Training Your New PUPPY
Socializing Your Dog or Puppy Will Boost His Confidence and Make Him More Reliable How to create a reliably social, friendly, confident dog. There was once a time when you rarely encountered the word “socialization” in dog circles. Today it’s the new training buzzword; if you haven’t heard it at least three dozen times by the time your dog is a dozen weeks old, you and your puppy must be living in a cave. A half-century ago, no one talked about canine socialization because they didn’t need to. For the most part dogs wandered freely in their neighborhoods, accompanied kids to the school bus stop, hung out with canine pals all day, and became naturally socialized to their world and the people, dogs, and things they encountered in their daily travels. Sure, they got into occasional scuffles amongst themselves, but they sorted it out. Yes, a kid was bitten every now and then, but it was no big deal. Dogs got hit by cars from time to time, but that was part of life – sad, but one could always find another dog, preferably one who would be smart enough to stay out of the road. We’d all like to have a friendly, social, confident dog. To create one, deliberately and thoroughly socialize your puppy as early as possible. Today a large segment of our pet-owning population is made up of more responsible canine guardians and caretakers. A nationwide paradigm shift has changed our attitudes about our dogs. No longer just “pets,” many of our beloved four-legged family members are kept inside our homes and in safely fenced yards, supervised closely when around children, and only encounter other dogs under controlled conditions – at training class, maybe during a brief on- leash greeting, during scheduled play dates, and perhaps at the dog park. The thought of our beloved dogs running free in the streets gives us heart palpitations, and we grieve terribly whenever we lose one. On the plus side, this means our dogs live longer, physically healthier lives. On the minus side, it means they no longer benefit from the natural socialization process that occurred when they were allowed to explore their world and figure out how things work on their own. As a result, we’ve spawned a whole new behavior problem: undersocialization. Building a social dog Socialization is really classical conditioning – creating an association between two stimuli. Behavioral scientists have identified the period from 4 to 14 weeks as the most important window of time for a puppy’s social development. After the age of 14 weeks that window starts to close, and it closes pretty quickly. If a pup is super-socialized during this important developmental period he’ll most likely believe the world is a safe and happy place. If he’s not well-socialized, he’s likely to be neophobic, which means fearful of new things. This is a common condition in dogs rescued from puppy mills and hoarder situations. It is challenging to own and train a dog who is afraid of everything new he encounters; worse, the neophobic canine is also a strong candidate for developing fear-related aggression. (For more about fearful dogs, see “Fear Itself,” WDJ April 2007.) Lack of exposure to new things is one cause of undersocialization; inappropriate exposure is another. If you’re not careful during your socialization efforts you may inadvertently set your pup up to create negative associations with parts of the world around him. In that case you can actually sensitize your pup to the things you’re introducing him to – that is, you can make him afraid of them – the exact opposite outcome of the one you want. Think of the well-meaning soccer mom who takes the family’s brand-new nine-week old pup to watch her son’s team practice. The entire team suddenly spies the adorable fluffball and charges toward the pup to oogle over him. The terrified puppy screams, pees, and tries to run away when he sees a dozen giant human creatures coming toward him at a dead run. He can’t escape; he’s trapped by the leash, which panics him even more. Mom sees the pup flailing at the end of the leash and scoops him up in her arms to calm him so the boys can pet him. Now he’s even more trapped! One boy reaches to pat him on the head, and the pup, thinking he may be about to die, as a last resort snaps at the lowering hand that appears poised to grab him. The boy yanks his hand away, and mom smacks the puppy for being “bad.” How much worse could it get? This puppy now has an extreme fear of children, especially boys, thanks to at least three negative classical associations in rapid succession: 1. Boys/children are scary; they run toward you in large packs. 