You have been exposing your puppy to new environments, new smells, new challenges. Each one should have been age appropriate. None should have frightened or stressed your puppy. Each ‘adventure’ should have been a happy one, ending in a good nap (latent learning).

Puppies habituate to things very quickly, so the third or fourth exposure is no longer socializing.

Don’t worry if your puppy is Wary. This is normal. Give your puppy the opportunity to think about a new situation before engaging. If your puppy is afraid of something that we know is safe it can be hard to wait for the puppy to feel confident enough to accept the challenge – but that is what confidence is – the ability to ‘choose’ to accept a challenge.

Many breeders use wariness as an indicator of a puppy’s intelligence.

Wariness is not fear – but it can quickly become fear. If you push the puppy too fast, or try to force the puppy, then normal things will become dangerous.

From 5 weeks old a good breeder is putting challenges before a puppy – and letting them solve the problems on their own. Even if the breeder must wait 10 minutes for a puppy to accept a challenge and figure it out. They never push the puppy. They never ‘do it for them.’ They never ‘rescue’ the puppy (unless it is in danger of becoming afraid.)

If a puppy is still concerned then a puppy has 2 choices: Fight or Flight. If you don’t want an aggressive or reactive dog then ‘walk away.’ Teach your puppy that flight is the only acceptable response to fear. When the puppy is in training then you can turn ‘run away’ into ‘reorient to me’.

Confidence in People

About 14 weeks we start seeing how well you socialized your puppy. If it is afraid of people then you’ll start seeing aggression and fear reactions. If everyone has been good to the puppy, given it treats, and let the puppy come and see them then your puppy will be happy to see everyone.

Do I let strangers pet the puppies? That all depends. Not if we are on a busy street. Not if the puppies are not having a good day. Not if the puppy is wary, shy, or fearful. I also don’t let the people pet the puppies. Instead, I give them a treat to give the puppy.  I often wait until 14 weeks before puppies are exposed to strangers. (and cars/streets/etc) By 14 weeks my puppies think every human on earth is wonderful and wants to give them treats. I always let puppies walk to the person. If the puppy says ‘no’ then I will not force the puppy to greet the people – even if they are family. 

Confidence in dogs

This can be more difficult. I have German Shepherds who have been taught by their parents since 5 weeks old to be calm, quiet, and patient. Then when my dogs see a puppy acting out they become upset. One of the worst things I could do is to correct them – especially with a leash jerk.

All this teaches a dog is that you will hurt it every time it sees a dog. Eventually (about 6 – 9 months) your dog will hate seeing other dogs. The problem will escalate.

But, it is important to make sure that your puppy is around crazy puppies, big dogs, little dogs etc by 14 weeks. But – not without preparation. Teach ‘leave it’, don’t chase, don’t bite, teach it to be calm, etc before puppies meet. This gives your puppy the skills needed so you can control the encounter.

If things go wrong and the other dog disciplines your puppy and it starts to scream ‘do not rescue it.’ Take it to a quiet corner and comfort it. Sit quietly. Remain calm. Let your puppy learn that the correct behavior/response is to be calm.

One of the best ways to introduce dogs is to drop treats on the ground. If the other dog is big then make two areas on the floor. Let the dogs eat treats while they are close together.

Confidence in Environments

Starting at 5 weeks old puppies need to be taken into all sorts of environments. Let the puppy explore. Forget your agenda. Forget training. If your puppy looks worried then toss a ball, or drop treats.

One thing that is important to remember is that any ‘hyper’ behavior is not fun, it is anxiety. If your puppy is acting crazy or hyper then stop the play every few minutes to calm the puppy. The puppy is over threshold. Puppies need to learn good manners in every environment.

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Objectives of Puppy Socialization

• To prevent aggressive or nervous behavior problems
• To build confidence in your puppy so it will heel well
• To build a team relationship with a puppy so that you will maintain control in any situation
• To shape the foundation behaviors for the commands an urban dog needs to be a good neighbor

These objectives may seem like common sense, but sometimes puppy classes go wrong. Here are a few ways that you can protect your puppy.

