 Although
dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years, puppies
are still not born into this world with a natural sense of social
comfort with humans. Trust must be learned by the puppies and
earned from us. This makes early social interaction essential
for normal social development. Timely involvement is the key,
since pups go through a very sensitive period during the first
few months of life of when they are exceptionally open to developing
positive social attachments with humans.
The Socialization Period –
That Special Time in Life
Around the fourth week of life, puppies enter into a very
sensitive period called the socialization period. This phase
lasts through the twelfth week of life, and many important
changes occur during this time. The beginning of this stage
is closely associated with major maturational changes in the
central nervous system. All sensory systems become well developed
and functioning by this point and learning capacity is rapidly
developing. While previous, early periods involved changes
in basic sensory and motor capacities, this period is one
of rapid development of social behavior patterns.
The early phase of the socialization period is characterized
by a willingness to approach new and moving objects. Investigative
behavior becomes apparent and puppies begin exploring away
from the nest area. Social following and early signs of pack
behavior emerge. During this time, there is a marked increase
in interaction with littermates, the mother and the environment.
Gradually, as the mother spends less time with the puppies,
the interaction and relationship between littermates strengthens.
This intraspecies interaction is important for normal social
development, and that is why it is important to keep puppies
with their mothers and littermates for at least the first
seven to eight weeks of life.
In regard to behavior and temperament development, this is
absolutely the most important period in a dog’s life.
The experiences the pup has during this period are critical
in determining primary social relationships. It is a time
during which relationships are easiest to initiate. A small
amount of experience during this period will produce a major
effect on later behavior. How comfortable and confident the
puppy will be with members of the same and other species is
directly related to the quality and quantity of social experiences
it has during this time.
Besides being an open window for development of social relationships,
it also is a period of extreme sensitivity to traumatic experiences.
The sensitivity necessary to facilitate the formation of social
relationships makes the puppy vulnerable to psychological
trauma. Fear responses are evident at this time, and startle
reactions to sound and sudden movement may be pronounced.
With time, though, the puppies will learn to discriminate
between stimuli associated with dangerous situations and those
that are insignificant. Frequent, gentle handling and avoidance
of distressing events are important in order to prevent fear
responses and avoidance of humans from developing.
Setting the Puppy Up to Succeed
in Life
Friendly interactions with a wide variety of people and other
pets is the key to socializing young pups. It is especially
important for them to be around all types of non-family members
in diverse situations so they will behave appropriately in
all kinds of situations when they get older. This should be
done gradually to avoid overwhelming the puppy. An excellent
way for you to facilitate socialization of your pup is to
use “socialization treats.” You should take the
pet out to meet people armed with small biscuit treats or
a bag of puppy kibble. Whenever your pet sees someone new
(e.g. jogger, cyclist, postal delivery person, etc.) and shows
no sign of avoidance or anxiety, you should request it to
sit and give a treat. As the pup gets the hang of this game,
you can give each person a biscuit treat to give to the pup.
If there are no children at home, it is particularly important
that you frequently take the pet to homes with children or
see that children are brought to your home for visits. This
is especially important for potential parents and grandparents.
Be sure to supervise closely to prevent the children from
doing anything that might upset the pup.
Socialization before twelve weeks of age is crucial but it
should not stop at this age. Social opportunities of various
types should continue to be frequently provided throughout
the first year of the pet’s life. Puppy training classes
and basic obedience classes provide excellent opportunities
for social exposure to continue. Most early training classes
allow puppies to attend, starting at eight to ten weeks of
age, while they are still in the sensitive socialization period.
Socialization should also be done with other animals outside
of class situations. Pick dogs for the pup to visit that ar e
healthy, vaccinated pets that do not leave their fenced-in
yards, and have friendly, nonaggressive temperaments.
The care that you provide for your puppy during the first
three months of its life is extremely important. To raise
theperfect puppy, you must not only provide necessary medical
and nutritional care, but you must also satisfy the young
pup’s social needs.
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