2. Boys/children are scary; they try to grab your head. 3. Boys/children make bad things happen – when they are nearby, mom becomes violent. The pup may also have developed negative associations with the collar and leash, wide open fields, being picked up, and mom. In addition, he learned one important operant lesson – snapping is a successful behavioral strategy for making scary hands go away. None of these things are the lessons we want a young pup to learn! And now the puppy is labeled as “not good with children” and a “fear-biter.” In a well-run puppy class, puppies learn how to focus on their owners in a distracting environment, and gain confidence in leaps and bounds. We often talk about how long it can take dogs to generalize operantly conditioned behaviors (if I do “x” I can make “y” happen). In contrast, dogs tend to form classically conditioned associations, especially those that produce strong emotions, very quickly. The good news is that at nine weeks this pup’s socialization window is still wide open, and if his owner is smart she has time to repair the damage. Unfortunately, most owners don’t realize the importance of taking immediate steps to change a pup’s association if he has a bad experience at a young age. Socialization is the process of giving a puppy positive associations with the people, places, and things in his world. You need to be sure he’s having a great time, playing fun games, getting good stuff, and protected from scary stuff while you’re teaching him that the world is a safe and happy place. Early days If you bring your new pup home when he’s 8 weeks old, 4 of his 10 prime socialization weeks are already gone. Since a quarter to a half or more of a pup’s most important socialization time has passed by the time he leaves his mother and moves into his forever home, it’s vitally important that breeders invest time and energy into socializing their litters. This includes having the pups walk and play on different substrates (grass, gravel, concrete, carpeting, and vinyl); inviting lots of different kinds of people over to play with and handle the pups; exposing them to household objects and sounds (microwave, telephone, television, vacuum cleaner); and making sure the baby dogs have positive associations with all these things. Sadly, a small minority of breeders do a really good job of it, which contributes significantly to the population of under-socialized dogs in our world. If the breeder of your pup did her part, then your pup is already well-started on his super-socialization program. Now it’s your responsibility to keep it up. If your pup comes to you from a socially impoverished environment, you’ll already see the signs of neophobia. You have no time to lose, and you may never be able to make up all the ground he’s lost, but you can make him better than he’d be otherwise. Trainers talk about giving pups “100 new (positive) exposures in the first 100 days.” If your pup is already showing signs of timidity or fear, triple that to 300 exposures in 100 days. And get busy! Puppy classes A well-run puppy class is one of the best places to find lots of positive socialization opportunities. Unfortunately, because of their fear of disease transmission, some veterinarians still caution their clients with puppies to keep their young canines safely at home until fully vaccinated, or at the very least until they have received a minimum of two shots, usually by the age of 12 weeks. Twelve weeks leaves only two weeks of critical socialization time – assuming there’s a class starting up immediately after the pup receives his second shot. Not good enough! We asked longtime positive trainer Gail Fisher of All Dogs Gym & Inn, located in Manchester, New Hampshire, to share her experiences with and thoughts on puppy classes. Here’s her response: “Regarding the question of puppy socialization versus risk of illness: We have been running puppy classes and play sessions for puppies as young as eight weeks since 1976 (which, incidentally, was before parvo!) In all this time, we have had a total of three puppies in our classes who were diagnosed with parvo (or anything worse than canine cough – a mild upper respiratory infection similar to the common cold). “The first was a five-month-old Rottweiler (a breed known for having immunological issues – and beyond the age of a typical ‘puppy’ class). The second was a puppy from a breeder that had been in its new home for two weeks and who had received two shots, and the third was a pet shop puppy who had been purchased two days before starting class. “More importantly, however, is the fact that no other puppies in any of those classes got sick. As soon as we heard from the owners of the sick puppies, we immediately contacted every other puppy owner to tell them to check with their veterinarian for advice on whether to have an additional inoculation. Some did, some didn’t – but no one else got sick. “So if you’re looking for ‘odds’ – in 33 years, figure (conservatively) 100 puppies a year, more than 3,000 puppies – the odds of a puppy getting sick from a well-run training class is virtually nil (less than 1/100th percent). The risks of illness are, in my opinion, negligible, while on the other hand, the advantages to socialization are unmeasurable. “I hope this helps in your decision to take your puppy to training class!” Playing in the gene pool Of course, your dog’s genetics also influence his behavior and social tendencies. Behavior is always a combination of genetics and environment. Nature and nurture. Always. Genes dictate how easily reinforced a dog is for the things the environment tosses at him during his lifetime. Hence a dog who is genetically programmed to be reinforced by chasing things that move becomes a good herding dog, fox hound, or ratter. The difference is the herding dog is (hopefully) not programmed to be reinforced by killing the things he chases, while the