Initial Dog Training – Puppy Socialization
Got a new dog and now what? At what age can you start socializing your dog? Many dog owners think they should wait until they are fully vaccinated. You should start as early as 10 weeks of age. Dog owners hear the word socialization all the time, but there is a proper way to do it. Let’s just say that if you put your puppy in a dog play group, but your puppy isn’t having a good time, the dog may learn to associate his presence with dogs as something scary and stressful.
Proper socialization begins with a controlled environment, which means stimulation is very low. Keep in mind that your goal is to have a well-adjusted dog that won’t react to normal things, so there’s really no limit to what you can and can’t socialize your dog to. A misconception that people have is that they should only socialize their dogs with other dogs of the same size and children. Owners need to socialize their new dog with dogs of all different ages, breeds and play styles, and different types of people. Most importantly, they need to expose their dog to everyday events and everything their dog will encounter in its life. Such as vacuum cleaner, mirrors, umbrellas, balloons, bicycles, cars, babies in strollers, wheelchairs and other animals.
My best suggestion when it comes to proper socialization is to focus on the dog’s basic senses (SIGHT, SMELL, SOUND, MOVEMENT).
First is to have a plan and track your dog’s progress with a notebook. Break down the categories, first put the dog in sight, let the dog see another dog from a distance, if your dog does not respond, praise him and encourage him to take a step forward, next is to let the dog go to explore the person, animal or object with his nose (odor). It can detect a lot of information with just one sniff. Then you combine sight and smell together. Then let him hear a person talking, a baby crying, the vacuum cleaner making a noise, the balloon popping, the bike honking…etc, so the dog will feel comfortable knowing that these things can they make noise, but there is nothing to react to.
You don’t want to expose your puppy to a high level of noise in the beginning, for example, turn the vacuum on for just a few seconds (without moving it), then turn it off, give a treat to the dog for not responding, then add more duration next time. Last is to add movement. Have people talk and move or pet the dog, treat it and praise it for not reacting. Push the baby carriage, pamper the dog so it doesn’t act scared, move the vacuum cleaner. Turn it on, then turn it off after a few seconds.
Anything that moves, regardless of whether it makes noise, we should slowly expose our dog to it. I have found that most dogs react easily to fast moving objects. This can become a behavioral problem later on that will be difficult to correct. It is better to prevent it, then to correct it.
You’ll get the idea once you start. It’s not too hard, always associate good things with each of the scenarios; such as giving your dog a tasty treat when another dog approaches. Drop a very tasty treat near the vacuum cleaner and praise your dog just by approaching him. Place an all-natural dog treat like Zuke’s Mini Naturals inside an umbrella, open it so it falls out, the dog associate seeing high-value treats on the umbrella comes! Make a loud noise and treat your dog for all calm signals (prepare your dog for thunderstorms).
Never force your new dog to approach the person, dog or object. Let the dog fend for himself. Give it some space and have some patience. Praise and encourage your dog. At the same time, pay attention to his stress signals. When things don’t go your way, remove the dog from the situation or walk away from it, but act neutral and calm. Do not raise your voice or touch the dog. This only teaches the dog that it is okay to react or be scared. You don’t want to maintain that state of mind. Instead, have a positive attitude, don’t stop progress all together. Remember that socialization takes time, have a better plan and work on it next time, you will have a well socialized dog.
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