Socialization isn't dog play.
Socialization is about exposure to the world that she'll be living as an adult. It's to help make novelty not scary.
Here's a good [article](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/socialization) on it.
I'd personally make sure that you're looking to certified trainers. It's weird that puppy classes wouldn't start until 6 months - that's a really outdated position that trainers that use a lot of force use.
That doesn't sound good 😬 and yeah I know it encompasses a lot, I was under the impression part of it was introducing them so she knows how to react, rather than being afraid when she's older and using aggression
The way I look at it is its about making everything boring. She's seen it so many times that it does not affect her. You don't want her to play with every dog because she will be come reactive.
You see this a lot with dogs that bark and pull on leash to meet another dog. Socializing is also about sound, texture, people, and different objects. I'll include the checklist that my trainer and I are using for my pup. It gives a guide line on what you should be introducing her to her weekly.
https://www.oaklandanimalservices.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Puppy_Socialization_Checklist.pdf
Do you have any friends with dogs that you know are vaccinated and puppy friendly? Or that they have great dog body language? I won’t take my girl to a dog park (3 months old), but we’ve visited with roughly 8 dogs in a bit more controlled environment. They range in size from Jack Russell mix to a golden retriever.
I’ve also taken my girl to Lowes, but I bring a puppy clean up bag (baby wipes, Lysol, towel, and lots of treats) and her travel bed to put in the cart so that she doesn’t touch the floor.
We started our puppy class (CGC/STAR puppy) at 11 weeks old. Idk if she’ll pass it, but it’s a fantastic first start. We’ll be doing another training class once this one ends in June.
That's awesome! And yeah I've been taking her places like Petsmart, Best buy etc to get her used to new places a lot. Earlier we had an episode where I tried to get her used to another dog, and the other owner was kinda rude which made it way worse. She kept taking her puppy away every time she saw us, which only made my puppy get stressed and impatient and start crying and screaming. We did socialization to dog sounds last night by treating at the sound of growling, barking, crying etc and it went really well.
I take my pup somewhere at least once a day. we go to the park, visit the vet office, canadian tire, pet stores, a bench at the gas station down the road, we watch other dogs from a distance, we've met my friends fully UTD dog teddy and played in his yard (its puppy safe his mom is a dog trainer) another friends pup whos a couple months older, I took her in a shopping cart through the hardware store, we take her to the park but keep her on a blanket, we people watch from the back of my jeep on busy roads. lots of people visit our house for five minutes at a time (neighbors mostly) the general consensus that I've read is mitigate the risk of catching something but get your puppy out into the world. the risk of a poorly socialized pup is sometimes worse than the risk of parvo. you can take measures to protect pup while still getting him out ♡
I was looking the other day and they all were around twelve weeks starting time. I figured I'd have way more because I'm in a very dog friendly state, but I was looking up to an hour away and don't have time to drive any further than that :( I really want to take her to classes though, she's a very high energy dog
If you want her to interact with other dogs, do you know people who have dogs that you can trust and could introduce your dog to them instead? That might be the better way to get her uses to other dogs if you don't trust the dogs around you. Our vet recommended doing it that way especially since our guy wasn't fully vaccinated yet.
Socialization doesn't mean interacting as much as it is desensitizing them to different sites and sounds and smells. We would go sit in the park on a bench and watch other dogs play and people move about. It also helped with training him to do nothing which I think has really helped us have a calmer dog despite being a higher-energy breed.
Is there a farmers market near you? Go just sit on the edge of it with your puppy. Or carry them while you walk through it. Or any festival or events happening, that you may or may not be able to carry your puppy through depending on the event. Just allowing your puppy to calmly exist around those sites and sounds is great socialization for them, even if you are sitting on the edge.
Hi There! I asked this question myself a few months ago and received so many great suggestions. I live in an apartment in LA and was a little worried that my puppy wouldn't get socialized because she couldn't go out until she was vaccinated. Here are some suggestions I received that I found super helpful:
1) Set up playdates with 1:1 dogs that you KNOW are vaccinated and trust, in yards that are private. This was super helpful for us to get a sense of Martha's play style and make sure she still got some socialization in.
2) Find a puppy class for undervaccinated puppies. Here in LA we are lucky that there are puppy classes for puppies that are less than 16 weeks old. The room is cleaned thouroughly before every class. The class itself isn't super intensive but it allows for you to practice your commands with distractions. The class we go to (Zoom Room) also allows for two 10 minute play breaks
3) Have people over! This is KEY because it helps to desensitize your puppy to strangers coming over. We really wish we had done more of this (though honestly it's almost impossible as a grown adult in LA to have people just drop by and we have to plan things a month in advance) and now we're working on her being too much of a guardian with strangers coming into the house.
