# Socializing during the critical weeks/months



## LCS (Jan 8, 2014)

Hi all,

I am learning so much from being on the forum! But I would like all of you to share your opinions on socialization during the 3-14 week time frame and there after. Reading books, taking in advice on the forum suggests to utilize that critical window to expose the puppy to MANY safe people/activities. However, there are those who say be extremely careful of where you take the puppy because their shots have not kicked in. So how do you do both? Where are safe places and where are the places to avoid at all costs? My future vet and groomer both said bring them in ASAP - but my thoughts are that if there are 'germs' to be picked up it would be at those locals...... So please share your thoughts and wisdom. Or just tell me where NOT to take him.

Thanks!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I avoided places like dog parks, pet stores or other places where a lot of dogs I don't know frequent until they had their 2nd series of vaccines. Unless there was a need to go to a vet's, I stayed clear until their 2nd shots and then I visited various vet's offices frequently for a quick social visit...a cookie, a weight and a pat from the gals at the front desk. 

I had neighbors over to visit and play with the puppies and let their friendly, healthy adults or vaccinated puppies visit with mine. But until their 2nd shots, I did most of our socializing at home or out in my yard with visitors. I made a point of asking people to come see the puppies...bring their babies, toddlers, mid age kids...

The risk of disease is certainly there. But the results of an impoverished socialization period aren't a risk. They're a known. So, take reasonable precautions but don't isolate your puppy.


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## Maggie B (Jul 8, 2013)

Hi LCS, 

I'm definitely no expert but I thought I'd take a stab at this from what I was told when we first brought Mila home. 

Avoid at all costs: public places where the health/vaccine history of dogs is unknown, i.e. dog parks, pet stores, parks, trails, or even neighborhoods with lots of dog traffic.

Should be okay after 2 rounds of shots: the vet, puppy class, groomers, friends or family's homes where you know that their pets (if any) are up to date on vaccines. Places like groomers or puppy class usually check vaccinations and vet records to ensure the dogs are properly vaccinated. I've heard some puppy classes are even specially disinfected before class.

I think socialization with different people, dogs, and experiences is very important at an early age. Its definitely scary and hard to decide where the line is between keeping your pup out of danger and socializing them well.

Good luck, hopefully someone with more experience can chime in, especially for the earlier weeks before the pups go to their forever homes.


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

3-week timeframe? is someone proposing to hand over to you a puppy this young? i think there's been a study done (i forget now where i saw the reference) that says its best to leave a puppy with its dam and the rest of the litter till at least six and a half weeks, with eight to ten being closer to an ideal, because a great part of the socialization that needs to be done at this age is best accomplished by the dam and litter mates. of course if it's your litter on the ground, then, yes, you probably do want to think about socialization with people other than yourself. i'm sure folks will jump in to correct me if needed.


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## sparkyjoe (Oct 26, 2011)

Great topic! I've been wondering this myself.


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## LCS (Jan 8, 2014)

patk said:


> 3-week timeframe? is someone proposing to hand over to you a puppy this young? i think there's been a study done (i forget now where i saw the reference) that says its best to leave a puppy with its dam and the rest of the litter till at least six and a half weeks, with eight to ten being closer to an ideal, because a great part of the socialization that needs to be done at this age is best accomplished by the dam and litter mates. of course if it's your litter on the ground, then, yes, you probably do want to think about socialization with people other than yourself. i'm sure folks will jump in to correct me if needed.


No, no one is suggesting to separate the pups from the mom at 3 weeks. I used that time frame in my original post because that is what I had been reading is the beginning of the 'critical' time.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

The early, critical socialization period is from birth to about 14- 16 weeks. Socialization should be started at the breeders as best as can be done, barring disease risk. Socialization should continue for life but perhaps not to the degree needed early on. The default setting for dogs is caution and they will tend to revert to that if socialization is not ongoing,.


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

here's what the american college of veterinary behaviorists says in _*decoding your dog*_ (published this year): "although exposure to social situations should continue until your puppy becomes an adult, it is very important that you begin when a puppy is most sensitive to new stimuli (the sensitive socialization period--six to twelve weeks of age)." 

also: "...by the time your puppy has completed her full vaccination series, she will have passed the sensitive period for socialization. we can't say that there is zero risk to taking your puppy out of her sheltered home environment to see the world. but the fact is, the risk that a puppy will grow up to develop a serious behavior problem is far greater than the risk that she will succumb to a serious illness...
to keep socialization safe, follow these rules:

don't bring your puppy to areas frequented by unvaccinated or stray dogs.
do avoid contact with dogs who are known to be infectious.
do prevent your puppy from sniffing or ingesting the feces of other animals, including other dogs.
do make certain any puppy class your pup is enrolled in has easily cleaned surfaces to help prevent the spread of infection.
do vaccinate your puppy, based on your veterinarian's advice."

