All animals, humans included, go through critical periods of development, and,
where pet dogs are concerned, probably the most important is the period from
SEVEN to around TWENTY weeks of age. It is during this period that they should
learn what life is all about in a domestic and practical environment - the
environment in which they will live their lives.
Early exposure to all sorts of stimuli - children, traffic, other pups and dogs, strangers and vets are of enormous benefit to the pup and of course, to the owner. It just means that the puppy will be well adjusted and able to cope with anything life throws at him. It will also teach the pup to be confident in similar circumstances when he gets older.
A puppy’s senses begin to operate at the age of about three weeks old. Gradually he begins to take in information about the world around him. Up until the age of twelve weeks, he will be relatively fearless, but after this time, he becomes increasingly wary of the things that are new to him. For this reason, the time to socialise is paramount and can’t be stressed enough. So when the pup encounters new things in his life, he will take the environment in his stride and will rapidly become confident and outgoing.
Familiarisation must be with dogs as well as people. It is essential for a puppy to be well socialised with his own kind so that he remains friendly and interactive with other pups and dogs he meets. In addition, puppies should be socialised with other animals that we keep as pets, such as cats, rabbits, hamsters and small birds, and things in the environment like all the sights, smells, sounds and events that are part of every day life.
Puppies need to become familiar and comfortable with the household events, such as the vacuuming, dustbin collection, telephone ringing and the washing machine. All this should then continue until the puppy is one year old so that all good work can be maximised.
If a puppy has missed out on early socialisation, it is possible to make up for lost time, but this becomes increasingly difficult as the pup gets older. Such puppies may remain shy in certain situations. That’s why socialisation can’t be stressed enough, making him into a confident, friendly adult.
Puppies also need to get used to a wide variety of every day experiences. Early exposure to bus or car travel, walks in the town on the lead, the country side, traffic, children and strangers, looking in their ears, running your hands over your pup’s body to look for any possible lumps, bumps or swellings and the visit to the vets would make life so much easier for the owner and most certainly help the vet.
If this is approached positively, and the pup is always rewarded for doing some thing right, then the pup is more likely to want to do all these activities again. The pup receives something that is intrinsically rewarding. It has internal properties that the pup perceives as pleasant. For most dogs or creatures, FOOD is the ultimate primary reward but for some pups or dogs it’s more than food. It could be playing fetch or chasing a ball, drink, exercise and smell, plus physical contact, and sexual contact are all primary reinforces. All are potent rewards to the pup. FOOD is the most powerful reinforcer. When used carefully, it gives the owner the sound approach they need to build a firm foundation for the puppy’s future. Also dogs need food to survive. Put aside the negative teaching that rewarding a puppy is bribing him or her. None of us work for FREE so why expect the puppy to do so.
Raising a puppy is fun and can be one of life’s most rewarding experiences. Time and care taken during the first year to educate and mould the pup into an ideal adult will be well rewarded. He will be a pleasure to own, and a credit to the person who’s taken on the responsibility to be a dog owner.
Unfortunately, the practice of isolating the pups until their vaccination programme is complete means that, for many, they do not experience life outside the security of our homes until late into this highly critical and most important socialisation period. Many dogs miss out on it altogether, and these pups or dogs generally pose problems sooner or later in their lives. Of course it is important that we protect our puppies against the killer canine diseases, parvovirus, distemper, and so on. But we should also consider balancing the risk of exposing them to infection against not allowing them to develop behaviourally.
As an example, The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association has carried out extensive research on the effects of early socialisation in puppies and their results speak for themselves. Guide Dog puppies are carried into the big wide world to meet and greet people from 6 weeks old. Naturally, you would not let the puppy run around loose in a public park nor would you take him into areas where the risk of canine infection is high. You can overcome this problem by carrying your puppy around with you on the streets, in the pet store, to a park and anywhere else you are allowed to - just don't put him down on the ground to avoid the risk of him catching a disease.
The advantages achieved in your puppy’s temperamental development outweigh the very minimal risk involved. The proof of this method is that very few Guide Dogs for the Blind Association puppies never make the grade. The puppies go on to make truly wonderful, loyal companions in increasingly demanding conditions in which they have to work, such as the amount and speed of traffic and the number of pedestrians.
You can also enjoy the benefits of a puppy socialisation class with puppies of similar age. These classes are run by a lot of veterinary surgeries - ask yours about it. A structured course and learning to be a responsible owner will benefit your pup enormously. Rest assured if everyone with a new puppy could do this whole socialisation programme in a class situation and for 15 minutes a day then the whole world would be a better place for the owner, and the puppies and the future pups.
To sum up, we should socialise our pups early. It will be of great benefit to every owner. Ten minutes a day is well worth spending to have a dog that is well adjusted and a pleasure to own and train.