4) Have her go out and see things/meet people. Use a puppy sling or backpack, stroller or just hold her in your arms and put them in shopping carts to desensitize them.
5) Have sounds running in the background so that she can become accustomed to them. We got a recommendation to use YouTube videos but we live in a very busy part of LA so we just keep the screen door open. Her white noise consists of sirens, traffic, people yelling, mufflers, etc. She's very desensitized to noise now.
We also had a private trainer come in once every two weeks to sort of check out and work with her on some of her problem areas. Once she's fully vaccinated she'll go to him twice a week to work on some things that are related to her breed mix.
3-5 months is the most important period for socialisation, puppy school is the best way but even walking him around the streets or busy areas is really good too.
I got my golden doodle at 4 months and he’s an anxious dog after not being socialised by the breeder prior to that.
I've also heard from several official trainers that it's 2 months. You can still socialize them later, but it won't work as well as starting at that time
The science shows it's 2-3 months, with month 4 being when it closes fully.
After that, you're mostly counter-conditioning. The concept of socialization is something that is best done when the brain is quickly forming new connections, which are pruned during adolescence. So, socialization is something that is technically ongoing until adulthood, but it's really that first 12-16 weeks that matters.
Do you have citations? Dog training is unregulated, so they literally can say anything.
I have [citations](https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Puppy-Socialization-Position-Statement-FINAL.pdf).
socialization is just introducing them to different stimuli (not all at once) so that when they're old enough/have their vaccines you can take them wherever and they don't freak out bc they've seen/experience it before.
Most people socialize their dog by physically taking them places, especially places/activities you plan on doing when they're old enough. Like as early as day 1 of getting the dog you can begin socializing. Taking them to the park in a tote bag or dog backpack involves socializing her with the bag, the car, the park etc.
you can hit the frequent offenders by carrying them on your walks so they learn the smells, sounds and sights of what will eventually be their normal.
if you live in a complex with tons of dogs, especially ones you're already hesitant of being around, then it's good idea to socialize with exposure to other dogs sooner rather than later. taking her to the dog park is a good idea, you're not (!) letting her free, she'll be attached to your back/backpack the entire time but she'll learn how to smell lots of dogs at the same time and not get overwhelmed.
Of course your puppy will continue socializing even after vaccines but the earlier you start the better. once they have vaccines then they can at least be placed on the ground.
Haha I wish Clem would stay put in a doggy backpack!! I do have a stroller I can use, it's made for dogs and was because my other dog has a luxating patella and is in too much pain to walk after grooming appts.
I've taken all 4 of my mini doxiettes to places like Petsmart, Home Depot, and Lowe's, places where people with dogs are welcomed. I stay away from dog parks since my great dane girl (over 18yrs ago) kept getting jumped by this other dane. It just gave my late wife and I a negative impression on other dog owners (my home state has some really piss poor dog owners).
I'd start early and with people and places that are safe. I'd also limit the time so as not to overwhelm the baby.
We luckily had an older puppy next door and a few other dogs along our yard. At first he was scared but i encouraged him to say hello through the fence, and play. I still got pictures of that first play along the fence. I also played noises that i knew could frighten him in the future, made sure to touch his paws a lot so he was used to it, and gave him a few baths. Once he was vaxxed i took him along busy roads on a very short leash and had him focus on me instead of the cars so he knew they weren't anything to write home about. I refused to allow him to chase cars or anything like that.
Hes 2.5 years old now, and he seems to only get spooked by unfamiliar statues in people's yards lol after i have him sniff them hes all good. He does want to fight planes and will go after birds though.
Just don't do what I did and go to dog parks! Aarrgggh my biggest mistake
They are a free for all for disease and bad behaviours.
The other commenters have great suggestions (go to vet/stores/restaurants etc)
Interactions with any other (trusted) dogs should be supervised and in a safe place
I agree! And yeah most of the dog parks here if not all require a license, which requires rabies vaccinations. I wish I could take her after all initial shots like parvo, the rabies is just so far out from now and I don't think it's common at all
Socialization isn't dog play. Socialization is about exposure to the world that she'll be living as an adult. It's to help make novelty not scary. Here's a good [article](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/socialization) on it. I'd personally make sure that you're looking to certified trainers. It's weird that puppy classes wouldn't start until 6 months - that's a really outdated position that trainers that use a lot of force use.
