Pawsitively social: The power of socialization

I have just read a couple of really good literature reviews about dog socialization. It is not difficult to understand that dogs, like humans, need socialization but did you know that there are sensitive periods during a dog’s life, where socialization is critical to create a well-adjusted dog?

What is socialization:
The American Veterinary Medical Association describes Socialization as the process of preparing a dog to enjoy interactions and be comfortable with other animals, people, places and activities.

Social developmental periods: There are 3 key period during a dog’s social development:
1.Primary period: from birth until 3 weeks of age. Puppy is normally still with mother and littermates at the breeder’s. Even though the puppy’s eyes and ears are still closed, the sense of touch is functioning and studies show that gentle handling as this stage resulted in puppies that behaved more calmly at 8 weeks of age and were more resilient to stress as adults.
2.Socialization period: between 3-4 weeks of age until 12 weeks (no later than 14 weeks). This is the time when puppies are removed from their mother and littermates to their new human family. Puppies have now all their senses fully functional and are normally curious to explore the world around them. Puppies have a high tendency to approach un-familiar people and novel situations at this stage. This is a critical period for the development and maintenance social relationships.
3.Juvenile period: 12-14 weeks of age until sexual maturity. Puppy has now an idea of what is safe and what isn’t. This is also an important period to expose the dog to as many of the experiences he/she will encounter in daily life as possible.

Socialization doesn’t finish when the socialization period ends, but continues into the juvenile period and adulthood.

When socialization goes wrong or is missing:
Missing out on socialization for a puppy inevitably affects their behavior later in life. Consequences include behavioral problems including aggression, anxiety, separation distress and fearfulness, resulting in dog reactivity to protect him/herself from the perceived “stranger – danger”, among other behavior problems.

Tips for what to do:
Breeders: studies show that gentle handling of puppies for 3 min per day, from 3 days old until 3 weeks old results in adults dogs more resilient to stress. From 3 weeks until 8 weeks safely expose the puppies to other animals, people and objects the dog is likely find in his future environment.
Puppy and juvenile dog owners: Act now if you have a puppy from 8 weeks and safely expose him/her to a wide variety of people with different physical characteristics, kids, animals, objects and different environments, while making sure the puppy is enjoying the experience and is not overwhelmed by it.
Adult dog owners: proactive socialization is continuing to encourage our dog every time he finds something new or scary with a positive experience, like a treat, play with his favorite toy or praise.

If you need further guidance on socialization, please reach out, I’m here to help you.

References:
– McEvoy V, Espinosa UB, Crump A, Arnott G. Canine Socialisation: A Narrative Systematic Review. Animals. 2022; 12(21):2895. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212895
– Howell T, King T, Bennett P. Puppy parties and beyond: the role of early age socialization practices on adult dog behavior. Vet Med (Auckl). 2015;6:143-153
https://doi.org/10.2147/VMRR.S62081

3 windows of puppy socialization

Primary period

Socialization period

Juvenile period

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Proactive socialization for adolescent and adult dogs

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