Mr. has been VERY busy! I figured it would be easier to add all his socialization to a page that would be easy to find, rather than a post that will just get buried as I add more posts. So you can find photos of his experiences (in the past 24 days) with me here:
Visited the aquarium! This tube got packed with people later in our visitPredator was one of the more wild things we saw, but there was a LOT of amazing coz play!
I have been slacking on this blog. Mr. has done SO MUCH today and yesterday that I just can’t keep up with facebook, youtube and the blog. So I highly recommend following his facebook group to stay informed about all that he is doing. Once socialization calms down, I hope to be able to post more here.
Some of what he has done over the past 2 days:
Walks on the property
Playing in leaves
Stroller training
Playpen training (Crate games with his pen)
Play sessions (inside, with a dremmel, at night, etc.)
Meeting firefighters
Meeting my chickens and ducks
Work on a ramp
Getting on the stroller by climbing on things
Getting on the grooming table by climbing on things
Watching Voodoo play fetch
Recall practice
Watching traffic
Getting registered with AKC and IABCA plus getting entered in his first show!
It’s all shown in video clips and photos on his group. Uploading photos on the blog is tedious, so I’m not going to be uploading as many.
Here is day 2 compilation of clips:
Day 3 part 1:
Day 3 part 2:
And a few select photos:
Copying Voodoo waiting for the cue to get the ball I threwHe got himself onto the stroller!
I drove to VA yesterday to meet up with Stacy today and get Mr. He had a LOT of car time since he was in VT yesterday and now he’s in SC! Thankfully he travels really well.
I decided to stop off at a garden at about the halfway point of our 4 hour trip from VA to SC to let him stretch his legs and get acquainted with my Labrador. Several new experiences and he did great!
Here is a compilation video of his first day with me:
And here are a few photos from the garden. I shared more on his facebook group
Training happens everywhere. Many people only teach new things at home, get them well known there, and then try to generalize to gradually increasing distractions. But with Dazzle and Voodoo, I started (and worked on) various behaviors wherever we happened to be- starting on day 1. And it resulted in dogs that ‘generalized’ beautifully! Later, I could teach something new at home and even if I had only worked on it at home, they would perform it the same in new places.
This also makes my life much easier, not having to try to teach everything at home first, especially when I spend so much time away from home socializing. And a LOT of that time is spent just hanging out in new places, in the vehicle, or on a blanket or mat, where we can work on learning a wide variety of new behaviors and skills.
And it helps the puppy learn to focus on various tasks, starting with just moments of time and gradually building to longer and longer focus on the task regardless of what is going on around the pup. Right from the start, the environment is ‘background’, not the main attraction! In most of the videos of Voodoo socializing, I was having to encourage him to look at stuff before I started the video because he had already figured out that ignoring the environment and focusing on me paid very well!
Training here is usually not dedicated sessions (but those happen too!) It is always happening in some form or another all throughout the day. House manners, car manners, potty training (lots of different surfaces and on cue), leash manners, focus/check-ins, position changes, stay, settle/relax, crate games, recall, retrieve, handling, impulse control, empowerment, and so much more all get interspersed WHILE we are out socializing. Just quick little bits here and there, all kept super fun.
Puppies are ALWAYS learning, every moment they are awake, whether you are teaching them or not. So I put that sponge of a brain to good use! They WANT to learn! They NEED to learn! And starting as early as possible with age appropriate training has been VERY successful for me! I have been VERY happy with the results!
That said, because of how I train, it makes it hard to get video of the training sessions. If I wore a GoPro or similar device, it would show you what the puppy is doing, but not what I’m doing. And I don’t plan to have a tri-pod with me at all times to set up my phone. If I had someone to follow us around and operate the camera, that would be ideal. And if anyone wants to accompany us on various outings to do that, I’m open to that. I will get as much video as possible, but it will likely be shared the way I shared Voodoo’s training- in compilation videos covering a range of topics or locations: https://raisingageniuspuppy.com/socialization-and-exposure/
Note: I had put all of Voodoo’s training videos on Vimeo, but then it got too expensive so I lost access to most of them. I have them on my computer still and recently (last year) uploaded several to Youtube so that the videos on the website could work. But those are just the highlights, not the day by day compilations. I’ll be sharing similar videos on a variety of behaviors and socialization locations with Mr.
In this video we work on recall with an obstacle (a small ditch with flowing water), and retrieve. I also reward several check ins and sits he offered.
The living room is now puppy central. G flooring, wall protection, secure gates, a clean and refreshed crate, snuffle mat, and some things to play with. I’ll be adding different enrichment and empowerment stuff each day. This is where the pup will hang out when I can’t directly supervise him and when he needs to rest.
Sometimes a puppy has an unexpected reaction to something, or something I didn’t expect occurs and the puppy reacts. How I handle this matters a LOT! I am the puppy’s anchor and their safety net. The puppy might look at me for MY reaction or if my reaction shows fear or uncertainty, the puppy will pick up on that immediately.