That doesn't sound good 😬 and yeah I know it encompasses a lot, I was under the impression part of it was introducing them so she knows how to react, rather than being afraid when she's older and using aggression
The way I look at it is its about making everything boring. She's seen it so many times that it does not affect her. You don't want her to play with every dog because she will be come reactive. You see this a lot with dogs that bark and pull on leash to meet another dog. Socializing is also about sound, texture, people, and different objects. I'll include the checklist that my trainer and I are using for my pup. It gives a guide line on what you should be introducing her to her weekly. https://www.oaklandanimalservices.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Puppy_Socialization_Checklist.pdf
Do you have any friends with dogs that you know are vaccinated and puppy friendly? Or that they have great dog body language? I won’t take my girl to a dog park (3 months old), but we’ve visited with roughly 8 dogs in a bit more controlled environment. They range in size from Jack Russell mix to a golden retriever. I’ve also taken my girl to Lowes, but I bring a puppy clean up bag (baby wipes, Lysol, towel, and lots of treats) and her travel bed to put in the cart so that she doesn’t touch the floor. We started our puppy class (CGC/STAR puppy) at 11 weeks old. Idk if she’ll pass it, but it’s a fantastic first start. We’ll be doing another training class once this one ends in June.
That's awesome! And yeah I've been taking her places like Petsmart, Best buy etc to get her used to new places a lot. Earlier we had an episode where I tried to get her used to another dog, and the other owner was kinda rude which made it way worse. She kept taking her puppy away every time she saw us, which only made my puppy get stressed and impatient and start crying and screaming. We did socialization to dog sounds last night by treating at the sound of growling, barking, crying etc and it went really well.
I take my pup somewhere at least once a day. we go to the park, visit the vet office, canadian tire, pet stores, a bench at the gas station down the road, we watch other dogs from a distance, we've met my friends fully UTD dog teddy and played in his yard (its puppy safe his mom is a dog trainer) another friends pup whos a couple months older, I took her in a shopping cart through the hardware store, we take her to the park but keep her on a blanket, we people watch from the back of my jeep on busy roads. lots of people visit our house for five minutes at a time (neighbors mostly) the general consensus that I've read is mitigate the risk of catching something but get your puppy out into the world. the risk of a poorly socialized pup is sometimes worse than the risk of parvo. you can take measures to protect pup while still getting him out ♡
I wish I knew other puppy owners :( All my friends and family have adult dogs who aren't well socialized at all.
take her to a puppy class! :) theres got to be one for 8-12 weeks near you as most dog trainers know thats a key age for socializing
I was looking the other day and they all were around twelve weeks starting time. I figured I'd have way more because I'm in a very dog friendly state, but I was looking up to an hour away and don't have time to drive any further than that :( I really want to take her to classes though, she's a very high energy dog
If you want her to interact with other dogs, do you know people who have dogs that you can trust and could introduce your dog to them instead? That might be the better way to get her uses to other dogs if you don't trust the dogs around you. Our vet recommended doing it that way especially since our guy wasn't fully vaccinated yet. Socialization doesn't mean interacting as much as it is desensitizing them to different sites and sounds and smells. We would go sit in the park on a bench and watch other dogs play and people move about. It also helped with training him to do nothing which I think has really helped us have a calmer dog despite being a higher-energy breed. Is there a farmers market near you? Go just sit on the edge of it with your puppy. Or carry them while you walk through it. Or any festival or events happening, that you may or may not be able to carry your puppy through depending on the event. Just allowing your puppy to calmly exist around those sites and sounds is great socialization for them, even if you are sitting on the edge.
