Socializing Your Puppy/Dog - what does that mean?

[trinitydobes]

Socializing Your Puppy/Dog - what does that really mean?

As a dog breeder I work very hard to properly socialize and expose my puppies to a vast amount of environmental stimulation, which includes people, places, things, sounds etc. When it comes to raising a confident well-adjusted puppy, an ounce of prevention is certainly worth a pound of cure.

Unfortunately, lately it has been brought home to me that what I consider proper ongoing socialization - after the puppy goes to his new home (so that their pups mature and develope into well mannered well trained dogs with stable temperaments) is not what a lot of puppy owners think proper socialization entails. This is causing lots of puppy/owner difficulties.

Training is extremely important - but IMHO if you do not properly socialize your dog - you will fail in your training attempts.

To this end, I would like us to have a discussion about what it means to you, "TO PROPERLY SOCIALIZE" your new puppy or rescue dog. I hope at the end to pull together a bulleted list with what needs to be done to properly socialize your new puppy.

[aruiz0322]

Gail, thanks for this post. Since I will be getting a pup this is very important information. I look forward to reading all the posts in here and I hope to learn a thing or two. I always look forward to the advice and wisdom of the members here.

Amy

[4Dobies]

Great topic, I can only speak from limited experience but I think we have 4 dogs that are pretty well trained and socialized at different levels, all have great temperaments.

Training is extremely important, but as we've learned the type of training is as critical as the training itself. As Gail pointed out if your dog is not properly socialized early training can be very difficult particularly when in a group of other dogs.

So it starts at the beginning, I think the first step is puppy kindergarten. And as I stated above the method of training is just as critical as the training particularly at the early stages.

To give an example, two of our dogs Leia and Ranger both went through puppy kindergarten, because of lack of available trainers in our area at the time when Leia was a puppy, both classes had different methods. Leia was never allowed off leash to meet and greet in her first classes while most of Rangers puppy classes were off leash socializing with the other dogs in a controlled environment. Although now well socialized Leia has moments when she can be leash aggressive and snippy with other dogs, while Ranger loves all other dogs and at this point shows no fear or aggression. We firmly believe that the initial training methods have played a large role in shaping the temperaments of these two.

Obviously there are many other things that should be done for socialization, but I believe you need to start with a good foundation.

[trinitydobes]

Posters - I will go back and highlight the more salient points in posts - I hope you don't mind.

Susan, did you start consistent traininig in a group situation later with Leia than you have with Ranger? do you think that has had as much to do with his social demeanor as the off leash opportunities?

I feel its very important for puppies to start group training by 12 weeks - as the longer you wait the harder it is for your puppy to learn proper social behavior with strange people, places and things.

I also feel that if you are going to have a solitary puppy (no other dogs at home to play with) you will need to find a playmate for consistent play dates, or take the puppy to puppy day care for social interraction with pups his own age - or he will not learn how to interract with strange people and strange dogs. If the only time your puppy sees another dog is at training class - all he is going to focus on and be driven by is the need to play - this is not conducive to training - it is conducive to frustration on both the puppy and the owners part. Remember Dogs are pack animals.

[4Dobies]

Leia did start consistent training later than Ranger in groups, primarily because at the time there were no indoor training facilities so we would have to wait between seasons for group classes. So a lot of her socialization was done at less controlled places like dog parks, Ranger has never been to a dog park and after a few lessons learned with Leia it is doubtfull we would ever go back. She also didn't have the playmates that Ranger has been brought up with, I'm sure that has also helped his development.

[ingridh]

Sometimes I wish the term "socializing" would be replaced with another word like maybe "acclimation" or some other word like that. So many people think they are "socializing" their puppies just by exposing them to other people and dogs, but there is so much more to it. The word "socialize" conjures up images of cocktail parties and puppy playtimes, but what most pet owners fail to realize is that there is so much more to "socializing" a puppy than social interaction.

I'd rather "acclimate" a puppy to:
strangers
other dogs
varied surfaces
slopes
stairs
big trucks
gun fire
plastic bags
training equipment
fast cars
The list goes on forever! Basically anything that could get a fear response out of a dog in real life.

[trinitydobes]

Ingrid this is an excellent point - and may truely be what is the cruxt of the issue. We do use "Proper Puppy Socialization" to cover everything required to raise a puppy. I love your use of "Acclimate" it much more accurately describes what we need to do!!

Great Discussion so far! I think we are spot on in re-defining what we need to do when we get the new puppy home and take over the job of raising it properly.

Training = Start by 12 wks if possible, try and find a training environment where the puppy can have free time, off leash with other pups as part of training

Socialization = learning how to interract with strange people and dogs and how to respond properly when introduced to them.

Acclimitization = being exposed to things in our environment and learning how to properly respond / react when new things are encountered in their environment.

