Socialization is the name given to the process whereby the puppy learns about itself, its own species and the other species with which it will live. During this process the puppy develops relationships with other living beings in its environment and learns how to interact appropriately.Another important term relating to the puppy’s development is 'habituation'. This concept is often lumped together with socialization, but it helps to differentiate the two terms.
What is habituation?
As all animals develop there are numerous stimuli (sounds, smells, sights and events) that they need to become accustomed to in their environment, the vacuum cleaner is a good example. If puppies do not encounter these stimuli and place them in their frame of reference of things that are not threatening, then the stimuli can induce fear and anxiety (including an aggressive reaction) when they are encountered later in life. Habituation is the process whereby dogs get used to a wide variety of stimuli, and stop reacting to them, provided that there are no unpleasant consequences during exposure. Extensive habituation as a puppy lays the foundation for general confidence and an ability to cope with novelty or the unusual later in life.
Why are these terms important?
The processes of socialization and habituation are essential for the normal development of the brain and in particular the stress management mechanisms that will enable your puppy to cope with any challenges that he faces as an adult. Failure for these mechanisms to develop appropriately puts your dog at risk of developing behavioral problems and also increases the risk of developing certain physical diseases which are exacerbated or triggered by chronic stress.
To reduce the possibility of fearful responses as a puppy grows and matures, it is essential to expose young puppies to many safe and appropriate stimuli (people, places and things) when they can most effectively socialist with and habituate to these stimuli. This means that exposure before the age when fear responses are well developed is going to be more beneficial than exposure once your puppy has a higher tendency to avoid novelty than to approach it. In practical terms this means that puppies should be exposed to appropriate social and physical situations in a safe and secure environment between the ages of 3 and 8 weeks of age. Clearly this time is likely to be spent at the breeders’ premises and therefore careful selection of the source of your puppy is crucial. Dogs that receive insufficient exposure to people, other animals and new environments during their early weeks of life may develop significant levels of fear which in turn can lead to issues of timidity or aggression.
What can I do to improve my chances of having a social, non-fearful dog?
The genetics of the breed and of the parents in particular play an important role in how sociable, playful, fearful or excitable a puppy becomes. In order to maximize your chances of having a dog who is sociable, you should choose a breed and parents (both male and female) which 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, but sound temperament genetics is an important base from which to build.
Puppy assessment
Even the most sociable and playful of puppies may become fearful and aggressive as they develop out of puppy hood and to date no test exists that can accurately predict the personality a puppy will have as it matures. However, to maximize the chance of selecting a puppy likely to develop a friendly outgoing personality, avoid selecting a puppy that is shy, withdrawn or fearful. This does not ensure that the puppy will mature into a friendly, non-fearful adult as puppies under 3 months of age are still developing their social skills. Therefore, 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 appropriately from birth to five weeks of age are more confident, sociable, exploratory, faster maturing and better able to handle stress as they develop. Puppies obtained from a breeder or home where they have had frequent and appropriate contact and interaction with people are likely to be more sociable 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. The events that occur during this socialization period shape the puppy’s preferred social partners, and therefore by recognizing the 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 main socialization period for dogs begins at approximately 3 weeks of age and is diminishing by 12-14 weeks. Peak sensitivity occurs at approximately 6-8 weeks and beyond 12-14 weeks there is a tendency to act fearfully towards new people, animals and situations. It is also important to remember that socialization is ongoing and that many young dogs will regress or become fearful again if they do not receive continued appropriate social interaction as they grow and develop. This is especially important during the first 6-8 months of life.
To help to keep a healthy social relationship with other dogs throughout life, dogs should maintain their social contacts with their mother and litter mates until 6-8 weeks of age. They should also continue to have regular positive social interaction and play sessions with other dogs after they are taken into a new home.
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 species, puppies should ideally remain with their mother and litter mates until 6-8 weeks of age. Provided that the breeder has also started the process of socialization to people, the puppy can move to the new home at 7 weeks of age and then expand their social contacts to new people and species while still in their socialization period. You may find that breeders dictate the age of re homing to fit in with current legislation and in these situations the importance of the quality of the breeder environment in terms of socialization and habituation becomes even more important.
