Socialization For “Normal” Puppies
Most puppies have socialization goals and journeys that look quite similar. But that begs the question- what are those supposedly similar journeys supposed too look like and what even is a “normal” puppy, anyway?
I define normal puppies as follows:
1. No extreme fear, excessive shyness, or shut-down outside of small amounts in the critical socialization period, which do not last more than 2 weeks
2. No unwarranted aggression, out of proportion defensiveness, or abnormally strong resource guarding
3. Seeks opportunities to observe or investigate novel stimuli
4. Was not a singleton, medically restricted, or separated from initial family unit before 8-10 weeks
If your puppy does not fit this description of “normal”- do not panic! This only means that their journey, timeline, and methods will likely need to be a little different, not that they are a lot cause! If your puppy is “normal” then welcome to your adventure into creating a socialized member of human and dog society!
Socialization is a very misunderstood concept in pet parent circles, due to how we as human use the word “socialize”. When human socialize, we interact with conspecifics (scientist speak for “others of our species, Homo sapiens”), and put heavy emphasis on that interaction portion. If someone hangs in the back of a venue, we do not consider them to be “socializing”. However, for a puppy, this is exactly what we want them to do!
Socialization is undergoing a rebrand in dog training as “EXPOSURE” because what we mean by socialization is exposing and habituating your new puppy to what is normal and good in their life. A puppy is making many, many new learning connections every single minute. These can be as simple as “buildings are tall” and as complex as “that loud sound comes from that yellow bus and is also not causing me any harm because the bus stays over there and then leaves.” It is a big world to be a baby puppy! So 75% of your job in socializing them is to sit back, hang out, and let them watch the world go by in all the ways and situations you want them to file under “regular things that do not cause alarm” in their brains. Cookies, pets, a chew, and a soft mat only make this better! This includes exposing them to things you would not think about, like blow up yard props, big hats, wheelchairs, people carrying large objects, and the like.
The other 25% come in a few categories. One people, and not just your friends, but all types of people and all types of shapes and sizes. While some striongly positive interactions like petting are fantastic, even more important is just to, again, sit back and watch. Next we have dogs and dog manners, which is what people normally put as item #1 on their homemade list. Your puppy should spend more time watching other dogs calmly than interacting and for sure more than playing. Then your next focus should be on co-walks, having your buddy and their dog walk with you and your puppy without the two dogs greeting for long or focusing on each other. Lastly is 1-on-1 dog time in open areas, but not just for play! Pick some dogs who don’t love to play but are still good with pups, some playful adults, and a few well behaved youngsters to manage well life-guarded time with. Not every dog will want to play with them and that is an important lesson! Last but not least is everything else, gear they will wear, cars they will ride, grooming they will experience, crate they will sleep in, wild animals and small pets they will need to leave alone. It is all one big feast of new experiences to put in the “unimportant regular stuff” brain vault.
It is a huge responsibility to show a puppy how the world works, but it can still be fun! Even if it is not all about petting and puppy play dates.
