Socializing your puppy in the right way is essential for having a well-adjusted adult dog.
Bringing a new puppy into your life is a joyous occasion. These early weeks are also your chance to teach your new family member how to thrive in her new world. It can also feel overwhelming! Just keeping your pup alive, fed, happy and healthy can feel like a feat, so training can seem far out of reach. It might surprise you to know that many trainers agree… and it’s ok! Your puppy doesn’t need to learn everything in their first weeks, and trying to do that can be hard on both puppies and the people who are raising them.
In fact, the only thing that cannot wait is socialization. While formal training can often wait, socialization cannot!
What is socialization?
Socialization is controlled exposure of a puppy to her wider world during her first 16 or 20 weeks of life.
In other words, socialization isn’t something that can happen at any time in a dog’s life, it refers to a special window in a puppy’s development when their interactions with their world have huge, lasting impacts on their future behavior. Once that window is closed, it is hard to get back if at all, so savvy guardians focus on socialization when raising their young pup.
Socialization starts with empathy and understanding
A puppy is a baby dog. Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? Still, it’s important to remember that a puppy (a dog less than 6 months old) is not just a smaller version of an adult dog. Just like human babies, puppies are still infants! And infant mammals differ from the adults they will become in many ways, like:
- energy levels (zoomies, anyone?)
- sleep (need for lots of it)
- movement (short intense, sometimes goofy bursts)
- meal frequency (just like toddlers need snacks and babies need to eat often, so do puppies!)
- temperature tolerance (less able to cope with excessive heat or cold)
Puppies are brand new to the world, and are experiencing everything in their environment for the first time. That includes new people, animals, objects, and events!
Like many infant mammals, puppies are curious, cautious, exploratory and excellent at learning about their world. This is why socialization is so important to get right for young puppies.
The cardinal rule of socialization: empathy
When you brought your puppy home, everything she knew shifted. She had likely spent every moment of her life before being with you with her kind—her mom and her littermates. She learned valuable lessons there about being a dog: wrestling, climbing, and chewing on her littermates, toileting when and where she needed to, sleeping surrounded by others, in fact, she may never have been alone. She may never have seen, smelled or heard the things that are part of your world, and the things she learned in learning how to be a dog are being turned on their heads in her new home. In fact, many of those things that were very important to her in her litter are likely the things that are now overwhelming or frustrating you. Chewing that coffee table leg?! Biting my hands again?!
When socializing your puppy, never forget that she is still a baby (with the needs of an infant mammal) and she is a new, foreign member of our human-centered world. Lead with empathy and understanding and take the time to explain your world to her while understanding hers. You will build a bond that lasts a lifetime.
Socializing isn’t always (or even mostly) physical contact
When we think about socialization, we often think about human socializing. We might imagine hanging out with friends or new acquaintances, saying hello by shaking hands, hugging, looking right at them, or otherwise being in direct contact with others. But this idea of human socializing can be misleading if we apply it directly to puppies. First, puppies need to be socialized to more than just other dogs or people (more on that, below!), but also to many other parts of our human world. Secondly and even more importantly, puppy socialization does not need to involve direct interaction with or physical touching from the people, animals, or other items you are exposing her to.
In fact, when it comes to socialization, distance and indirect interactions are key to creating the right associations for your puppy.
Why is that? While socialization is exposure, it isn’t the exposure alone that matters for creating a well-adjusted dog. The goal of socialization is to teach your puppy that their world is safe and fun, and that the things, animals and events they will encounter are also safe and fun. When a dog feels safe in their environment, they can:
- Focus on their handler
- Cooperate with their handler
- Avoid feeling the need to display anxious or aggressive behaviors
- Learn new skills
- Interact with others appropriately, including disengaging or ignoring others when appropriate
All of this starts with their first impressions! Our goal in socialization is to expose the puppy to a new part of their world in a way that the puppy is not overwhelmed, or worried about this new thing. Expert puppy socializers aim to show their puppy the big, wide world in a way that the puppy can absorb what she is introduced to calmly and comfortably, without needing to greet, touch, or interact with everything she might meet.
How close should you go when socializing your puppy?