hound and the terrier are. Pups who are genetically programmed to be reinforced for the consequences of acting behaviorally bold are naturally easier to socialize, even if their first few weeks lacked stimulation, than ones who are genetically programmed to be reinforced for the results of acting timid or fearful. How do you know which behavioral genes your pup has for social behavior? You really don’t. It’s useful to see your pup’s parents – at least the mother, if at all possible. If Mom is timid or aggressive there’s a good chance her pups will be, too. The pups’ behavior still can’t be attributed solely to genes; pups can learn fearful or aggressive behavior by watching their mother’s response to humans and other environmental stimuli, a behavioral phenomenon known as social facilitation. If you’ve been paying attention you’ll remember that genes and environment both play a role in behavior – always. Don’t despair if you adopted your pup from a shelter or rescue group. It’s true that if you never see Mom or Dad, you won’t get any hints about their behavior. So how do you know how much socialization your pup needs to overcome any genetic weakness in temperament? You don’t. But you don’t need to. The answer to the genetic mystery is to super-socialize every single puppy, regardless of what you think you know, or don’t know, about his genetics. If you do that, you’re guaranteed to help your pup be everything he can be, socially speaking. There’s no such thing as overkill when it comes to properly done socialization. You can’t do too much. Pups who are super-socialized tend to assume that new things they meet later in life are safe and good until proven otherwise. Dogs who are very well-socialized as pups are least likely to develop aggressive behaviors in their lifetimes. Pups who aren’t well-socialized tend to be suspicious and fearful of new things they meet throughout their lives, and are most likely to eventually bite someone. You’d better get out there and get started! Pat Miller, CPDT, is WDJ’s Training Editor. Miller lives in Hagerstown, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center. Pat is also author of The Power of Positive Dog Training; Positive Perspectives: Love Your Dog, Train Your Dog; Positive Perspectives II: Know Your Dog, Train Your Dog; and Play with Your Dog. . Article see at http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/topics/puppy_training_nutrition.html |
Vets and behaviourists weight the benefits and risks of socializing before a
puppy's vaccinations are complete.
One person tells you to take your puppy out and about as soon as possible
before it reaches 16 weeks of age so it can be properly socialized. And others
tells you to keep you puppy sequestered until i reaches 16 weeks of age so it
can be properly safeguarded against infectious disease.
Socialize? Sequester? While you're deciding , the clock is ticking. What's a
puppy owner to do?
EXPOSURE BENEFITS
The first three to four months of a puppy's life is the time when sociability out
ways fears during this window, puppies are willing to approach new people
and animals, explore new experiences and environments, learn new
behaviors, and generally expand their horizons. These months are the most
important time for puppies to learn about and adjust to the world they live in.
Lack of proper socialization during this critical period can lead to lifelong
behavior problems, such as fear and aggression.
Puppies need to interact with a verity of people and dogs to grow into
properly socialized adults. By playing with other puppies, they learn bite
inhibition (the ability to "play bite" without bearing down or breaking skin) and
canine language skills. By interacting with strangers they learn to interact with
people they don't know. Puppies also learn to learn, making subsequent
training easier.
Puppy classes offer benefits beyond socialization. Owners learn about puppies
behaviors and receive tips for coping with behavior problems, such as house
soiling and hyper activity- two common behavioral problems that lead to some
owners to give up their dog. Classes give new owners an opportunity to enjoy
their puppies around other owners with similar interests. These interactions
strengthen the bond between owner and dog, and leads to more realistic
expansions about what their puppy is capable of. An assumption that
everyone else dog acts like Lassie too often leads new owners to relinquish
their dog to shelters for being "defective."
In recolonization of the vital role socialization plays, the American Veterinary
Society of Animal Behavior recently stated that puppy socialization in th first
three months of life is so important that it should be the standard of care even
before they are fully vaccinated.
EXPOSURE RISK
The first milk that puppies receive from their dam effectively immunizes them
for the first several weeks of life against the same diseases the dam has
immunity against. Vaccinations given when the puppies still have their
immunity will not be effective.. This is why vaccinations are repeated to catch
the puppy at a time when it's maternally derived antibodies have dwindled to
a level at which vaccinations can be effective, yet leave the puppy vulnerable
to disease for as little time as possible.
