Socialisation Vs Fear Period?

[Shakti]

and I am getting confused. I have heard that a puppy absolutely needs to be socialised even before they have finished their vaccinations at 16 weeks. So I assume that means taking them out and about but ideally carrying them?

Then other experts say that there is a *fear period* between three - four months where great care should be taken that nothing frightens or even startles the puppy at this age.

So...how do you safely socialize a puppy aged under 16 weeks without risking something unexpected scaring him?

[poodlefan]

and I am getting confused. I have heard that a puppy absolutely needs to be socialised even before they have finished their vaccinations at 16 weeks. So I assume that means taking them out and about but ideally carrying them?

Then other experts say that there is a *fear period* between three - four months where great care should be taken that nothing frightens or even startles the puppy at this age.

So...how do you safely socialize a puppy aged under 16 weeks without risking something unexpected scaring him?

By controlling all socialisation experiences to ensure that they are positive.

[Adnil444]

Hi, our vet at the time was Kersti Seksel, who is one of Australia's top dog behaviourists. She firmly believed that we socialise our dogs even before all shots had been administered as the time of 8-16 weeks is critical for a dog. It's personality and temperament are "created" - for want of a better word, in that time. She did state that you don't let the puppy near dog poo and that you take the puppy to the dog park when it is quieter and introduce a small amount of dogs to your puppy. We also took our pups (Great Danes) to the local shopping centre - there they will meet all sorts of noise, trolleys, cars, kids (screaming and not screaming), possibly other dogs on leads, etc etc. They will also get patted by lots of people which is vital as well. We did this for all of our Danes and they all had wonderful temperaments and were both dog and people friendly (we also purchased our puppies from a very reputable registered breeder who bred for great temperaments). I firmly believe in getting them out and about at an early age certainly reduces any problems - the more they see and experience in those early weeks will enable them to cope with almost anything when mature.

She also stated that it would be rare to come across a dog that wasn't vaccinated, but also had to be a carrier of a particular disease as well. So depending on what area you are in, I would be taking a puppy out.

Hope this helps

[huski]

Generally fear periods are between 12-16 weeks. So, you have between 8-12 weeks to do a lot of socialisation too. I would try to ensure that my pup has loads of positive experiences between 8-12 weeks so we don't have to do as much socialisation in their fear period, or when we do, they've already had a lot of positive experiences in the first four weeks that have allowed them to develop a positive value for these experiences.

[animalia]

I can't stress how important the critical period is in puppies. Don't listen to your vet in this instance listen to the Behaviourists , the chance of your dog contracting a disease whilst out is nothing compared to the chance of behavioural problems if not taken out and socialised.

I work within an environment where dogs are being trained and assessed behaviourally, and i can estimate that around 95% of dogs with behavioural issues were not socialised in their critical period. A dog that has not been socialised has a smaller brain generally their frontal lobes (from memory).

I have a dog that had no socialisation in her critical period due to her past owners being unaware of this period. She has aggression towards people and other animals, her ability to learn new tasks is stunted and she can go from level 0 to 10 in seconds with either her excitability or aggression, it's a constant battle with her and I try my best to keep her in line.

You can borrow her for a week and I'm sure you will find out pretty quickly how important it is to socialise you pup.

Just socialise your pup in controlled environments where there is a lower risk of infection or disease, and a little stress isn't bad it will teach your dog how to deal with it and over come it.

[Beaglelover:)]

I would only socialise pups with adult dogs that I personally knew. Puppy classes are also vital as they learn from other puppies and are less likely to be harassed by a larger dog. It is also in a controlled environment.

You just have to use common sense! Socialisation is critical, but it can be damaging if common sense is absent.

Edited April 13, 2010 by Beaglelover:)

[Wazzat Xolo]

and I am getting confused. I have heard that a puppy absolutely needs to be socialised even before they have finished their vaccinations at 16 weeks. So I assume that means taking them out and about but ideally carrying them?

Then other experts say that there is a *fear period* between three - four months where great care should be taken that nothing frightens or even startles the puppy at this age.

So...how do you safely socialize a puppy aged under 16 weeks without risking something unexpected scaring him?

At home as much as you can noises, people etc and positive always. I have enlisted the help of foster carers for my puppies ( after 3 months) and the local primary schools for the critical part of the socialisation period, I can vouch that ( in my breed anyhow) a missed social period can lead to shy dogs and a lot of work to catch up on.

Bearing in mind they were in a kennel environs for nearly 12 months, which really didnt help.

[corvus]

So...how do you safely socialize a puppy aged under 16 weeks without risking something unexpected scaring him?

That is a great question. ;) I've wondered the same thing a few times. I've done two puppies in the last 2 years, and quite honestly I found this "fear period" to be impossible to predict. It doesn't just fall right in the same two weeks for every dog or something. It comes out of nowhere and IME you just carry on as normal. I pile so many good experiences on my dogs anyway that I find they are usually pretty resilient. Regardless of whether they are in a fear period or not, I try to make sure they have good experiences and if something frightens them I make sure they have whatever they need from me to cope with it. Mostly that's just being there to give them a reassuring rub and make some jolly noises so they know I'm not worried at all. My boys are both inherently confident dogs, though.

[Erny]

By controlling all socialisation experiences to ensure that they are positive. ;)

Agree with PF. This is why socialisation (to all worldly things, not just other dogs and people) should ideally be done on a gradual basis. That way you can guage pup's reaction and if there is any sign of concern, you can work at that (lower) level of intensity to get the pup comfortable about it before you move on.

By example : I went to the railway station 4 times before I actually took my boy (when he was a wee pup) on a train ride. Perhaps I took it too carefully - maybe 4 visits weren't required. But if I'd taken him and gone straight onto the platform and on to a train (I worked up to this point gradually), it might have served as a traumatic experience for him. I don't have a crystal ball, so I erred on the side of caution and took my time.

This is also why I'm surprised with people who suggest 2 weeks (assuming vaccinations are completed by 14 weeks) is plenty of time for socialisation. IMO it is not - not to accomplish a broad socialisation program and not to be able to afford to fit it all in amongst the other things we need to do on a day to day basis (such as work).

Edited April 14, 2010 by Erny

[RoxyNHemi]

PF is so correct ;)

Saying that, I popped my puppy on a plane at 12 weeks which is something I couldnt control, and he came through that OK!