Socialization is critical!
Socialization really is a matter of life and death!
“Behavioral issues, not infectious diseases, are the number one cause of death for dogs under 3 years of age” (American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, 2008).
How can “behavioral issues” be deadly? There is a logical, tragic progression. Puppies who are kept in isolation during their socialization window are more likely to be fearful. Fearful dogs are more likely to bite (Borchelt, 1983). And dogs who bite are at risk of losing their homes or their lives (Siracusa et al., 2017).
It is MUCH harder living with a fearful and/or reactive dog than a confident one.
SOCIALIZATION WINDOW
Socialization only happens between 4 weeks old and 12-16 weeks of age. This is known as the “Socialization Window”. After that ‘window’ closes/ends, exposure to new things should continue, but you are then doing desensitization and counter conditioning that may or may not have lasting effects.
When puppies eyes and ears open, they start to experience the world around them. They learn what is safe and what isn’t. Up until about 12 weeks old, puppies form lifelong opinions about new things they experience.
The goal
The goal of socialization isn’t merely exposing your puppy to new things. The goal is to help your puppy form positive associations, using food and play, with the concept of change. By teaching your puppy to love when things change and to love new sights, sounds, smells, people, etc., as much as he loves food and play! This will give him confidence to handle the ever-changing world we live in.
You can see several videos of socialization and training at The Best Puppy Camp at: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBestPuppyCamp
You can see several photos of socialization and training at The Best Puppy Camp on the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebestpuppycamp