A puppy’s first three to twelve weeks of age is one of the most important stages of their lives. Ideally, puppies stay with their litter until they are eight weeks old. This leaves most families with a four week window for optimal socialization. During this time, your puppy’s exposure will influence what they are comfortable and confident with as adult dogs. This guide will teach you how to effectively socialize your puppy.
Keep it positive
Effective socialization involves creating a positive association between your puppy and people, dogs, noises, and more. However, simply exposing your puppy to these elements is not enough. Introducing your puppy to people or dogs when they are stressed or anxious can do more harm than good. If your puppy looks nervous in any situation, focus on positive experiences. Take your puppy’s meal on the outing so they can enjoy their food while experiencing the world around them. If your puppy stops eating and cannot be encouraged to continue, it’s time to end the outing. Remember, you aren’t effectively socializing your puppy if you don’t always bring food with you when taking them out! We’ve listed some of our favorite socialization spots in our Kansas City Guides “Dog Parks in Kansas City”, “Kansas City’s Dog-Friendly Stores”, “Kansas City’s Dog-Friendly Hiking Trails” and “Pup Friendly Restaurants in Kansas City”.
Numbers
You should aim to see fifty people and fifty dogs in public every week, especially while your puppy is between eight and twelve weeks old. Reactivity towards tall people, people with hats, etc., which can be observed as dogs get older, can be traced back to missed opportunities in their early socialization.
This does not necessarily mean you should have your puppy interact with all of these people and dogs; it just means they are observing and eating while it is happening. Puppy classes alone, unfortunately, are not enough to effectively socialize a puppy.
Abnormal behavior
If your puppy refuses to eat in any setting except at home, shows signs of being nervous, tries to run back home during walks, barks at people or other dogs from windows, or hides behind you or between your legs, this may indicate a higher risk of developing reactivity as they grow older. We recommend consulting a certified dog behavior professional while your puppy is still young. Left unaddressed, this behavior, unfortunately, does not improve with age.
Older than twelve weeks
It’s better to be late than never! Start taking your puppy out right away, with the goal of seeing fifty people and fifty dogs each week. Keep an eye out for the unusual behaviors mentioned above, and reach out to a certified behavior professional if you notice any of them.
How we can help:
Do you have any socialization concerns with your puppy? Or perhaps you would like to teach them obedience commands, manners or address barking? If you are looking for more information, our co-founders Dr. Echterling-Savage and Sean Savage, have published additional puppy training videos, including “How to Socialize Your Puppy” and “How To Stop Your Puppy From Jumping”.
You can also schedule a free consultation with our Pet Behavior Team. We offer private sessions for the Kansas City area, as well as virtual consultation programs for those who live outside of our service area or who wish to connect with us remotely. Our Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and Co-founder, Dr. Echterling-Savage, offers virtual consultations. During which she develops a personalized training plan and provides support to achieve your training goals.
