Doors will be closing soon on puppy socialization skills
You know the saying, “when one door closes, another one opens?”
But with respect to raising a well-adjusted puppy, Alexander Graham Bell lied. Though experts disagree on ages, the door to socialization for your puppy opens at around 4 weeks and closes about 8 weeks later, when your puppy is 12 weeks old. The sooner the better.
To be a well-adjusted dog, your young puppy needs to get out of the house with you having some good tasty treats in a food pouch! He needs to meet people--tall people, fat people, people in wheelchairs, people in cowboy hats and people with umbrellas. And children. He needs to meet dogs--friendly, healthy dogs in safe places. He needs to experience so many things in such a short period of time--grass and gravel under his paws; elevators and stairwells; eating out of metal bowls and off paper plates; bicycles, strollers, a marching band. Throngs. No one said it would be easy. But it will be fun. (For a more information, see what is puppy socialization)
But my veterinarian says I should wait ...
In their socialization statement, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior says that: "The Primary and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life. During this time puppies should be exposed to as many new people, animals, stimuli and environments as can be achieved safely and without causing overstimulation manifested as excessive fear, withdrawal or avoidance behavior. For this reason, the AVSAB believes that it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated."
Personally, as I've held several hundred puppy classes throughout the years and had the preveledge of meeting a local vet tech who brought a 10 week old puppy to class. She informed me that she hasn't given this puppy any shots yet, but she did do a titer test and she had a very high antibody present in her serum. Continuing to explain to me that the titer test indicate she got enough immunity from her mother and the healthy environment she was raised in prior to coming home. This is not to suggest puppies do not need to get their immunity shots at your favorite veterinarian office, but to strongly urge you to seek out information about immunity shots that your puppy needs in order to go to a safe structured environment that slowly and carefully exposes them to new people, smells, sounds and other puppies.
What’s more heartbreaking than Parvo?
Here’s what you can learn from informative dog trainers and vets and the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB).
Behavioral problems should be more important then the fear of parvo. Behavior problems are the number one reason dogs are left outside, taken to the shelter, and/or abused and misunderstood.
The fact that your puppy may grow up fearful and anxious is higher, then your puppy getting parvo from a puppy class. There is as many diseases tracked into a pet store and your favorite veterinarian office, then a safe and structured puppy class.
A compromise and a plan
You have so many options for socializing your puppy in a safe environment to minimize his risk of yucky stuff.
Call Gail Hubbard at WNC K9 Dog Training at 828-712-4245 for suggestions if you have been given some information that has scared you.
Call Gail Hubbard at WNC K9 Dog Training at 828-712-4245 for suggestions if you have been given some information that has scared you.
First of all, avoid inappropriate places full of dogs with questionable vaccination status--dog parks, pet stores, dog events, the groomer ... and some vet offices.
Second, the compromise. You may choose to wait until his second set of vaccines (at 10-11 weeks old) to let him start meeting strange dogs in a controlled puppy program that you know have been vaccinated.
Third, enroll him in puppy school, sooner rather than later. Choose a facility that requires vaccinations and is clean and enclosed. Puppy school will go a long way towards exposing your puppy to lots of new people, other puppies, children. At a WNC K9, our Puppy Program will give your puppy the skills she needs to love life and greet every experience with a wagging tail. Click here to learn more and to sign up for one of several convenient puppy classes.
What did you do to socialize your puppy? Leave a comment below and let us know three things you think a puppy should experience before the door closes on socialization.