Reading your puppy’s body language and responding to her behavior will be your best guide. Depending on your puppy’s age, temperament, previous history and learning so far, and current comfort level, the answer may change day-to-day. Be flexible, and let your puppy guide you. After all it’s not the distance or intensity of exposure that matters, it’s how she feels about it that makes all the difference. Never overwhelm your puppy in your socialization efforts. More is not better, and moving closer isn’t always the answer.
When to socialize your puppy
Socializing your puppy involves controlled exposure to the sights, sounds, activities, humans, and animals that will populate her world during her first 16 or 20 weeks of life, also known as the sensitive period. During this period of development, puppies are little learning sponges. They aren’t just learning what to do or how to behave, they are learning how to survive and thrive in their new environment.
In other words, a puppy’s learning is focused primarily on discovering what’s safe, what’s scary, what’s pleasant and worth seeking, and what’s unpleasant and worth avoiding. They are exploring their world, and the lessons they learn about it in their first 16 weeks will last a lifetime. This learning period is behavioral gold—do it well and you and your dog will be rewarded for your efforts. Once this sensitive period closes, exposure and socialization function very differently; while you can still teach your older dog to become more comfortable around the elements in their world that are new to them or that have taken on negative associations, doing so is almost always slower, takes much more effort on the guardian’s part, and often cannot achieve the same results.
Take advantage of this special period in your puppy’s life to show her world, and she and you will reap the benefits for life.
What should I socialize my puppy to?
In short, everything you want her to be comfortable around in her adult life! Create positive experiences in every environment that she will encounter throughout her life, starting with her new home and family.
Puppy Socialization #1 - Inside her new home
When your puppy arrived in your home, she encountered many sights, smells, sounds that she had likely never experienced before, not to mention meeting her new family! Take a moment to imagine the world from her perspective– what’s new? Perhaps your flooring surfaces, such as carpet, tile, or wood flooring, or perhaps level changes, such as steps, are new to her. How about sounds, such as appliances, phone sounds, or outdoor noise like road traffic or lawn equipment? Where can she rest? A play pen, puppy-proof room, or crate? How familiar is this set-up to her? Where is she expected to toilet, and has she encountered this expectation before? How about meeting family members, human and animal? Making a list from your puppy’s perspective will help you introduce these novel experiences to her deliberately and slowly, instead of throwing her in the “deep end!”
- Let your puppy see and smell before needing to touch. Using barriers, like baby gates, or exercise pens can help your puppy experience her new home and family without being physically overwhelmed by them at first.
- Housetraining requires socialization, too. Find out what surface your puppy has been toileting on before coming home to you. Was it grass? A potty pad? A litter box? If you plan to continue this, great! If you need to make a change, try to do it gradually. For example, if you are transitioning your puppy from using a pad to using your backyard, consider placing a pad in the backyard for the first few days when encouraging your puppy to toilet there.
- Be mindful of sounds and smells near your puppy, and always provide a safe distance and escape route in case she becomes startled. Our modern lives are full of beeps, bangs, chirps and hums. They are also full of detergents, perfumes, candles, and other scents. Your puppy may have heard some of these sounds in her first home, but some are likely new to her. Let your puppy hear loud noises or experience strong odors from a safe distance at first. For example, when starting the dryer for the first time in your puppy’s presence, let her hear it from across the room, not right next to you, and always allow her to leave the space if she’s startled. Likewise with odor, a part of our world we often ignore! Consider toning down the amount of scent you introduce to your puppy by removing scented candles, perfumed plug-ins, and strong cleaners, especially in and around your puppy’s rest spots.
Puppy socialization #2 - Meeting People
It is very important that a puppy experience human touch from birth to promote a human/canine attachment and encourage the puppy’s ability to develop social attachments with people as he grows.
When a pup goes into a new home, every effort must then be made by the human caregiver to build on these experiences and gradually expose the puppy to new situations, people, animals and environments.
Human interaction also needs to be actively encouraged and supervised at this time so that the puppy has positive experiences with all kinds of people.
We want our dogs to have good manners and be friendly with every single person and dog they meet in and out of the home. This is unrealistic, though, because while we have the freedom to choose who we want to greet and who to avoid, our dogs almost never have that luxury.
People do not understand how threatening and uncomfortable it is for some dogs when their personal space is invaded by a stranger. Of course, because we desire and expect our dogs to be adaptable and emotionally stable at all times, (high expectations that even we humans can’t live up to), when they react negatively to "friendly" human interaction, they are often punished for displaying anti-social behavior.