So I look at every instance like this as a gift I can use to help the puppy be more confident. “Yea! That car backfired just for you! and that’s worth cash and prizes!” (treats). Or “Wow! Look at that cool thing. Isn’t that weird? You love weird!” And how I move (or not) also says a lot. If I tense up, or step back, or suddenly freeze, the pup could read that as fear on my part regardless of what my voice is saying.
Dogs read and trust body language much more naturally than words or tone of voice. So I have to keep my body relaxed and movements natural. I learned this years ago when I was working with horses from a young age, particularly my 16.3 hand thoroughbred who was especially sensitive to my body tension. Tense up on or near him and he was more likely to freak out! So I learned to keep my body relaxed no matter how I was really feeling. It has helped me in a number of different situations working with various animals, especially some ‘animals’ I encountered while working as a police officer.
So if the pup is spooked by or hesitant to approach something, first, I never force it! That is a sure fire way to make things worse! I want to help the pup conquer this situation so he can feel successful and empowered. So I will let him choose which direction he wants to go and how far. Once we are at a distance where he feels like he can look/watch without the need to back up, I’ll take ONE step closer to it and then give him time to do that too. I’ll encourage him closer with my voice and possibly a hand target to get him to move ONE puppy step closer. Mostly my focal point is between the pup and the thing. I don’t want to stare at either one.
If we are within my reaching distance of the scary thing, I’ll touch it and talk to it, then I might give the pup a chance to smell my hand, especially if it is something with a scent transfer.
We work at the pup’s pace and if he wants to move closer, I support that with my own movement and happy, encouraging voice. If he wants to move away I allow that too but I don’t move as far, if at all.
I also use treats, but I toss or deliver them a puppy length or two AWAY from the thing. This gives the pup the treat but also relief of pressure. He can turn away and then turn back. And often when he turns back, he moves a bit closer. Don’t use treats to lure the puppy closer! They will focus on the treat until they eat it, then suddenly find themselves “too close” to the scary thing! And if it’s a person, have them remain neutral, and even turn away, but NOT move any part of them toward the puppy.
With the right upbringing, the puppy has a literal lifetime history of novel things NOT being dangerous, so it shouldn’t take long for him to work up the courage to check it out. But if he couldn’t, and I felt it was close to being more stressful than helpful, I would use a treat to lure him away and give him a break. Then I might have him try again, or it might be something we come back to on a different day, especially if the encounter is when he is tired or has already had a long day. Voodoo only reacted to 2 things that he overcame quickly, but I have worked on this with other client puppies and it works well. And I haven’t had to stop and come back to anything.
Sorry for 3 posts at once, I was posting these daily to facebook and forgot to put them on the blog. So this post gets you caught up :-)
Other Dogs
Many people are under the mistaken impression that socialization is letting the puppy play with as many other dogs as possible. This is a great way to get a reactive dog! Because these same people also don’t help the puppy if those other dogs are rude, overwhelming, pushy, or sometimes even mildly aggressive! The puppy learns that other dogs can be overwhelming, rude, pushy, aggressive, and even terrifying! And this applies to other puppies they meet too! Puppies don’t usually fight back against those behaviors, but when the dog matures, he is much more likely to do so!
And even if the puppy only meets very appropriate dogs or other puppies, if they learn that the sight of other dogs means they get to play every time, good luck keeping that dog’s attention around other dogs! This makes dog sports very challenging!
Instead, I want my puppy to see and watch lots of other dogs, but only occasionally get to interact with them (ones I KNOW will be appropriate). Females that have had at least 1 litter that they did well with are a good start.
So we will go to places where there are other dogs, sit in a comfortable spot at a distance, and the puppy will get treats any time he chooses to look at me or do easy behaviors for me. Dogs being visible is just another cue that the ‘treat bar’ is open.
When my pup can interact with another safe dog, there are lots of call aways from play to come get treats from me and then get sent right back to play. And if the pup ignores me, I go get him, and then give a treat, before sending him back. This does many things-
Works on recall (though I just use enticing sounds, not my recall cue until I know it is well established and will work!)
Teaches the pup that he can always check in with me for a treat and it doesn’t end the fun
Provides breaks from play I can use to assess whether or not the pup wants to continue playing or not
Gives me a way to interrupt unwanted behavior by either dog during play (mounting, getting too amped up, being rude, etc.)
Prevents frustration aggression (when the dog is prevented from getting what they want)
Most adult dogs are not interested in play with other dogs (though some do maintain that for a while). They might want to sniff/greet, they might want a brief bit of play, but most aren’t playing like puppies do. So I’m really just interested in having the pup learn appropriate play/interactions as a youngster so they are safe around other dogs and don’t freak out or react badly if a loose dog approaches. But play sessions are not something I do a lot of with my puppies. Mostly I focus on, “Can you engage with me with other dogs around?” and “Can you ignore other dogs while we move past or around them?”
As you can see in the retriever party, he was totally focused on the toys!
