Balancing Risks in Socialization
Last time, I wrote a bit of a primer for people looking to socialize puppies. This week, I want to tackle some evolving perspectives on when to socialize a puppy and where the newer research is leading us.
The importance of socialization is undeniable, but it can be a catch-22. During the same period that your puppy needs to be out and about meeting all kinds of people and experiencing all kinds of new stimuli, he's also most vulnerable to disease. Taking a puppy out of the house means exposing him to things like parvovirus, giardiasis, kennel cough, tick-borne illness, and other diseases that can result in lifelong problems or even death, so many professionals in the past recommended waiting until puppies finished a full series of shots and boosters.
However, that meant keeping the puppy isolated until as late as 16 weeks, meaning missing out on a huge part of the prime socialization window Going to that extreme can prevent the pup from having the experiences he needs in order to be a stable, safe, cooperative dog. So you have to evaluate the risks and rewards of isolating or socializing a puppy during this key period.
The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior released a position statement on socialization in 2018 in which they take a pretty definitive stance on the issue. Their argument is essentially that behavioral problems cause enough rehoming and death among young dogs than these illnesses and that careful socialization is worth the risk of disease.
We’ve followed this advice with our own dogs. In fact, weeks before we even bring a puppy home, we try to have their first puppy class on the calendar, preferably starting within a week of their arrival. So our puppies are already in class at 9 weeks old. We also will take more than one class with our pups. Puppy Kindergarten tends to run 5 or 6 sessions with the puppy, and I find rolling over to a new session (so the puppy is in class pretty much weekly 9 weeks to at least 22 weeks or more) means my puppy can meet more people and learn to behave and pay attention around more dogs.
We also need to take our pups to places other than class. Puppy illnesses are no joke, and we need to take care to minimize puppies’ exposure to them, but they are not as common as abandonments and euthanasia due to behavioral problems that stem from aggression and fear. Problems like these are dramatically lower in puppies who have been socialized carefully and who have been through early obedience classes.
That leaves us in search of ways to find our puppies lots and lots of varied experiences while minimizing their exposure to critical diseases.
The first step is to talk to your veterinarian about which diseases are common in your area. For example, if you have a serious parvovirus problem in your area, you absolutely cannot risk exposure to areas where there might be unknown or unvaccinated dogs.
In our area, based on the advice of our vets, we’ve taken our puppies for walks in the woods or on the beach right off the bat during their first few days with us. Despite the risk of disease, the foundations of good training and socialization are invaluable, and those first 4-6 weeks you have with a pup are crucial. We go during off-times, like sunrise, and if I see a dog I don't know, I pick my pup up and if necessary, explain to the other owner he's too young to play with dogs he doesn't know.
In other areas, the woods may present too much of a risk, but you can call around to local big box stores or home improvement stores and ask what their policy is for puppies. Some places allow dogs, and others will allow a puppy as long as he's held. Once you find some good locations, you can get out and give your puppy some positive experiences with strange people and places.
I avoid pet stores at all costs, despite the fact they allow dogs. Too many careless people with unvaccinated or untrained dogs come through those stores. Once a puppy has had his shots, the pet store is a fun place to work on some training with distractions or to pick out a toy for a special occasion, but it's not a place I'd bring a young puppy.
With dog parks, I’ve found it highly depends on the specific park and time of day. In the past, I’ve found a core group of people at the dog park at specific times of day who can confirm their dogs are up to date on vaccines, have well-behaved dogs, and actually pay attention while their dogs are playing. But more often, I’ve found that dog parks can sometimes have people whose dogs don’t show signs of good care, training, or socialization, and that can be really dangerous for any dog, especially a puppy.
So when you are planning on a new pup, include risk-managed socialization as a keystone. Puppy Kindergarten isn't just about laying the foundations for lifelong obedience. It also lowers the risk of problem behaviors down the road by helping show your puppy that the world is a safe place and that you are a reliable source of security and good things.