It’ A Dog’s Life—

Socializing A Puppy

By Mary Jane Anderson

Without a puppy being socialized, there can be dire results for the owner and the dog. The dog, a male Doberman pinscher, was 17 months old. He was completely out of control. The owner, who previously owned Doberman pinschers, had gotten the dog as a puppy at 8 weeks old. Shortly after the puppy arrived, sickness struck the family. During that period of medical care, hospitals, and death, the puppy grew, but was lonely, given minimum attention, which was only natural under the circumstances.

The owner felt sorry that the dog never had a chance. But now, the dog has grown very large and fearful of people. So, fearful and anxious, he jumped away from any kind of human movement, barking and bearing his teeth. As time goes on, he will be a fear biter. Unfortunately, under the circumstances as they are, the dog will never have a chance to enjoy walks in the park or meeting people with a friendly happy greeting. Those 17 months had cast the dye; he could never by trusted.

King, a 2-year-old Doberman pinscher, was sitting quietly in a pickup truck, waiting for his owner to finish pumping gas. When King’s master came to the truck, a woman also filling her gas commented what a nice dog he had, how he patiently watched for his master to return to him. She asked if she could pet the dog. “Sure,” he said. Petting the dog under his chin, he just melted! The owner said he had taken the dog everywhere with him from the time he got him at a very early age. There was never any formal training. This man just combined socialization and practical rules and regulations, producing a wonderful dog, a credit to the owner, the dog, and the breed.

These examples may be extreme, but it shows the importance of socializing a puppy. A dog’s temperament is determined by his heredity genes, the environment, and his owners. All dogs need a broad range of experiences away from home. A few visits outside the house and yard, or going to the veterinarian or an occasional visitor, are not enough.

Let your puppy experience the world of people, places, and things. If he is exposed to the world in which he lives, he will grow to be a confident, calm dog. Socializing a puppy begins at the early age, 7 or 8 weeks old. First a puppy should become accustomed to be handled; examine their teeth, cleaning their ears, brushing, and nail clippings should become a part of his normal life. Regular grooming also prepares your dog for his usual visits to the veterinarian.

After a few weeks of establishing rules and regulations in the home, your puppy should be exposed to a great variety of people, places, animals, and things. Let your puppy meet plenty of strangers, children and adults. After your puppy has met children individually, take him to a playground where he can meet children in action.

All these positive experiences, under the right circumstances, will develop your puppy into a confident adult dog. He will like people and will be friendly, facing anything that might come his way. A dog that is exposed to the world in which he lives accepts the normal everyday occurrences like eating, sleeping, and play. Socialization makes the difference between a happy, confident dog you can take anywhere and an unhappy, fearful dog when placed outside of his limited environment.

What is the price of this socialization? Time, patience, and understanding. What are the returns? Years of loyalty and affection. What dog would you rather have? The final results are entirely up to you!