
“... puppies that are not socialized during the first 3 mo of life are more likely to be fearful, defensive, and possibly aggressive later in life.”
“Studies have shown that dogs raised either under restricted conditions or deprived of social contact as puppies had impaired social communication.” (They don’t know how to appropriately communicate with other dogs.)
“Behavior problems are an important, if not the primary, reason for relinquishment and euthanasia of pet dogs.” “... it is estimated that approximately one-quarter of a million dogs and cats are euthanized annually in small animal veterinary practices in the United States as a direct result of behavior problems.”
In summary, the experts (vets who understand behavior) do not support waiting. There is no reason to be afraid of parvo - socialize your puppy! I’ve taken my puppies all over the place before being fully vaccinated, starting as early as 6 weeks. None have ever gotten parvo.
Still worried? Let’s talk about how vaccines work and how exposure works.
First, there are no “puppy vaccines.” Your puppy gets the same vaccine that adult dogs get. Your vet uses the same DHPP shot for every single dog, regardless of age or size. The vaccines don’t build on each other - your puppy actually only needs ONE shot. The problem is that your vet doesn’t know when to give it. Puppies are born with maternal immunity, antibodies from mom to keep them healthy. These antibodies will start to fade away at some point - we just don’t know when. So if you vaccinate your 6-week-old puppy and maternal immunity is still strong, those antibodies fight the vaccine and render it ineffective. So you try again in a few weeks. And again in a few more weeks. If your puppy has low antibodies at 6 weeks, that first vaccine takes effect and the remaining vaccines are unnecessary. But unless you pay for a titer test, there’s no way to know for sure, and so you just give your puppy a bunch of shots. So - between your puppy’s natural immunity AND the vaccine they just got, they’re pretty darn covered.
You can help them even further by supporting their immune system with healthy fresh food, immune-boosting supplements, and holding off on extra vaccines (like bordatella) that will further stress their immune system.
Now, let’s talk about exposure. People like to believe that if they don’t take their puppy anywhere, they’re safe! They magically evade all the viruses and bacteria in the world. They’re not, though. They’re still exposed. How?
at the vet - this is probably the most unsafe place for a puppy as it’s where ALL sick dogs go. “But I carry my puppy,” you might say. It doesn’t matter. Your vet and staff are touching them. They’re breathing the air. They’re standing on the scale. They may be put on the floor or in a kennel in the back. AND - you are touching the floor. You are tracking stuff into your car. Into your yard, driveway, garage, and home where your puppy does walk.
your yard. If you let your puppy outside to potty, they’re exposed. Parvo can live for YEARS in very harsh climates, and you cannot kill parvo in soil. Other animals can easily track viruses and bacteria or parasites into your yard.
If you have another dog or an indoor/outdoor cat, they are tracking stuff into the house and yard right along with you
So you can live in chronic fear of treatable illness, or you can focus on giving your puppy the best life. Socialize early and often. Support their immune system with real food and healthy supplements. Raise a confident, social dog.
“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. ”
Puppy Olive watching someone use a leaf blower at the park - this is socialization!
HOW TO SOCIALIZE
attend Puppy Class (before 12 weeks)!
have a puppy party at your house for friends and family to come meet your new puppy. Give everyone treats to feed your puppy.
take your puppy to the vet just for pets and treats from vet staff
go sit outside at a dog-friendly coffee shop or restaurant and let your puppy lie at your feet and watch people go by
take your puppy to a variety of locations:
farmer's markets
walking trails
parks - city parks, state parks, busy parks, quiet parks
dog-friendly stores and restaurants
set up doggy playdates with dogs you know are friendly and vaccinated
take your puppy on short car rides to get them used to the car
create puppy confidence courses with various obstacles for your puppy to explore
WHAT SOCIALIZATION IS NOT
Most owners seem to think socialization is just playing with other dogs. It’s not.
It’s also learning that other dogs are not their business. Socialization does not involve constant dog-dog play. Doing that can cause problems.
It’s learning social cues or social signals - when another dog wants to be left alone, when they want to say hi, when they want to play, etc
It’s learning that most things are not a big deal and aren’t their business.
The goal with socialization is to build neutrality, not excitement.
IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT SOCIALIZING
This is NOT socialization and is a perfect example of what not to do.
Socialization should continue throughout your dog’s life. It’s less impactful after 12 weeks, but will still have benefit.
Socialization is not training. If your dog is reactive or fearful, they need training, not socialization. Socialization will not treat a behavior problem - it prevents them. Once you’ve got a problem, it’s too late for socialization.
Many people recommend carrying your puppy or using a stroller as a way to keep them “safe.” This is certainly better than nothing, but letting them walk is far better. It allows your puppy to choose where to go, whether to approach or not approach, whether to just stay put and watch… it builds more confidence, too. I personally let my puppies walk everywhere and chose not to carry them around.