Puppies are not born instinctively welcoming and freely associating with humans, strange dogs, and other animals – so they have to learn through early positive experiences to bond with others.
Puppy socialization #3 - Socializing puppies to handling, grooming and vetting
What is one of the first things people do when they see a puppy? After ‘oohing' and ‘aahing’ they almost immediately want to reach for, pet or pick up the puppy. And while many puppies are excited to see and interact with people, they’re not always as used to being touched as we might think. As you’re training and socializing your puppy, remember to teach her to feel good about being touched.
It is vital to habituate a puppy to human touch as soon as the puppy is born. A new pup relies on touch to find its mother, to stimulate milk flow for feeding, and as a source of comfort. Mothers in turn lick and nuzzle their puppies from birth, improving the puppies’ circulation and encouraging them to eliminate waste in order to stay healthy.
Touch helps form emotional bonds between mom and her pups, and can do the same for puppies and their human companions.
Make being touched a pleasant experience for your pup using these tips.
- Note what your puppy likes and let her lead
Be gentle and aware of how tightly or loosely you hold or stroke your puppy. A touch that is too light might tickle while stroking too hard might hurt, so always look at how your puppy accepts this touch. Does she stay and ask for more if you stop stroking her, or does she walk away? Does she growl at you or lick your hand? The way she responds to your touch will indicate how she feels.
- Handling Paws
You might not have to cut your puppy’s toenails when she first joins you but you can still start the process of getting her accustomed to toenail clipping. Start by handling one paw at a time, pause and give her a treat after you touch each paw. A pup’s paws can be sensitive and ticklish, so be aware of this as you handle them. At a subsequent session, repeat the process, and then touch each paw gently with the toe clippers. If she seems frightened, simply place the clippers next to her paws, followed by a treat, for a few repetitions, until she is more comfortable. When your puppy is comfortable, and possibly in a subsequent session, touch the clippers to each toe, then toenail, always following the action with a treat. - Handling Ears and Mouth
Get your puppy used to having her ears looked into and her mouth opened. This will make it a lot easier when she goes to the veterinarian. Pair each touch with a treat and gently praise her at the same time. Practice this for just a minute or two and don’t subject her to too much handling to begin with. It’s also important to create a positive association with other people, so she gets used to being touched by strangers. This will prevent touch aversion as she grows older. - Picking Up Puppy
Sometimes puppies don’t like being picked up. This might be because they feel vulnerable, have felt pain while being handled or are startled by sudden contact. To avoid this issue, teach your pup a cue that tells her she is about to be picked up. Say “pick up,” then pick her up, and praise her. You might find that when you give the cue word she presents you with her backside to tell you she is ready to be picked up. This is a good sign and shows she trusts you. - Grooming Puppy
All dogs will need to be groomed some time in their lives and there is no better time to start grooming than when your puppy is very young. Allow her to investigate the tools you are going to use before you start grooming and be gentle while brushing so that her fur or skin is not pulled. If your puppy squirms or bites at a brush, offer her a treat while you brush her, or let her lick soft food out of a food toy. - Hand reaching over the puppy’s head
A puppy doesn’t usually understand why a hand would reach over her head, yet this is what most people do when they want to touch a puppy. Puppies will typically automatically back up or duck when a hand comes towards them or extends over them. When a puppy is very young, this reflex is not under conscious control, so it is vital to teach her that an approaching and outstretched hand isn’t threatening.
Pairing an approaching hand over the head with something that the pup likes, helps build a positive association with the action and body position. Target or touch training (teaching a pup to touch a human hand with her nose) can also help create a better association with outstretched hands.
Greeting is one of the most vital social lessons a puppy can learn because human invasion of space and the ‘hand over the head’ scenario is going to happen many times throughout her life.
People tend to lean over puppies and that can seem threatening to them. This is another part of human behavior you can help your puppy adapt to by pairing someone leaning over him with something pleasant.
How does a puppy say “no thanks”?
If your puppy growls, snaps or bites or just squirms frantically when she is being handled, she might have a touch sensitivity issue, feel pain, or not like the fact that you are preventing her from indulging in a certain behavior she likes.