There are a variety of potential sources for your new puppy but in behavioral terms the most important thing is to select somewhere that offers adequate and appropriate socialization and habituation opportunities for the puppies. In order to reduce the emotional upheaval when your puppy moves from the breeder’s premises to your home it is useful to look for a breeding environment that has as many similarities as possible to the home environment that you intend to provide for your dog. For example, if you are intending to keep your dog as a house dog with a family of young children it would be sensible to look for a litter of puppies reared with exposure to a home environment, rather than one that has been reared entirely in outdoor kennels or an outbuilding or shed.
What can I do to assist my puppy in its social development?
Your puppy is most likely to become fearful of stimuli that are not found in his day-to-day routine so it is a good idea to make a conscious effort to identify those people and situations that your puppy is not regularly exposed to so that you can structure positive experiences with these. Your puppy needs to have the opportunity for positive interaction with a wide variety of people of all ages, races, appearances and both sexes during the formative months. For example, if there are no children in the home, you might arrange regular play sessions with children who understand dogs and will behave appropriately with your puppy. If you live in the country it can be helpful to make a few trips into the town/city, so that your puppy can be taken for walks on town streets. However, remember that early experiences need to be controlled so that they are entirely positive, so do not overwhelm your puppy with an environment that is too busy and noisy. Conversely, a puppy that grows up in the city might become fearful or excited if as an adult he meets farm animals that he was not exposed to during his early development. So try to arrange to take your city dweller into the country as early as possible.
Introduce your puppy appropriately to as many new people and situations as possible, beginning in his first three months of development. People in uniforms, babies, toddlers, the elderly and the disabled, are just a few examples of people that might not commonly be encountered and could lead to fear and anxiety, unless there is sufficient early exposure. Similarly, car rides, lifts, stairs, or the noises of cars, trains, aero planes, or hot air balloons are some examples of events and experiences to which a puppy might be usefully exposed. It is important that the puppy be given the opportunity to relax in these new situations and the way in which he is introduced is as important as what you introduce him to. The new experience or person needs to be as passive, positive and unchallenged as possible and it is important not to overwhelm a young puppy.
One way to facilitate the introduction of your puppy to new situations and people is to provide a reward such as a favourite toy or biscuit each time he is exposed to a new stimulus. However, it is important to ensure that the pleasure from the reward is greater than any apprehension about the person or situation. It can therefore be beneficial to divide the introduction into two stages. In the first stage it is more beneficial for the reward to be passively delivered, such as by dropping it to the floor, than for strangers to actively approach your puppy with a treat in their hand. Once your puppy has formed a positive expectation and is actively approaching the stranger in a relaxed manner you can move to the second stage and the stranger can then begin to offer a treat from their hand. Provided that the first stage of introduction has been successful this second stage can be useful in terms of reducing the risk of puppies being hand shy, since your puppy will learn to associate new friends and an outstretched hand with something positive. Once the puppy has learned to sit on command, each new friend should ask him to sit before giving the biscuit. This teaches an appropriate greeting and will make your puppy less likely to jump up at people.
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 to relax.
If your puppy seems to panic, back off a little. Trying to continue the introduction may aggravate the fear and lead to negative associations with the stranger or situation. Do not draw attention to the problem and try to act as passively as possible. Once the puppy has relaxed you can try the introduction again.
Never reassure the fearful dog as this might serve to reward the fearful behaviour.
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 a puppy out of his home before he is fully vaccinated. This is because he 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 your puppy developing permanent fears or anxiety is a serious concern.
One solution is for people and healthy vaccinated animals to visit the puppy in its own home, until it is sufficiently vaccinated to be taken out. A compromise is to take your puppy out to meet people and other pets in low risk environments. Taking your puppy to the homes of other dogs that you know to be fully vaccinated is one option and carrying your puppy when you are out in public places can also be considered. It is important to avoid places that are frequented by other dogs that are unknown to you. You should certainly avoid neighborhood parks where farces and urine might accumulate.
Another valuable aid to successful socialization and habituation for your puppy is to enroll in a well run puppy socialization class. 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 can provide varied and plentiful exposure to people and other dogs in a low risk environment.
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This client information sheet is based on material written by: Daniel Mills BVSc PhD CCAB DipECVBM-CA MRCVS, Sarah Heath BVSc DipECVBM-CA CCAB MRCVS and Helen Zulch BVSc MRCVS.
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