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Socializing Your new Puppy
Two months ago you brought home a cute, fluffy, playful 8-week mixed breed puppy you named Odie. Today, Odie chewed up your lawn chair, urinated on your carpet, had a bowel movement on the front porch and bit the neighbor’s son (when picked up one of Odie’s toys).
What went wrong? How could that lovable, 2-month old turn into such a problem in such a short period of time? Odie was not socialized properly. Since behavioral problems are one of the most common reasons pets are turned into animal shelters and put to sleep, behavior problems are an important issue. The problem in most cases is preventable and “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” hold true.
Socializing is the process whereby puppies learn about their environment as well as the people and other animals in their environment. At 6 weeks of page, most puppies have full use of smell, hearing and sight. They begin to input information, positive and negative, into their mental computer (brain). As they grow, when a night sight, smell or sound is experienced, or an unfamiliar person shows up, they refer to their memory banks to come up with a positive or negative response. For example, if a puppy is exposed to the UPS delivery person in a favorable manner, as an adult, he will not fear or act aggressively towards him or her.
The most important stage of a pup’s learning phase takes place during 6-16 weeks of age. During this time frame, you establish your authority as well as teach right from wrong. It is a very serious mistake to wait until a puppy is 6-months old to begin training. Remember, a puppy’s attitude towards his environment and life in general is usually framed by the time he is 16 weeks old. You should also keep in mind that puppies, like children, will learn at different rates and have individual personalities. Some will learn to house break, sit, stay, and come with little effort, while others will tax your patience to the limit.
Canine personalities are loosely divided into “dominant” and “submissive” types. Next, we’ll discuss how the personalities are exhibited in puppies and how to socialize those puppies to prevent behavior problems as adult dogs.
Start Young
You remember our misfit pup Odie? He’s still having problems with his behavior, especially aggression toward children. You’re considering euthanasia to avoid liability - a very valid concern, but not a choice that you or Odie finds very pleasing. The sad part is that the situation could have been avoided. Let’s talk about how we could start at the beginning and go about the socializing process correctly this time.
Remember that dogs are pack animals. Their mental process from their first interaction with their littermates are geared toward conforming to the pack structure.
Pushing, playing, play-biting, and growling are used as early as 4 weeks to establish “ranking” within the litter. the seriousness of this behavior increases as the pup’s age and continues into adulthood if no dominance order is established.
Dogs are born with a genetic personality which is shaped and modified by interaction with other dogs and humans, as well as other animals until their “adult” personality finally gels.
Again - dogs/puppies are loosely divided into “dominant” and “submissive” personality types. The basic personality of a puppy can be determined as early as 7-weeks of age. Remember that most pups fall somewhere in the middle and are neither totally dominant or submissive.
When going to pick a new puppy, request that you see the entire litter in their normal environment. Watch how the pups behave toward each other and toward strangers (you). Dominant pups will be pushing, growling, and mouthing their littermates, and upon noticing you, they will quickly run over to check you out. They may bark at you, chew on your shoe laces, pant legs, or finger if offered, or jump.
Extremely dominant pups may grown when handled and bite at you when picked up. Submissive pups will hold back - walking up carefully, sniffing your feet - and will lower their heads and bodies when you reach for them. Extremely submissive pups will act fearful, barking, hiding, and may bite or scream when picked up. “Middle of the road” pups showing moderately dominant character with some submission usually make the best pets in the long run. Extremely dominant or submissive pups make poor family pets and should be avoided.
The littermates are al gone you say? A simple test that can judge a pup’s personality after getting acquainted for 4-5 minutes involves placing the puppy on its back for 20-30 seconds. If the pup calmly submits or lays still, or struggles briefly but then calms down, the pup should have a relatively stable personality. Puppies that growl, scream, urinate on themselves or thrash continuously for the 20-30 seconds, may be either overly dominant or overly submissive, but are best avoided as family pets.
Pups with different personalities require slightly different approaches when socializing. Dominant pups must constantly be reminded that you are teh boss and usually require strong body language and firm voice to prevent problems. Submissive pups, onthe other hand, must be corrected and must be handled with a “gentler” body language (squat position, petting gently and a softer voice).
No matter what the personality type, all pups should be exposed to other well behaved dogs, automobiles, metal garbage cans, livestock, vacuums, mowers, motorcycles, bicycles, but especially young children during the 6-16 weeks of age bracket. All exposure should be positive to avoid fear aggression response later in life.
Early socialization training is the most vital part of teaching your puppy to live with you in your environment and is the foundation for trust, communication, and all future obedience training.
For detailed aspects of puppy training, obtain a copy of Mueller’s Official Puppy Owner’s Manual, an excellent self-help guide.
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