You hear all the time that socializing dogs is important. It’s common to assume that socializing your dog means ensuring that they are able interact with other dogs. But dog socialization is so much more than that.
So what does it mean to socialize your dog and how do you go about it?
Just as with human children, it’s important to expose your puppies to a variety of people, places, pets, and experiences. But it’s just as important to ensure that you do this in a way that is safe for your pup.
And if you’re already wondering what to do if you are past the puppy stage, not to worry. You can still socialize your adult dog, and we’ll talk about that here as well.
First let’s dive into why it’s so important to socialize your dog. Some of the benefits may surprise you!
Importance of socializing dogs
It’s not just humans in information overload these days; dogs have to navigate a lot as well. Particularly in more populated areas, dogs have to deal with a variety of people, noises, and experiences on a daily basis.1
A dog living in a suburban town for example may encounter other dogs, parents pushing strollers, the sounds of buses and trains, and squirrels all on a short walk. And that’s just a small portion of the day.
Socializing your dog through a variety of exposures helps to ensure they enjoy the activities that are part of your daily routine. Socializing your pup is a key way to help ensure that your dog isn’t fearful or anxious.
Not only is this socialization beneficial to your dog, but it also helps to prevent behavioral issues that may be harmful to your dog and others.2 These behavioral issues may also cause property damage that could harm your dog as well.
In short, socializing your dog helps your dog develop a more well-rounded and stable temperament. This allows them to also take part in more aspects of your life because they are used to and able to handle new experiences.3
How to socialize a puppy
As you can imagine, it’s important to start the socialization process young, with the most crucial time period being between 3-12 weeks. Because you typically won’t take a new puppy home until they are about 8 weeks old, it’s important to find a responsible breeder that will begin to socialize your puppy before they even get home.2
However, socialization needs to continue well past 12 weeks. The next milestone is 6 months, but your dog needs to be consistently socialized through adolescence and beyond so they don’t regress.1
As we touched on earlier, socialization is so much more than just ensuring that your dog can be well-mannered with other dogs. Socialization involves exposing your pup to a variety of stimuli, such as:
A variety of people (children, seniors, family, friends, people with helmets or hats on, etc.)
A variety of sounds (buses, cars, other noises that are common to your lifestyle or area)
A variety of activities (riding in the car, going on a walk, going to an outdoor patio, etc.)
A variety of objects (garbage cans, snow shovels, etc.)
However, it’s important to talk to your veterinarian about appropriate socialization activities if your puppy isn’t fully vaccinated.
Positive reinforcement is critical to the socialization process so that your puppy has positive associations with new experiences and stimuli rather than being fearful or anxious. And you don’t want to overwhelm your puppy. Slow and steady is a good way to begin approaching exposure to new stimuli.
If your puppy becomes scared, you don’t want to reinforce that the new experience may be scary by coddling your pup. You can distract them from their fear by redirecting their attention to you or a toy. This helps prevent them from developing a negative association with that particular stimulus.1
How to socialize an adult dog
By now you may be wondering what to do if you’re already past the puppy stage. Not to worry. The old adage about teaching an old dog new tricks is just a myth.
Many of the same principles that we talked about for socializing your puppy will still apply to your adult dog. You may just need to embark on this process a bit more gradually.
Some ways that you can work on socializing your dog are taking them on walks on different routes to expose them to new stimuli or having a couple of people over who are aware you’re working on socializing your adult dog.4
It’s important to be mindful that your dog will feed off of your emotions, so it’s essential to be calm, steady, and curious with them. If you are nervous, they will be nervous too.4
While socializing an adult dog involves many of the same steps as socializing a puppy, it’s likely to take longer as the dog has more ingrained habits and mindsets. Patience is the key throughout this process. And it may be most beneficial to seek professional help.
As a professional dog trainer who uses a balanced approach, I help puppies and adult dogs through the socialization process in ways that are specific to your needs and lifestyle. If you think your dog could benefit from this type of training, let’s chat!
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1 “How To Socialize a Puppy and Why It’s So Important”, by Dr. Wailani Sung on PetMD, https://www.petmd.com/dog/behavior/how-to-socialize-puppy
2 “Puppy Socialization: Why, When, and How to Do It Right”, by Liz Donovan on American Kennel Club, https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/puppy-socialization/
3 “5 Reasons Why Socializing Your Dog is Important”, MetLife Pet Insurance, https://www.metlifepetinsurance.com/blog/pet-care/5-reasons-why-socializing-your-dog-is-important/
4 “How to Socialize an Older Dog”, Dogtopia, https://www.dogtopia.com/blog/how-to-socialize-an-older-dog/
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