When to socialize

[Carina43]

Lets see...places I take Cooper (well he often comes to work with me, so apart from that.) Lowes, Home Depot, PetsMart, PetCo, local nursery, friends' houses, park, the vet for a weekly visit (he loves it there), to see the buffalo up I70 in Denver, local used bookstore, Starbucks....

It is amazing how many places let you in with a dog if you say you need to buy some things but can't leave the dog in the car! Since he's with me at work, I often do this on errands.

Also I'm a big proponent of puppy kindergarden & I started him at 10 weeks.

[Ethár]

Dear memenzel:

Congrats to your puppy!!!!

I think that you have misunderstood this with socializing a little bit. Socializing is not meaning playing with other dogs only.

I have written A LOT on my website about all things we did with Abbe when he arrived to our home... go there and see if you can use some of these ideas.

GOOD LUCK with your furry baby and kiss him on the nose from me and Abbe!!

Press the link: Environmental training and activities.

[memenzel]

My puppy is 10 weeks old. This week she gets her second round of vaccinations. So in 3 weeks she will go for her last round. How much do I socialize her now? I heard you have to socialize them lots before they are 3 months, but I also heard I need to be very careful until she has had all her immunizations. I have taken her places, and just carried her. We have gone to a friends and she plays with her dog, who I know has all his vaccinations. I am not going to be able to carry her much longer. She is getting heavy!!!

[JayMay]

We started socializing Gatsby (now 7 months) as soon as we brought him home (2 months old). I'd take him to PetSmart, and to friends' houses to let him play with other dogs. At about 4-5 months we started puppy and basic obediance clases, and after those ended, he started doggie daycare at the same facility. We try to take him there 2x's a month so he can play with other dogs and be around other people. The employees there always brag on what a good dog he is. Not to mention we try to have him at family gatherings where I know children will be. We don't have any kids, so I want him to learn proper behavior around kids...so far he's been great!

[rottnkidd]

I've been taking Diva everywhere she can possibly go, since she was a young pup. The more varied the enviroments, the better. We've been down to the Amtrak station so she can hear the trains coming and going, down to the harbor to see and hear the big ships, walks thru the National Park to see different people, hikers, bicyclists, joggers, AND wildlife! My husband is a DJ, so we've even visited the bars! Now there's a place to see some real weirdos, lol! Don't force any situation on your puppy though. If puppy seems frightened by a loud
noise or something as silly as a fire hydrant, calmly reassure and let pup investigate a bit. When the perceived "threat" has passed, praise the pup and walk on. Remember your pup is very young, so don't overdo the walks or hikes!
Serious skeletal damage can result from over-exercise. Keep it short and simple. Just looking around at all the "new" things in her life will be enough of a workout! Best wishes to all of you!

[sugarmaginva]

I wouldn't take your puppy out until it's had vaccines up until at LEAST 16 weeks old. Then get that puppy enrolled in some sort of class, Get him around kids, people with differevt ethnic backgrounds, elderly, take hime everywhere you can.

[Lisi]

I wouldn't take my dog to petsmart until he's up to date with all vaccinations (16 weeks). Too many ppl take there dogs in there and you don't know if they have been vaccinated.

I like Home Depot - I have never yet taken my dog through there and another dog has been there. It's clean and great for socialization.

With parvo being one of the biggest killers ofyoung Rotties, the first 4 months you have to be very careful to what you expose them to.

I wont let my young dogs (of any breed) play with other dogs if I can't see proof of vaccination - sorry but my pup's life isn't worth the risk.

Good luck with the socialization. Talk to friends with dogs, if their dogs are vaccinated allow them to socialize and play - if not - don't until the dog is at least 6mths old.

All training classes should require proof of vaccination - if they don't - I wouldn't attend.

Good luck


Lisi

[Carina43]

Lisi & others, you're right about the vaccinations, I did not stress that point. Cooper didn't go anyplace where there was a possibility of coming into contact with unvaccinated dogs or feces until he was about 3 months old. I did take him for car rides & to friend's houses, and the training facility is very strict about vac records & cleanliness. Since I don't have kids, the neighbor kids came over to my house to play with him.

Once he'd had his shots though, the world is his oyster!

[German Vanegas]

Let's talk about socialization. It is such an important issue to properly raise a puppy, yet, is often overlooked by most new puppy owners.

Starting one week after you get your puppy (ideally age 8 or 9 weeks), get him out one day a week to a new situation he has never seen before. This takes some planning, but is well-worth the effort.

8 Weeks: A walk (off leash) in a meadow or pasture with medium tall grass. Keep him with you by voice. Encourage him to climb over a little mound of dirt or a log. Praise his efforts to do something he has never done before. Walk just fast enough that he has to strain very slightly to keep up with you. At this age his desire to stay with you is very keen. Capitalize on that. The walk should take no more than 15 minutes.

