Socializing Your Puppy for Health and Happiness

I've got some important new information that updates my previous post Puppy Love.

In that post I had seen a number of new puppies being walked in public parks by their humans. I was concerned for the puppies' health, since their immune systems are not yet fully developed. I researched on the web, and didn't really find anything specifically telling folks to keep their pups away from public places. So I consulted a vet who gave some clear directions.

• A puppy should have its full set of vaccinations before being socialized--that is usually completed by around 16 weeks of age.
• Any social benefits derived from earlier socialization are offset by the risk of catching a potentially life-threatening illness.

This weekend I attended a workshop conducted by the Animal Behavior Service at the College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University.

Dr Barbara Sherman, Director of the Animal Behavior Service, gave a presentation on Living in Harmony with Puppies, which brought together several important pieces of scientific information.

The period of 3-16 weeks marks a puppy's prime learning period for socialization. This means it's the most important time in a puppy's life for developing socializing skills with their mom, other puppies, dogs, children, human adults, and other animals.

In fact, this is a critical period of the puppy's life.

• A rich social life during this critical period immeasurably helps the dog in all social aspects of its future life.
• A lack of socialization during this critical period can handicap a dog for its entire life--including  behavior problems whose effects can multiply over time.

The seriousness of this situation is that behavior problems are the leading cause of death for dogs, with millions of them being euthanized every year for that reason--they never developed the social skills to get along.

So how do you balance socialization needs with physical health needs?

You provide play opportunities and contact with friendly well-vaccinated dogs and puppies. Be selective. Don't go to the park for puppy socialization.

• Friendly, easy going,calm adult dogs who allow puppies to explore and play in their adorable puppy ways.
• Puppy classes that ensure all participants are vaccinated are excellent ways for pups to learn to play with one another in positive environments.

Additionally, during this socialization period,it's important to provide positive experiences by having your puppy gently handled by your children. If you don't have children in your household, you can import them from your neighborhood.

I'll provide more information on puppy socialization in future posts.