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Now I think I should put in here - this discussion so far is absolutely from the point of view of raising a pet/companion/obedience/show type puppy as that is what I am most familiar with. I do hope Nellie, Dede or some of our other members who have raised pups specifically with the goal of doing protection training will also post with that point of view if it is different.

[cathynu]

Gail, I will put in my 2c for what its worth:

With Rex we started out doing puppy ob training at PetSmart, so that was his first encounter with strange people and other dogs. Because we didn't at that stage have another dog in the house for him to play with he was a lonely only - and that was how we socialized him to other people and animals. That continued when we started showing him and he's okay on leash with other people and dogs. Lilly on the other hand we didn't do an ob class as I did my own ob instruction, but in hindsight, I should have done the ob classes with her for socialization, because after I discovered dog aggression in her I tried puppy daycare and she got bitten, so I immediately stopped that as I was affraid it this would make her more aggressive ..... what I have noticed however is that the aggression comes out when we are in places she feels threatened at as she will jump and lunge at other dogs - but also only at certain breeds - I also noticed this past weekend that as they day progressed and she felt more comfortable in her surrounding the aggression was almost non existant - and she even sidled up to Pam and Hawk and gave Pam kisses ...... however on the Sunday morning the aggression was back again .... but as the day wore on it got less .... I am really hoping this phenomena dissappears out of her and that this is her as a puppy trying to compensate because she feels uncomfortable, instead of her being just plain dog aggressive, which I sincerely believe she isn't .....

She is fine with other people at this stage - albeit a bit on the reserved side - she will walk up to strangers if they put out their hand to her and she will sniff them and let them pet her ... I have rather noticed when the people tend to be less assertive, she will jump up at them .... however I've noticed all people at shows and those who really know how to approach dogs or judges who approach her - she has never done that too

[Damasyn]

My 2 cents worth as well : or 1 cent...not worth 2 ;D

I exposed my pups to everything I could think of, first by taking them to the local park where there are lots of screaming kids, small carnival rides, other dogs, duck pond with a high volume traffic road nearby. I would let the pup occasionally go nose to nose to check out other dogs, but I didnt want them to think that everytime they were approached it was a play time type interaction. I wanted a pup that was more stand offish with a lean towards protectiveness. I wanted pups to ignore others if asked to keep walking by. Meeting people, I tried not to make big deals out of it, like getting all excited and baby talking ( ack ) if the pup got excited and squirrely, waited until calm and steady then let them be petted. My goal with people/dog interaction was basically while on leash ~ to ignore them unless asked otherwise or the people made spectacles of them selves in some way, then to watch them and once the people or whatever calmed down or moved away, THEN turn your back to them and walk away.

My big thing is, I would rather have my dog be very well adjusted to different evironments more than anything else even socializing with people . Well, as well as have trust in ME to help in times of stress or whatever. For this I would take the pup to a local park where there are cliffs / rockclimbers, fallen logs high off the ground. Once they are walking up on a log or small cliff ( 5 ft or so off the ground ) I would ask them to get down and being a pup of course generally they get all worried and whine so I step closer to them and pat my chest and keep calling, then pick them up and hold them until they quit struggling ( saying "easy" ) then lower them to the ground. I do this with them almost daily until I see no hesitation in them at all . They TRUST me to hold them/keep them safe. I am their safety ! My first Dobe (rip) and now Lexi if on uneven terrain or high up if I open my arms up, launch off whatever they are on and into my arms. Its also translated well into the water or if they have been injured, I can be 50 ft away and yell " easy" and if injured they drop and stay still until I get there. In the water, if they cant get out easily usually swim up to me once my arms are out and wait for me to "pluck" them out.

I love taking them to kiddie playgrounds, uneven bridges,v tunnels, stairs, swings, slides ,merrygo round type stuff.. We do it all. ( there is a great one right beside a firedepartment..great for loud sirens !
Living in the country is great for the gun noises too.

[trinitydobes]

Training = Start as soon as possible, but by no later than 12 wks if at all possible -

*****I am going to add here that having a trainer that has experience with dobes and how their brains work - is very important

Socialization = learning how to interract with strange people and dogs and how to respond properly when introduced to them.

*****Training at a PetSmart or similar venue will provide a controlled environment that you can train with these distractions

Acclimitization = being exposed to things in our environment and learning how to properly respond / react when new things are encountered in their environment.

***** I am going to add here that you may not want or require your dog to interract with other dogs or other people - you may intend to be the center of your dobermans world - but you still need to train your pup how to react/ or behave in situaitons where you encounter strange dogs and people. Most of us are not hermits and live in urban society. I don't really care if my dogs like other dogs - so I train them that they have to pay attention and focus on me - not the distraction - that distraction can be people, dogs, sounds - its all in what your end goal is for you and your doberman

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So what other things do you think are important when raising a puppy to ensure he is well manered and well trained? What about house manners?

[von Cosack]

The Barber Shop is a good place to start, lotsa social stuff in the Barber Shop! Von