Category: Pre-puppy

The Process

Puppies that are younger than 12-16 weeks of age process things with 2 outcomes:

• This is normal and safe
• This is out of the ordinary and dangerous

The goal is to help the puppy learn (prior to 12-16 weeks of age) that change is what is normal and safe. That anything new is just a part of normal life and perfectly safe. That novelty and weird is just normal life and no need to worry. And in fact- all these things mean GOOD things happen, like treats and a happy, praising handler, and fun! And the more new things that puppy encounters that bring on the good stuff or that are just part of everyday life, the better the puppy gets at accepting ‘weird’ as normal and safe.

See my list for what I try to properly expose my puppies to before they are 16 weeks old:
–Best Socialization check list–
Note: There are 3 check boxes next to each thing, because repeated exposure gives the best picture about how the puppy actually feels about it. And repeated exposure can help make it “normal”.

So socialization IS about exposing the puppy to lots of new experiences and things, but it MUST be done carefully and correctly and with the ability to read canine body language so you know if the pup is fine, is still assessing, or if they feel it is too much. If done wrong it can cause the puppy to FEAR all new things, changes in the environment, and anything weird, which is the opposite of what we want!

From 3-7 weeks old, puppies tend to startle at novel things, then investigate or watch from a distance, then accept the new as normal (might take more than 1 exposure). Each time they go through this process, they learn HOW to accept novelty and deal with weird. And they can ideally be exposed to many of the items on the list above.

After 7 weeks, if the puppies haven’t had exposure to very much change and weird by that point, they are much more likely to start with a fear reaction vs. a thinking response.  And even puppies with a solid foundation can do this too, but they tend to recover much faster and are able to get back into thinking mode for a proper assessment of the novelty.

By 16 weeks of age, the puppy has learned what is normal and safe in his life. When the pup or dog that is older than 16 weeks of age encounters something he hasn’t experienced before, his reaction to it will mostly be based on experiences he had prior to 16 weeks of age. This is why it is so critical to make novelty and change and weird a safe and fun everyday occurrence when the pup is young!

And this can be done, in part, at home too! Check out the Empowerment Training check list: Empowerment Training

While we’re waiting on an avalanche of puppy photos/videos, I wrote up some info on Socialization and how I do it that I’ll be sharing in several parts over the next few days.

What is PROPER puppy socialization?

Socialization is about teaching the puppy to take novelty in stride.

Without that SKILL, a dog will default to startle and react, rather than “Whatever. Just more weird stuff”. And then you are in “fix it” mode or ‘avoid it’ mode for the rest of the dog’s life.

Better to give the puppy the coping skills it needs from the start! Because life is weird and your dog WILL encounter weird and unexpected things, on walks, at dog sports, and especially if they are a Service Dog.

“Weird” is used broadly to describe anything odd, unusual, out of the ordinary, strange, bizarre, or slightly peculiar. It can refer to behaviors, situations, or events that deviate from the norm. Depending on the context, it can carry a neutral tone (e.g., a strange coincidence), a negative one (e.g., an eerie feeling), or even a positive one (e.g., unique art).

Proper socialization and proactively teaching the pup ‘how to handle weird’ will greatly reduce reactivity to and hyper focus on novelty and will increase their ability to learn (because fear and apprehension inhibit all sorts of good things). Plus, a dog with proper socialization training will be able to go everywhere and do everything with confidence. So they have a much bigger, and better life than the dog who missed out and ends up reactive and needs to be protected from certain triggers.

While proper socialization is most effective and has the greatest effect when done when the puppy is less than 16 weeks old, there are benefits to continuing the careful, purposeful, and systematic exposure to “weird” throughout the dog’s lifetime. I want my dogs to EMBRACE the weird, to LOVE weird things, to feel GOOD when they see or experience weird. This is the manifestation of confidence.

This confidence allows the dog to remain in thinking mode instead of going into survival reactionary mode. It allows for rational assessment of the novel thing, vs. a fight or flight response. I want my dog to be thinking- “Oh good! Something new! This is cool!” Instead of “Danger! Escape! We’re all going to die!”

I will say that getting a puppy from a breeder that starts this process as soon as the puppies are born puts the puppy MILES ahead of puppies without the socialization and training! There are a few different programs that breeders can use to ensure their puppies have excellent coping skills and confidence before they even leave the breeder. I HIGHLY recommend finding such a breeder if you want to make your life MUCH easier from the moment you bring the puppy home! Mister’s breeder has been doing a fantastic job with this and I know he will have the best possible base upon which to build these skills even further.

Photo is the boys enjoying a pool party today!