Prior to 16 weeks, the puppy can choose to go ‘Say hi’ to other people. And he SHOULD, to learn about lots of other people and that they are all safe and non-threatening no matter how they look or how they smell (cigarettes, alcohol, perfume, other critter scents, body odors, etc.). Rule is that the person has to let the puppy come to them. This ensures that the pup actually wants to greet them! And if the puppy says “no” I say “sorry, not today” (didn’t have to say that with my Labrador). :-)
But those people don’t have food or toys and I do! At first the novelty of the people is more attractive to the puppy and that is fine. I’m not going to try to interrupt unless I feel the pup needs it or he’s getting too excited. But I’m available as a treat dispenser or toy operator at any point and each interaction with another person will include & end with the pup getting good stuff from me. I also will call the pup, or lure him a step or two away, give a treat, and let him go back to the other person if he wants, or if they can entice him back with sweet talk.
By 16 weeks of age the puppy has met a lot of people, the novelty wears off a little and what I have is more enticing (his favorite treats/toy)! The puppy has learned that yeah, other people can be interesting, but mom has the good stuff! I can do a quick greet, then get treats!
After 16 weeks, if someone is approaching us to say hi to the puppy (you know the look!) I get a handful of treats and let the pup work on getting them out of my hand while we talk. I tell them they have to keep their feet planted (not move toward the pup) and then try to entice him to come to them (no food/toys at first). If he chooses to leave my treat hand and go to them, that is fine! But my hand is always available and will allow some easy treats as soon as he chooses to come back to it. And I’m right near him, not at the end of the leash. So I can also work on reinforcing an acceptable position (like 4 on the floor) during the greeting or his choosing to stay focused on getting the food in my hand while the person pets him.
This was REALLY hard for Voodoo, who loves attention from people just as much as he loves food! But he caught on. And now, even if I don’t have treats, he will do a quick greeting of a stranger (just long enough to assess whether they have treats, LOL) and then come right back to me. I’ve gotten more lax on this as he has gotten older, so now he knows which of my friends have good treats and will ‘pay out’ if he’s persistent. But I know I could change that quickly with some refresher training if I wanted to.
This training teaches the puppy that if people are talking to me (or him) or trying to call him and entice him, that makes great rewards come from me. And once the puppy is hard to call away from me, I’ll select helpers that can follow directions to hold treats or a toy and even entice the puppy with them, but the treats/toy are never available to the pup from them and choosing to return to or stay with me results in a big reward from me.
THEN I can work on having the pup hold a position (sit or stand) while people pet him (or play conformation or obedience Judge). And I turn attention from others into a cue to look at me! So no matter how hard someone tries to distract my dog, they are just repeating the ‘cue’ to look at me! But I can also use a cue to tell the pup to look where I point (like at a conformation Judge) or give him permission to go say hi.
Zoo visit at 5 mo old shows how he handled crowds by that age.
Around 8 – 10 weeks of age, puppies often experience what is called a “fear period”. This is when they might react fearfully to something that previously they had no reaction to, or that they have seen every day for literally their whole lives! Some puppies can experience it earlier or later. Some, like my Labrador Voodoo, showed no signs of it.
The biggest thing to know is that a scary or unpleasant experience during this phase can affect the dog long term and be harder to overcome. So while socialization doesn’t stop, you want to be more careful to make sure the pup doesn’t have a scary experience.
Personally, I treat the whole 8-16 weeks as if the puppy were in a fear period just in case! I do my best to ensure that every encounter they have with life during that time (& beyond) is not scary or traumatic. I don’t let my pup out of my site with anyone else, including my vet, regardless of how much I trust the person until the pup is older than 16 weeks so I know what they have experienced.
Some people want/need the pup to be fully comfortable living with others that might dog-sit and want to expose the pup to that and it’s not a bad thing as long as those other people are ‘on the same page’ as you regarding training/exposure. But personally, that’s not a concern of mine and I think a properly socialized puppy (that knows change is normal) would be fine no matter who they are with later.
There can also be a second fear period between 6 and 14 months of age. If your dog experiences this, it is most likely to present as a reaction to something completely mundane that they have seen/experienced many times. Voodoo was on a walk with me and had a reaction to a leaf that he clearly thought was going to eat him if he got within 5’ of it! It was Fall, and we had just walked past MANY leaves. And I couldn’t see anything different about this particular leaf. I let him choose his safe distance and watch while I picked up and examined the leaf and talked to the leaf in a friendly tone. Then I set the leaf down. Voodoo eventually decided it was safe to come close enough to sniff the leaf and as soon as he did, he shook off the stress and then that leaf and all the rest we passed after that were background to be ignored.
That leaf, and a plastic bag caught on our fence, were the only two things he had such a reaction to. Other things he didn’t react to: full size moving dinosaurs, people in all sorts of costumes (Comic-con), all the zoo animals and scents, Universal Studios including the Happy Potter experience and LOTS of other weird stuff he probably SHOULD have reacted to LOL But thanks to all the early proper socialization by his breeder and I made him “bomb-proof” and able to handle all manner of weird like it’s just another day. And that’s my goal!
Video of Voodoo at the Pop-con. Note: My friend and fellow dog trainer Laura VanArondonk-Baugh was the one in the T-rex and she had another experienced person telling her what Voodoo was doing. She was very careful not to spook him, but Voodoo didn’t see a moving T-rex as anything to worry about. LOL
I was fully prepared to leave if I felt it was too much for Voodoo. But he had a great day!