9 Weeks: More outside walking. This time try your best to do it in the woods, of course, if you can. He is in taller grass and weeds. He must occasionally climb over small logs (big enough to be a challenge for the puppy). He goes up the hill, down the hill, over the rocks, maybe down a small bank. The perfect setup is where he goes across a small creek. He gets wet up to the chest. He scrambles up the bank to follow you. He goes through a thick carpet of leaves that crunch when he walks. Encourage him all the way. Praise him for meeting the challenge. The walk takes again about 15 minutes.

10 Weeks: The same as age 9 weeks but a bit more difficult. Occasionally hide momentarily from him when he is distracted in the woods. Watch him. Does he notice you are missing? If he does, and starts to look for you, suddenly appear and praise profusely. If he doesn't look for you, toss a pebble to make him notice you are missing. Then call him from your hiding place. When he starts to look for you, appear and praise him. This will teach him, as it is repeated time and time again, to watch you when you are out in the woods, instead of you having to constantly be watching where he is. This makes him take that responsibility of staying with you. Play this game over and over through many weeks until you cannot hide from him because he is always checking on your nearby presence. This only works when started young.

11 Weeks: Take him swimming. You hold him and wade out to knee deep water. Point him toward shore and gently let him go. Be sure he gets his head up and he heads for shore. Have someone on shore encouraging him in a positive way. Another way to approach this is to entice him into the water by going in yourself and encouraging him to follow. Do not throw him in!! When you are through get him out and dry him off and go home. Don't let him get chilled please.

12 Weeks: Take a trip to a farm or similar setting. Let him see cows, horses, chickens, and/or whatever livestock you can find. This time you can keep him on leash. Make sure he is safe from the animals and let him get close enough to sniff. This outing can take around 20 to 30 minutes. You have to have a positive attitude about all this. Be nonchalant about it all.

13 Weeks: Take him on leash to town. Walk him on a main street with medium to light foot traffic. He sees and hears cars, trucks (heavy street traffic). He passes by people walking bicycles, delivery men with hand trucks, etc. This should be a short outing about 10 minutes. Praise him lavishly for positive behavior. Be nonchalant and very encouraging. When you get back to the car, praise him for his remarkable feats of courage.

14 Weeks: A trip to the beach, a lake, a pond, or some other special place he has never been. Also taking a trip to a nearby school front lawn, when all the children are pouring out is quite essential. Let the kids stop and pet him. Let the puppy feel comfortable and happy around the crowd.

15 Weeks: Another trip to busy streets. More noises, more people, more city surroundings! Let the puppy be exposed to what life in the city is all about. Again, nothing but positive experiences.

16 Weeks: If you have done all this faithfully you will have taught him the most important thing: to be confident and sociable around new surroundings. Those positive early experiences will stay with him, thus enabling him to continue to learn throughout his lifetime.

17 to 21 Weeks: This should be a quiet calmer time in their lives.

At home it is expected that your puppy is exposed to all the normal everyday's life around you (radio, TV, music, washing machine, phone ringing, bell ringing, vacuum machine, visitors, etc).

DO YOUR BEST TO MAKE ALL EXPERIENCES AS PLEASANT AS POSSIBLE. DO NOT FORCE ANYTHING ON ANY SITUATION, AND DO NOT PAT YOUR PUPPY WHEN HE IS AFRAID OF SOMETHING, YOU WILL BE REENFORCING HIS FEAR. INSTEAD, YOU IGNORE THE OBJECT OF FEAR. BUILD YOUR PUP'S CONFIDENCE UP BY YOU SHOWING CONFIDENCE YOURSELF! PUPS CAN "READ" YOU PRETTY WELL.

Good luck! And don't forget to love and enjoy your puppy!

[Carina43]

Wow, German...excellent advice!

I took Cooper for little walks in wooded "wild" areas when he was very little. It was a joy watching him "discover" long grass, trees, the creek, mud and all that nice wet sand to dig in!

[Bruce Lanthier]

Now THAT is advice you should print and save!

[memenzel]

Thank you guys so much! Your advice is wonderful and now I have a plan! It is SO great having people to talk to.

My Sara has just learned to get herself up our steep set of stairs, but can't get back down yet. She tried once when my husband wasn't watching and fell down the stairs! When he told me about it, I was worried! (you know, new mom). But she got up and tried to go up again! I was so proud of her!

[damp]

Great post, German ;)

I am convinced that lack of early socialization can be more life-threatening in the long run, than taking a no- vaccinated 8 week old pup out to experience the world. Choose the places with care!!

[ July 23, 2001: Message edited by: damp ]

[Mick Trainer]

German great reply. ;)

memenzel,

You may also like to read this thread on the early stages of puppy development.
http://216.71.163.232/forums/cgi-loc...&f=24&t=000177

Mick.