- Take her to the veterinarian to rule out any medical or pain issues she might have.
- If she seems sensitive to touch, limit how often you handle her and pair handling with something she loves, such as food, a game or a toy. Give her plenty of praise. Gradually build up to the point where she is more tolerant to touch, but don’t go too fast. Move at her pace.
- If your puppy growls or bites when you handle her during another activity, she might be trying to state her preference for continuing with what she was doing! If it’s a time that she can continue the activity (for example, if she was playing you decided you wanted a cuddle), redirect her with a treat to create a positive association with being picked up. Then put her down and let her continue. Then when you need to pick her up the next time (for example, if she’s playing but you need to put her in her pen area so you can get ready for work), use a piece of food or toy to redirect her from the activity before picking her up.
Puppy socialization #4 - Other dogs and animals
To optimize a puppy’s social skills, good things must happen when the puppy meets other dogs for the first time.
Puppy playgroups and classes are a great way to teach pups important social skills and cues as long as the group is small and the puppies are matched in size and temperament. Some play groups and classes will not take puppies until their vaccinations are complete while others start as young as ten weeks old – the prime period for socialization.
Ideally, your puppy will play with puppy-friendly adult dogs, as well as other puppies one on one. A crowd– such as a dog park or big playgroup is not ideal for teaching your puppy how to interact with other dogs.
All interactions between playing pups must be monitored to guard against negative experiences, and all introductions to other pups and adult dogs should be made in a calm manner so it’s not overwhelming. Remember to keep it short, too! Puppies tire easily, and when tired, are more likely to behave in ways that make their playmates uncomfortable, such as biting a bit too hard, body slamming, or struggling to share toys and space. End the session after a few minutes and give everyone a rest.
Puppy socialization #5 - surfaces and objects
Socialization doesn’t just mean exposing your puppy to people and dogs: it is much more than that. Socialization is the process by which puppies create positive associations with different environments and experiences in their world and it is crucial for promoting confidence as the pup grows. The optimum period for socialization is approximately four to twelve weeks of age, so it’s important to positively introduce your puppy to many experiences, and that includes walking on different surfaces.
Why introduce my puppy to surfaces and objects?
Encouraging your puppy to climb onto or over different objects and giving her the experience of different surfaces under her paws will help her acclimate and be confident. A puppy’s paws can be very sensitive, so you will want to dedicate some time to teaching her to walk on different items, surfaces and terrain. This is something that people don’t often think about for their puppies, but becomes an issue when the puppy decides to put on the brakes during a walk, refuses to climb stairs or resists walking on wooden floors.
How do I make new surfaces and objects a positive experience?
Puppies are naturally inquisitive and usually like investigating new objects and environments. You can harness this desire to explore by allowing your puppy to experience different terrains while encouraging safe investigation.
Use food, play or toys to create a positive association with whatever objects or surfaces your puppy is exploring. First, present the surface or item to your puppy, but don’t force her onto it. Toss some food or fun toys on the item or surface and let her explore. If she then voluntarily investigates the item or surface, give her a treat. This process will allow your puppy to decide when she’s comfortable and will create a positive instead of a scary association.
If your puppy hesitates or seems nervous, that’s fine! The goal is to create a positive association, not to love everything all at once. Let your puppy take her time.
It can take a while for a puppy to develop good motor coordination and to feel stable, especially on higher, slippery or unstable surfaces. Take your time and move at your puppy’s pace.
What surfaces and objects should my puppy get accustomed to?
Puppies and dogs might need to be lifted onto examination or grooming tables during their lives, so spending some time socializing them to being on a table or raised surface will help in the long run. Do this safely, ensuring the puppy can’t fall or jump off so he doesn’t hurt himself. Never leave a puppy unattended on a high surface.
Different outdoor ground surfaces should be explored with your puppy, including grass, dirt, gravel and pavement (but do check the surface temperature first!). If you live in an urban area, your puppy might need to walk across or near grates or in-ground utility covers.
Some puppies need some help getting used to indoor surfaces, such as hard wood or tiled floors. These floor types are often slippery, so you might need to place non-slip mats or small area rugs in those areas while your puppy adapts.
Go outdoors in different weather with your puppy so she gets used to wet or snowy surfaces. You might need to encourage her with a tasty treat or a favorite toy at first.
