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'Socialization' is a program of planned happy experiences with other living beings - any creature the dog is expected to tolerate, accept as a family member, socialize with as an adult, etc, should be seen, smelled, & possibly met, BUT... this is not willy-nilly "meet every dog" or "jam my pup's nose up to the muzzle of a 1200# horse, & see what happens"!
This is positive - meaning happy, & we are making happy memories of this other creature.
Ex., if U live in the country, Pup should see poultry [& be on leash or held in one's arms - no chasing, no barking], dog-tolerant cats, livestock of all sorts, DEER [so he won't chase, but calmly watch them], & so on... as well as humans of all ages, genders, ethnic diets, skin colors, heights, weights, able / disabled, with & without accessories [walker, hat, sunglasses, cane, jangling toolbelt, dangling scarf, golf club, scythe, fringed sash, ______ ]
'Habituation' is again, positive happy experiences meant to allow the pup to encounter all non-living stimuli they will live with or meet; sights, sounds, smells, etc.
Traffic noise, bicyclists passing us on shared paths, elevators, heavy equipment at a construction site, riding on a train or subway / in a bus or car, going to a groomer's / vet's / pet supply / hardware store, using all sorts of SUBSTRATE to void on [concrete, tarmac, landscape bark, beach sand, gravel, coarse bluestone, wet grass a foot tall, whatever].
BTW, special note:
bitches / Fs are very picky about what surfaces they'll void on - be very sure to allow every F pup to have a very-wide range of substrates before she's 6-MO.
Dogs are not fussed about what they pee or poop on - in fact, we're more likely to wish the boys paid more attn to what they choose as a toilet. :b Oops.
Pups who have left their dam & sibs to join a new human family need to meet the world they will live in; sequestering them does them no favors, & exaggerating "the risk of disease" into a sword of Damocles hung by a hair over our pups' heads is silly. OTHER DOGS are not the risk - unless they have visible symptoms of some illness; DOG WASTE or places where it's been, are the potential hazard.
Using common sense, take pups anywhere & everywhere - just not putting them on places where lots of other dogs will have voided, i-e, along a paved footpath, STAY ON the pavement; on the beach, go at low tide, walk on the firm sand [carry Pup over the hot dry sand / any beach above the tidewrack], & stay below the tidewrack that marks the extent of the previous tide.
Here's a vet's letter explaining the risk : benefit of delaying socialization / habituation -
http://www.trainyourdogmonth.com/members/handouts/apdt_tydmrkletter.pdf
PASTED COPY -
"An Open Letter on Puppy Socialization from Dr. R.K. Anderson, DVM"
TO: My Colleagues in Veterinary Medicine:
Common questions I receive from puppy owners, dog trainers, & veterinarians concern: 1) what is the most favorable age or period of time when puppies learn best?
2) what are the health implications of my advice that veterinarians & trainers should offer socialization programs for puppies, starting at 8 to 9 weeks of age?
Puppies begin learning at birth, & their brains appear particularly responsive to learning & retaining experiences that are encountered during the first 13 to 16 weeks after birth.
[Dr. Anderson is saying that the prime time for puppy socialization stops somewhere between 13 and 16 weeks, although more socialization occurs after that time].
This means that breeders, new puppy owners, veterinarians, trainers, & behaviorists have a responsibility to assist in providing these learning/socialization experiences with other puppies/dogs, with children/adults, & with various environmental situations during this optimal period from birth to 16 weeks. Many veterinarians are making this early socialization and learning program part of a total wellness plan for breeders and new owners of puppies during the first 16 weeks of a puppy’s life -- the first 7-8 weeks with the breeder, & the next 8 weeks with the new owners.
This socialization program should enroll puppies from 8 to 12 weeks of age as a key part of any preventive medicine program, to improve the bond between pets & their people, & keep dogs as valued members of the family for 12 to 18 years. To take full advantage of this early special learning period, many veterinarians recommend that new owners take their puppies to puppy socialization classes, beginning at 8 to 9 weeks of age. At this age they should have (and can be required to have) received a minimum of their first series of vaccines for protection against infectious diseases. This provides the basis for increasing immunity by further repeated exposure to these antigens either through natural exposure in small doses or artificial exposure with vaccines during the next 8 to 12 weeks.
In addition the owner & people offering puppy socialization should take precautions to have the environment and the participating puppies as free of natural exposure as possible by good hygiene and caring by careful instructors and owners. Experience and epidemiologic data support the relative safety and lack of transmission of disease in these puppy socialization classes over the past 10 years in many parts of the USA. In fact; the risk of a dog dying because of infection with distemper or parvo is far-less than the much higher risk of a dog dying (euthanasia) because of a behavior problem.
Many veterinarians now offer puppy socialization classes to new puppy-owners in their hospitals or nearby training facilities, in conjunction with trainers & behaviorists, because they want socialization & training to be very important parts of a wellness plan for every puppy. We need to recognize that this special sensitive period for learning is the best opportunity we have, to influence behavior for dogs, & the most important & longest-lasting part of a total wellness plan.
Are there risks? Yes. But 10 years of good experience and data, with few exceptions, offers veterinarians the opportunity to generally recommend early socialization & training classes, beginning when pups are 8 to 9 weeks of age. However, we always follow a veterinarian’s professional judgment, in individual cases or situations, where special circumstances warrant further immunization for a special puppy before starting such classes. During any period of delay for puppy classes, owners should begin a program of socialization with children & adults, outside their own family, to take advantage of this special period in a puppy’s life.