there's also advice not to let too many cooks spoil the broth, ending with "...be realistic. your puppy's individual temperament and personality, as well as her breed, will affect her tendency to exhibit certain behaviors. a shy or reserved puppy needs a different style of socialization than a gregarious puppy does. most dogs thrive on learning and performing. plan to offer your dog a lifetime of mental stimulation...."

i recommend this book elsewhere in the forum and view it as a valuable reference tool. but there are many other books that deal specifically with raising and socializing puppies. i believe in reading broadly because you may need a broad range of tools depending on the individual temperament of your dog.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

In addition to taking sensible precautions - not going where there are likely to be unvaccinated dogs, or where unvaccinated dogs might be walked; choosing classes with care; checking the vaccination status of friends' and relations' dogs before inviting them round to play, or going for play dates; carrying the puppy wherever there may be a risk; etc, etc, I believe modern vaccines are now better at overcoming the vaccination gap, where maternal antibodies prevent the vaccine working, and have also been developed for use with very young puppies. It's a matter of balancing risks - short of everyone stripping and taking a disinfecting bath before crossing the threshold, there is no way to completely remove the risk of infection, and the proportion of dogs that develop serious behaviour problems as a result of inadequate socialisation and habituation is far too high to discount. I vaccinate as early as possible, check for any known local outbreaks of disease, choose where to take a puppy very carefully, and carry them if in doubt. And I am immensely grateful to the friendly, healthy, well socialised adults who played with my pups and taught them the ropes!


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

Just for grins and giggles, I'll let you in on some of our secrets for socializing pups. 

I will take them to some place like Home Depot or Lowes, I do not bring them in the store, just park close enough to see car and foot traffic. I then let the pups stay in the (at one point, the bed of the PU truck - miss that truck lol) and let them watch and hear and smell from a safe distance in a clean vehicle. They now have a smaller vehicle (my Jeep Liberty) but I still keep them in the cargo section with toys and towels and treats, etc. They are not allowed on the ground unless they show signs of needing to potty and then they are placed on papers or potty pads on the ground. (disclaimer - dogs always ride in crates, they are only loose in the vehicle when its parked)

I will also take then to my DDs school to pick the girls up and let them see and visit with the kids closely supervised. They hear laughing, squealing, shouting, etc while flirting and playing with high school kids. Not a whole lot of doggie traffic at schools and the kids LOVE to see pups at the end of a hard day of school. Teachers do, too. 

I have been known to take pups to soccer fields during practice - there's yelling, running, falling, whistles, etc going on and the pups learn to just ignore a good bit of that. 

It helps that I also have ducks and chickens, parrots that mimic male and female voices, a house pig and cats for the pups to interact with. 

In this home, we even have a friendly crop duster that likes to fly low overhead and a military reserve base not too far away - they get to hear loud gunshots, see small planes and military aircraft flying by regulary. 

If you call ahead and explain what you're trying to do, you'd be surprised where you can take puppies. My bank loves it when I have a litter - they let me bring dogs inside during slower times of day and the tellers get a huge kick out of puppy breath. I have taken parrots and puppies (not at the same time!) to pay the water bill - parrots love going there - it echos lol

Get creative, be polite, watch every interaction carefully and enjoy this time of your puppy's development. 

Oh, forgot to mention - thanks to a bad hip, I own crutches and a cane. Even if I am not needing to use them, I will just to let them see erractic movement from a human. Just watch where you leave them - apparantly the rubber stoppers on the bottom taste good. :/

Use your imagination and some common sense - it's easy to get all the socializing in if you just get a little creative.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Look on Dog Star Daily for Ian Dunbar's Sirius puppy training course. He has very good information on how to socialize young puppies safely. He is a vet with a Ph.D. in psychology (dog sexual behavior) and has the medical knowledge to back up how he recommends doing puppy classes.


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

Like Borderkelpie, I took Misha lots of places. I took her to Lowes and Home Depot and the bank, and did take her inside with me. If someone looked at her and smiled I asked if they would pet her (I explained under the chin not over the head). I took her to Petsmart and Petco but did not put her down, again asking people to approach. She was exposed to my grand daughter. She was pretty young when I took her to a dog show with Outwest and Jazz, which was a great place, lots of noise, dogs barking, dogs of all sizes. We took dog handling classes and tried obedience classes. 

On a recent trip to the groomer, her 2 granddaughters came in, ages 5 and 7. I was told the girls saw Misha and of course went nuts. They sat on the floor and Misha was let out of her kennel. She went NUTS over the girls, wiggling and kissing! She eventually crawled up on the 7 year olds lap and took a nap. These little girls have been brought up with dogs and are very savvy. They sit very quietly and let Misha approach them. I guess they kept saying "she is so soft"!!! lol

Anyways, even with all this, when she first meets someone, she is happy to see them and wants to greet them but is a bit timid. She kind of lowers her rear end and scoots up to them but when they go to touche her she seems a little nervous. It only takes a few short minutes and she thinks they are her long lost best friend.

I am assuming if I hadn't taken her all these places we may have more problems. Both of her parents are super sweet, but one of her littermates was very outgoing and one is very fearful, both raised in the same household.


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