• Do not be afraid to say no if your puppy is not having fun
• Do not be afraid to walk away if your puppy starts to show calming signals or appear afraid
• Stay away from classes with too many puppies
• Watch the trainer. Is he/she offering advice and corrective measures when puppies confront each other, or act nervous? Or, are they making excuses and brushing off the behavior? Or, do they appear to favor one breed/type of dog and ignore others.
• Only register with a puppy course that offers a guarantee after the first night.
• Make sure that the trainer demands all shots are done. Ask them if they clean and how often. If they only use bleach and soap then walk away. Vilkor, Blue Dawn Dish soap, and medical level soaps are commonly used by the top kennels, veterinary offices, and dog training or boarding facilities to clean their establishments.
• Do not be impressed by ribbons, certificates, or organization memberships. These are fairly easy to obtain and have nothing to do with a person’s ability to manage puppy socialization classes. Instead ask what training they have had in canine behavior, puppy development, and reactive dog therapy.

How Puppy Classes Go Wrong

There are many ways a puppy socialization class can go wrong. It is impossible to tell without visiting the class, but here are some of the ways that you can protect your puppy.

• The trainer is only interested in money so they register more puppies than they can watch
• The trainer is not familiar with puppy development and behavior
• The age span or size span between puppies is too broad for the trainer to manage
• There is not enough stimulation, different toys, or ‘puzzles’ for the puppy to solve
• The trainer is using the puppy classes only as a ‘hook’ to sign up people for obedience classes

What is Puppy Socialization?

Good puppy socialization is accomplished by creating a safe environment where a puppy can play, solve puzzles and mazes, explore new textures or sounds or experiences “without any fear.” When fear is added then the puppy is going to develop aggression or fear problems.

The puppy will also be more difficult to train. If you want a good urban companion dog, then take the time give your puppy a great start.

Other articles in this series:

• Behavior then obedience: Why I don’t Socialize Pt 2
• Puppy Socialization – You Can Do More Harm Than Good
• What is Puppy Socialization Pt 1
• What is Puppy Socialization
• Raising a Working Breed Puppy – Frustration Tolerance vs Impulse Control

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Every puppy obedience task is built on the leave it command. To heel well a puppy needs to learn not to pull towards things it is interested in. A long, reliable, stay cannot be accomplished unless the puppy understands the leave it command.

Teaching the leave it command without using punishment is vital to building a trust relationship with a puppy. We use a step by step shaping method.

1. We sit on a mat with a toy and play with a puppy. This engagement builds a bond with the puppy. This engagement increases the value of play with you. You become more exciting than the environmental distractions.
2. As the puppy plays, after about 5 – 10 sessions, start giving the puppy the opportunity to become distracted then ‘engage’ them and bring their attention back to you. Repeat this, making sure the ‘play times’ and engagements are longer than the distractions.
3. Remember that puppies get tired. Do not extend the period of engagement more than 2 or 3 minutes. Take the puppy for a walk. Throw a ball. Give the puppy a treat or a drink of water.
4. Do 3 reps each training session. A puppy cannot handle more.  You may do several training sessions a day, but keep them short, and limit them to 3 reps if you are working with a puppy.
5. Every 4 – 5 days increase the number of distractions and the strength of the distractions. The relationship you have with your puppy, the breed, and how the puppy was raised will determine how well, and how fast your puppy learns.Do not try to force your puppy to learn as fast as other puppies. The objective is to train your puppy to focus on you. You want to trust your puppy, not worry about how fast your puppy learns. Worry about how well your puppy focuses on you.
6.  Try not to punish the puppy. Do not let your puppy misbehave. Control the situation so the puppy doesn’t bite or jump. If the puppy gets too excited then end the session. Teach the puppy that you will play with it while it behaves.
7.  If your puppy looses interest then you are pushing too hard.

Try hard to avoid punishment. A puppy does not understand. You are conditioning the puppy to focus on you. Later we will combine the ‘leave it’ with other commands, like ‘look’ to shape more advanced behaviors.

If you want a puppy to learn something then repeat it, 100x. This is how puppies learn. Punishment can make some puppies fear, which stops the learning process.

Download Our Puppy Primers:

First 10 Days Your Puppy Comes Home

Puppy Primer – Stop Puppies From Biting

Puppy Primer – What is the Most Important Command?

Puppy Primer – Potty Training

Puppy Development Schedule

Heeling Problems

More Puppy Training Articles
 

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