If you have a puppy, you've likely heard at least 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.

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 rather than being fearful.

WHY IT'S BENEFICIAL

The biggest reason to socialize a puppy is preventing behavior problems in adulthood, which gives them a much better quality of life. Properly socialized puppies are far less likely to have behavior problems as adult dogs, including 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.

WHEN TO SOCIALIZE 

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 they become receptive to new stimuli 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 also begin introducing their young pups to new sounds and objects and people, usually following a socialization protocol. 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 misinformed advice, warning puppy owners to keep their puppy isolated until 16-24 weeks when vaccines are complete. 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 - all problems that lead to rehoming or even euthanasia.

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 before being fully vaccinated, starting as early as 6 weeks. None have ever gotten parvo.

HOW TO SOCIALIZE 

• attend Puppy Class!

• 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, dog-friendly stores and restaurants,  

• take your puppy to pet-friendly stores to visit with staff and other customers

• 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 playing with other dogs. It’s not. It’s learning that other dogs are not their business. Socialization does not involve constant dog-dog play. Doing that often causes problems, usually leading to reactivity. What happens is you teach your puppy that other dogs are the greatest thing ever, the center of their world. Other dogs are more important than you, and whenever they see a dog, they’ll get to play. This leads to high arousal, and over time, will likely lead to frustrated lunging and barking when they see other dogs. Some people wrongly call this “over-socialization,” which is inaccurate because it’s not socialization in the first place. The goal with socialization is to build neutrality, not excitement or arousal. Exposure is good. Occasional dog-dog interactions are fine. Constant, regular dog-dog interactions are not.

This also goes for new people. So often I see puppy owners frantically thrusting their puppies at people in a desperate bid to “socialize” or allowing their puppy to drag them up to everyone they pass. Again, this leads to bad behavior (you’re rewarding your puppy for pulling on leash) and it can lead to reactivity. Puppies need to understand that new people are not their business. They should not be approaching people, and you should limit how many people interact with your puppy. If you’ve taught your puppy to be gaga over new people, good luck having them lie calmly at your feet while you enjoy a beer at the pub.

Socialization is not a scary experience or a forced experience. It’s neutral or positive.

IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT SOCIALIZING

• 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.