Believe it or not, that is actually a bit of a trick question! This is due to the fact that there is a socialization “window” that closes, and thus the term “socialization” actually only applies to puppies within a certain age range.
This time period is a sensitive, very important opportunity in a puppy’s development that occurs roughly until 12-16 weeks old. Unfortunately, that means if you waited until AFTER 16 weeks of age to do any socialization, depending on your dog’s breed, you may now have a cautious canine facing a bit of an uphill battle.
After that time period is over, the next developmental phase for a puppy is to gear up for adolescence (which starts as early as 17 weeks, but for most breeds, we see 5-6 months of age starting adolescent behaviors).
What will you notice if you missed your socialization window entirely?
The noted behaviors can vary greatly by breed, genetic inheritance and what the dog was/wasn’t exposed to.
Socialization for a puppy can be merely introducing new things, environments, other dogs etc. in a way that is neutral (or positive) and then it is accepted by that puppy. For a dog older than 16 weeks, often times you will be counterconditioning and desensitizing to triggers rather than just sheer exposure.
All hope is not lost, it just means a different approach needs to be taken. Slow, steady and understanding.
This goes for objects, environments, new people and especially other animals.
If you have a dog that remained indoors until vaccines were finished, you may note a dog that struggles with walking outside on the concrete. The ground feels odd beneath their paws, the cars on the road are alarming, people moving their trashcans onto the street can be jarring and being restricted on a leash can induce downright panic. The dog may refuse to walk, flatten like a pancake, try to pull home, jump and bite the leash in frustration.
For the above example, it is important to observe the many things in that scenario that are brand new to that dog and really break things down:
- Spend time putting equipment on the dog and not going anywhere. Train in the house with treats with the collar (or harness etc.) and leash on. Progress to walking in the backyard or driveway. If the dog is raring to go, then by all means, get out there and walk!
- Take a quieter route until your dog is more comfortable with all the aspects of neighborhood walking before you walk on the busy street. When you do see cars, mark and reward with a treat to create positive associations with the sound and sight of cars. Do the same for the garbage cans and the man watering his lawn across the street.
- Don’t allow strangers to approach if you see your dog is shying away, barking, lunging or avoiding. Forcing a trigger onto a nervous dog makes things worse, not better.
Group class can help if your dog is not reactive (barking, lunging) and can take high value food in an unknown environment.
If your dog is struggling with reactivity, you need extra assistance or don’t know where to start, please contact us! We are happy to help!