Use household and outdoor items to introduce novelty to your puppy’s feet. You can place old cookie sheets on the floor and encourage your puppy to step on or walk across them using a treat. Cardboard boxes, trash can or rubbish bin lids or laundry baskets are other options. When a puppy has a positive association with anything novel, she is more likely to be comfortable with new experiences in the future.
What if my puppy won’t walk on the item or surface?
There might be a number of reasons why your puppy refuses to walk or explore a new surface or object. The surface may be too hot or too cold, it might have sharp stones or itchy vegetation, or just be so new that the puppy is still unsure. Try a different surface or object, give your puppy more time or take a break and try again later.
One thing that is certain is that your puppy isn’t being stubborn. "Stubborn" is a word that relates to human behavior and should not be used to explain why a dog refuses to do something you want. Usually, a puppy will refuse to do something because she is tired, unsure or distracted in some way.
What if my puppy freezes, trembles, or wants to run away?
If your puppy is so frightened that she freezes, trembles, or wants to flee, remove her from the situation and put her in an area she’s familiar with and comfortable in. Consider the set up and try again at another time with a much gentler or more familiar surface, but only if your puppy seems comfortable with that.
Puppies (and adult dogs) that are raised in sterile, hostile environments such as puppy mills, where all they feel under their paws is wire mesh or concrete, might shut down when they first experience a new surface underneath them. Some puppy mill dogs cannot move when they are first set down onto any surface they have not previously experienced.
For extremely fearful puppies, find a qualified, positive-reinforcement trainer to help you work through your puppy’s fear and build her confidence.
Socialization no-nos: getting the exposure right
Can I overwhelm my puppy with too many social experiences?
Positive socialization teaches important social skills, but overwhelming a puppy with too many social experiences too quickly may have the opposite effect and create a dog that hates being touched and fears interaction. Therefore it is important to be sensitive to a puppy’s limitations, because sensitivity can make the difference between an adaptable dog that copes well in all situations and one that finds it hard to function in society. Remember too that your puppy has unique physiological needs as well– she will tire easily, get hot or cold quickly, be hungry more frequently, need to toilet more often and require more social support than she will need as an adult. Set her up for positive experiences by ensuring that she is physically comfortable before introducing her to a social environment. Even the most mild social environment can feel like “too much” to your puppy if she’s hot, cold, exhausted, or needs to go!
Can a puppy be too young for socialization?
One major worry for many puppy guardians is balancing their puppy’s need for socialization with their health needs and vulnerability. Many guardians worry that bringing their puppy out to experience the bigger world before completing their puppy vaccination series is too risky. And while there are risks involved in early socialization, there are even greater risks in waiting. The American Society for Veterinary Behavior recommends that puppies receive a minimum of one set of vaccinations before beginning socialization around other dogs and puppies (usually completed at 7-8 weeks of age) and be kept up to date throughout their socialization period. Their full statement explains the rationale for balancing the needs of your puppy’s long term physical and behavioral health.
Deficiencies in early development can have adverse effects on a dog’s behavior and disposition in later life. Puppies are more balanced temperament-wise when they remain with their mothers until seven to eight weeks old, while puppies taken away from their mothers too soon are more likely to be fearful, hyperactive, or even fear-aggressive. This is because early and enriching experiences with mum and littermates help the brain develop normally by encouraging connections to grow between neurons in different parts of the brain.
Is a puppy class enough socialization?
Puppy class is just the very tip of the iceberg! Remember, socialization is the systematic process of introducing your puppy to all of the things you want her to enjoy and be comfortable with throughout her whole life with you. Every moment your puppy is awake in the first 16 weeks of her life, she is being socialized, not just at puppy class. So don’t limit yourself to puppy class, consider all of the adventures you hope to have together, and give your puppy tiny, positive doses of each.
Bottom Line
Building a solid foundation of early experience is the greatest gift you can give your puppy. Once the socialization window closes, it becomes much harder, so take advantage of it! The more positive lessons learned at the beginning of a pup’s life, the more resilient and adaptive that pup will be. Lead with empathy and understanding, listen to your puppy’s preferences and needs, and remember that it’s not exposure alone that matters, but how she feels about that exposure. Gradual, short, frequent, and comprehensive are the words to take with you on your puppy’s socialization journey.