If there are further questions, veterinarians may call me at 651-644-7400 for discussion & clarification.
- Robert K. Anderson, DVM;
Diplomat, American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, & Diplomat, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
This is positive - meaning happy, & we are making happy memories of this other creature.
Ex., if U live in the country, Pup should see poultry [& be on leash or held in one's arms - no chasing, no barking], dog-tolerant cats, livestock of all sorts, DEER [so he won't chase, but calmly watch them], & so on... as well as humans of all ages, genders, ethnic diets, skin colors, heights, weights, able / disabled, with & without accessories [walker, hat, sunglasses, cane, jangling toolbelt, dangling scarf, golf club, scythe, fringed sash, ______ ]
'Habituation' is again, positive happy experiences meant to allow the pup to encounter all non-living stimuli they will live with or meet; sights, sounds, smells, etc.
Traffic noise, bicyclists passing us on shared paths, elevators, heavy equipment at a construction site, riding on a train or subway / in a bus or car, going to a groomer's / vet's / pet supply / hardware store, using all sorts of SUBSTRATE to void on [concrete, tarmac, landscape bark, beach sand, gravel, coarse bluestone, wet grass a foot tall, whatever].
BTW, special note:
bitches / Fs are very picky about what surfaces they'll void on - be very sure to allow every F pup to have a very-wide range of substrates before she's 6-MO.
Dogs are not fussed about what they pee or poop on - in fact, we're more likely to wish the boys paid more attn to what they choose as a toilet. :b Oops.Pups who have left their dam & sibs to join a new human family need to meet the world they will live in; sequestering them does them no favors, & exaggerating "the risk of disease" into a sword of Damocles hung by a hair over our pups' heads is silly. OTHER DOGS are not the risk - unless they have visible symptoms of some illness; DOG WASTE or places where it's been, are the potential hazard.
Using common sense, take pups anywhere & everywhere - just not putting them on places where lots of other dogs will have voided, i-e, along a paved footpath, STAY ON the pavement; on the beach, go at low tide, walk on the firm sand [carry Pup over the hot dry sand / any beach above the tidewrack], & stay below the tidewrack that marks the extent of the previous tide.
Here's a vet's letter explaining the risk : benefit of delaying socialization / habituation -
http://www.trainyourdogmonth.com/members/handouts/apdt_tydmrkletter.pdf
PASTED COPY -
"An Open Letter on Puppy Socialization from Dr. R.K. Anderson, DVM"
TO: My Colleagues in Veterinary Medicine:
Common questions I receive from puppy owners, dog trainers, & veterinarians concern: 1) what is the most favorable age or period of time when puppies learn best?
2) what are the health implications of my advice that veterinarians & trainers should offer socialization programs for puppies, starting at 8 to 9 weeks of age?
Puppies begin learning at birth, & their brains appear particularly responsive to learning & retaining experiences that are encountered during the first 13 to 16 weeks after birth.
[Dr. Anderson is saying that the prime time for puppy socialization stops somewhere between 13 and 16 weeks, although more socialization occurs after that time].
This means that breeders, new puppy owners, veterinarians, trainers, & behaviorists have a responsibility to assist in providing these learning/socialization experiences with other puppies/dogs, with children/adults, & with various environmental situations during this optimal period from birth to 16 weeks. Many veterinarians are making this early socialization and learning program part of a total wellness plan for breeders and new owners of puppies during the first 16 weeks of a puppy’s life -- the first 7-8 weeks with the breeder, & the next 8 weeks with the new owners.
This socialization program should enroll puppies from 8 to 12 weeks of age as a key part of any preventive medicine program, to improve the bond between pets & their people, & keep dogs as valued members of the family for 12 to 18 years. To take full advantage of this early special learning period, many veterinarians recommend that new owners take their puppies to puppy socialization classes, beginning at 8 to 9 weeks of age. At this age they should have (and can be required to have) received a minimum of their first series of vaccines for protection against infectious diseases. This provides the basis for increasing immunity by further repeated exposure to these antigens either through natural exposure in small doses or artificial exposure with vaccines during the next 8 to 12 weeks.
In addition the owner & people offering puppy socialization should take precautions to have the environment and the participating puppies as free of natural exposure as possible by good hygiene and caring by careful instructors and owners. Experience and epidemiologic data support the relative safety and lack of transmission of disease in these puppy socialization classes over the past 10 years in many parts of the USA. In fact; the risk of a dog dying because of infection with distemper or parvo is far-less than the much higher risk of a dog dying (euthanasia) because of a behavior problem.
Many veterinarians now offer puppy socialization classes to new puppy-owners in their hospitals or nearby training facilities, in conjunction with trainers & behaviorists, because they want socialization & training to be very important parts of a wellness plan for every puppy. We need to recognize that this special sensitive period for learning is the best opportunity we have, to influence behavior for dogs, & the most important & longest-lasting part of a total wellness plan.
Are there risks? Yes. But 10 years of good experience and data, with few exceptions, offers veterinarians the opportunity to generally recommend early socialization & training classes, beginning when pups are 8 to 9 weeks of age. However, we always follow a veterinarian’s professional judgment, in individual cases or situations, where special circumstances warrant further immunization for a special puppy before starting such classes. During any period of delay for puppy classes, owners should begin a program of socialization with children & adults, outside their own family, to take advantage of this special period in a puppy’s life.
If there are further questions, veterinarians may call me at 651-644-7400 for discussion & clarification.
- Robert K. Anderson, DVM;
Diplomat, American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, & Diplomat, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