Ronald Schultz, Ph.D.,Dipl, ACVM, is a professor in the department of
pathological sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary
Medicine in Madison, and was a member of the 2006 America Animal Hospital
Association Canine Vaccine Task Force, which formulated the current
vaccination guidelines in dogs. Schultz explains that the higher the dam's titer
( measure of antibodies in the blood) at the time the puppies are born, the
longer they will carry her maternally derived immunity. As long as they all
suckle at birth, litter mates tend to keep their maternally derived immunity for
about the same length of time as one another.
Timely vaccination is imperative to protect puppies against disease. For a few
at-risk puppies, such as orphans or those that were exposed to parvovirus,
some veterinarians suggest giving the first vaccination as early as 5 weeks of
age. But for most puppies, the schedule advocated by the AAA should be
followed.
All puppies should receive a minimum of three core vaccinations. A
combination of canine distemper, canine parvovirus, and hepatitis
( usually the CAV-2 vaccine) should be given between 6 and 16 weeks of age,
at three- to four week intervals. The first vaccination should be given
between 6 and 8 weeks of age , second one between 9 and 11 weeks and the
third between 12 to 14 weeks. A rabies vaccination is given between 12 and
16 weeks of age. Schultz advised that vaccinations for leptospirosis and Lyme
disease should not be given a the same time as the core vaccinations. If these
vaccinations are administered, wait until the core vaccinations are complete.
Vaccinations for Bordetella and canine infuenza must also be considered.
Kennel cough being not much more than a cold in Adult dogs but in puppies it's
a serious concern because it can lead to pneumonia. And can be giving to
puppies as young as 3 weeks , and can be given with other vaccinations, but
prefer waiting till 6 weeks of age. And a week before socialization classes
because it takes that long for the immunity to develop says Cynda Crawford.,
D.V> M., PhD. Of the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine in
Gainesville.
INFLUENZA
Research on canine influenza, says the decision about vaccination depends on
whether canine flue is a problem in the area, which you can find out from your
veterinarian. Canine flu can be fatal, and is shed through nasal secretions,
usually through sneezing and coughing-which can carry in 20 feet-or from
human hands. Dogs in boarding, shelters, day-care or dog shows situations
are most at risk.
Canine influenza has been diagnosed in puppies as young as 6 weeks of age,
and most dogs have no immunity either from previous exposure or
vaccination, Crawford says . In addition, few puppies have maternally derived
immunity to canine flu because it's a comparatively new disease.
Canine influenza vaccination requires two vaccines given tow to there weeks
apart. After the first vaccination , about one third of dogs mount an immune
response: after the second, 100 percent.
Not all dogs will be equally protected when given the same vaccination on the
same schedule, says Richard B Ford D.V.M. Dipl. ACVPM, emeritus professor of
medicine at North Caroline State University in Raleigh." Vaccine cannot be
expected to protect all dogs equally well at the same age. The difference
here are intrinsic to the individual dog and , largely, are based on maternally
derived antibody.
Schultz cautions that some people, including those who run socialization
classes,erroneously believe it's the number of vaccinations that count. That's
not true when it comes to distemper and parvovirus. You either get complete
immunity or none at all.
COMPROMISES AND PRECAUTIONS:
Behaviorists and I=immunologists agree that although it's vital to take puppies
out early and often for socialization, it is important to minimize risk by being
careful where you got. When choosing a puppy kindergarten class be sure
vaccine's are a requirement. Not recommended holding classes at local
humane shelters , dog training centers, veterinary facilities, local dog parks or
anywhere that is visited by larger numbers of dogs. It can take the first
parvo and distemper vaccine from 3 to 6 weeks to protect them. Canine
influenza requires two doses.
Avoid veterinarian parking lots, exercise area's because of infectious dogs
may be eliminating there.
Information obtained though DOG WORLD magazine May 2010 addition
So from me to you lets keep them out of puppy class until they
have a least had 2 vaccinations and are at least 12 weeks old.
Keep them in either a crate or in your arms for the first two vet
visits. And keep them away from parks as well.
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