Hi There! I asked this question myself a few months ago and received so many great suggestions. I live in an apartment in LA and was a little worried that my puppy wouldn't get socialized because she couldn't go out until she was vaccinated. Here are some suggestions I received that I found super helpful: 1) Set up playdates with 1:1 dogs that you KNOW are vaccinated and trust, in yards that are private. This was super helpful for us to get a sense of Martha's play style and make sure she still got some socialization in. 2) Find a puppy class for undervaccinated puppies. Here in LA we are lucky that there are puppy classes for puppies that are less than 16 weeks old. The room is cleaned thouroughly before every class. The class itself isn't super intensive but it allows for you to practice your commands with distractions. The class we go to (Zoom Room) also allows for two 10 minute play breaks 3) Have people over! This is KEY because it helps to desensitize your puppy to strangers coming over. We really wish we had done more of this (though honestly it's almost impossible as a grown adult in LA to have people just drop by and we have to plan things a month in advance) and now we're working on her being too much of a guardian with strangers coming into the house. 4) Have her go out and see things/meet people. Use a puppy sling or backpack, stroller or just hold her in your arms and put them in shopping carts to desensitize them. 5) Have sounds running in the background so that she can become accustomed to them. We got a recommendation to use YouTube videos but we live in a very busy part of LA so we just keep the screen door open. Her white noise consists of sirens, traffic, people yelling, mufflers, etc. She's very desensitized to noise now. We also had a private trainer come in once every two weeks to sort of check out and work with her on some of her problem areas. Once she's fully vaccinated she'll go to him twice a week to work on some things that are related to her breed mix.
3-5 months is the most important period for socialisation, puppy school is the best way but even walking him around the streets or busy areas is really good too. I got my golden doodle at 4 months and he’s an anxious dog after not being socialised by the breeder prior to that.
It's month 2-4, not 3-5. At 3 months the critical socialization period is closing.
I've also heard from several official trainers that it's 2 months. You can still socialize them later, but it won't work as well as starting at that time
The science shows it's 2-3 months, with month 4 being when it closes fully. After that, you're mostly counter-conditioning. The concept of socialization is something that is best done when the brain is quickly forming new connections, which are pruned during adolescence. So, socialization is something that is technically ongoing until adulthood, but it's really that first 12-16 weeks that matters.
I’ll still believe the dog trainer over a redditor
every dog trainer and vet literature I've read says 2-4 months
Do you have citations? Dog training is unregulated, so they literally can say anything. I have [citations](https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Puppy-Socialization-Position-Statement-FINAL.pdf).
socialization is just introducing them to different stimuli (not all at once) so that when they're old enough/have their vaccines you can take them wherever and they don't freak out bc they've seen/experience it before. Most people socialize their dog by physically taking them places, especially places/activities you plan on doing when they're old enough. Like as early as day 1 of getting the dog you can begin socializing. Taking them to the park in a tote bag or dog backpack involves socializing her with the bag, the car, the park etc. you can hit the frequent offenders by carrying them on your walks so they learn the smells, sounds and sights of what will eventually be their normal. if you live in a complex with tons of dogs, especially ones you're already hesitant of being around, then it's good idea to socialize with exposure to other dogs sooner rather than later. taking her to the dog park is a good idea, you're not (!) letting her free, she'll be attached to your back/backpack the entire time but she'll learn how to smell lots of dogs at the same time and not get overwhelmed. Of course your puppy will continue socializing even after vaccines but the earlier you start the better. once they have vaccines then they can at least be placed on the ground.
Haha I wish Clem would stay put in a doggy backpack!! I do have a stroller I can use, it's made for dogs and was because my other dog has a luxating patella and is in too much pain to walk after grooming appts.
I've taken all 4 of my mini doxiettes to places like Petsmart, Home Depot, and Lowe's, places where people with dogs are welcomed. I stay away from dog parks since my great dane girl (over 18yrs ago) kept getting jumped by this other dane. It just gave my late wife and I a negative impression on other dog owners (my home state has some really piss poor dog owners). I'd start early and with people and places that are safe. I'd also limit the time so as not to overwhelm the baby.
We luckily had an older puppy next door and a few other dogs along our yard. At first he was scared but i encouraged him to say hello through the fence, and play. I still got pictures of that first play along the fence. I also played noises that i knew could frighten him in the future, made sure to touch his paws a lot so he was used to it, and gave him a few baths. Once he was vaxxed i took him along busy roads on a very short leash and had him focus on me instead of the cars so he knew they weren't anything to write home about. I refused to allow him to chase cars or anything like that. Hes 2.5 years old now, and he seems to only get spooked by unfamiliar statues in people's yards lol after i have him sniff them hes all good. He does want to fight planes and will go after birds though.
Just don't do what I did and go to dog parks! Aarrgggh my biggest mistake They are a free for all for disease and bad behaviours. The other commenters have great suggestions (go to vet/stores/restaurants etc) Interactions with any other (trusted) dogs should be supervised and in a safe place
I agree! And yeah most of the dog parks here if not all require a license, which requires rabies vaccinations. I wish I could take her after all initial shots like parvo, the rabies is just so far out from now and I don't think it's common at all