"before You Get Your Puppy"

[Jordan Windebank]

So I am getting my pup in late January and in preparation have been reading Dr Ian Dunbar's books "Before you get your puppy" and "After you get your puppy" following suggestions in other threads on here. The books are written in such harsh language that he makes it sound like I am going to raise a monster-puppy that will no doubt require euthanasia if I don't follow his book by the letter.

Meeting 100 different people before the pup turns 12 weeks? Throwing puppy parties and inviting over every human being you have ever known? Having each of them feed, handle and "inspect" the puppy? I am not sure about you guys but if I started asking all of my neighbours to come and touch my pups rear end they would think I needed to be locked up.

Can you guys please advise whether what he writes is seriously needed? I understand the needs to socialise a pup but this seems extreme in my mind, and the consequences he describes sound like scare-mongering. If I am missing the point and will be destroying my puppy from day one, I guess I need to organise some puppy parties!

[Janene]

I have to admit, I raised a few eyebrows at some of the suggestions/advice. It does contain a lot of good information though. But I gathered information from a number of sources, and took the best, most useful bits from each.

I wouldn't know that many people to socialise puppy with! And with a lot of reported Parvo cases in our town I'm reluctant to have any old Joe Bloke touching my Pup. I have a good friend who currently has a pup at the Vets on an IV with a "touch and go" scenario with a pup with suspected Parvo - so that is a little too close to home to try to expose my pup before he's second vaccination later this month....

[Purdie]

My advise is to throw the books in the bin;relax a bit ;use your own common sense;ask questions on here if you are really concerned about anything ;take the pup to puppy pre school as a start.

[Esky the husky]

There was a lot that I didn't like from those books, particularly some of the parts surrounding house training.

It read to me like ' if your dog even has an accident inside you are possibly the worst person on earth'

She met a lot of people from the local pet supply stores and our puppy classes. Not sure if it was 100 but certainly better than zero.

[mumof4girls]

Yes I agree I found it a bit much.. I have decided to take from books what makes sence to me and what I feel comfortable with..

With the wealth of knowledge on this board I feel very confident that any questions or concerns I have will be answered , and I will get the help/information I need from people that have so much experience :-)

I don't read books like they are gospel..

[raineth]

Yeah I found those suggestions just don't really fit in with the real world.

Obviously socialisation is very important; I don't think there is some miracle quality about 100. Some people don't interact well with dogs/puppies so it wouldn't make sense to introduce the puppy to these people just to make your 100 quota. Same with other dogs. If you know only two other dogs that interact well with puppies then it is better for the pup to only interact with those two dogs than to interact with dogs that don't have the proper social skills. Your puppy can learn to just be in close proximity with these other dogs without meeting.

So much depends on the disposition of the puppy. You have to be careful with a timid puppy to build his confidence and take the socialisation slowly. With very excitable pups you have to be careful they don't learn bad habits in the way they interact with others. For instance you would wait for them to calm before letting them say hello.

So as others said (and as your are doing) take what you think is valid from the Ian Dunbar. You could always look at others sources as well. Probably the most useful resource to you will be a skilled local trainer or training club,as they can actually see you and your dog

But I do think it is good to have read some info before your puppy arrives as it can give you guidance and maybe prevent you making certain mistakes

[Jordan Windebank]

Thank you everyone. I guess I don't need to cancel the puppy order and forget all hopes of raising a dog.

There is definitely heaps of great information in his books but this part just seemed down right impossible. I am also waiting on my order of The Focused Puppy to arrive to see what it has to offer. I am a reasearch-a-maniac so will always cross reference information before applying it.

[huski]

I agree with Raineth, I also think it doesn't matter if your dog meet 99 dogs or 101 dogs, by saying 100 Dunbar is just trying to impress that it should be a lot when it comes to socialisation.

I look at it from a different approach because I aim for neutralisation not just socialisation, like the topic pinned in this forum. For that reason I wouldn't have lots of strangers giving my puppy treats etc - we all have a different way of approaching it and we all start off with different goals and plans

Edited December 4, 2011 by huski

[Red Fox]

Thank you everyone. I guess I don't need to cancel the puppy order and forget all hopes of raising a dog.

There is definitely heaps of great information in his books but this part just seemed down right impossible. I am also waiting on my order of The Focused Puppy to arrive to see what it has to offer. I am a reasearch-a-maniac so will always cross reference information before applying it.

The focussed puppy is a good book

I've read the Dunbar books and there is a lot in there that I (personally) disagree with, particularly allowing random people and dogs interact with your puppy.

My 12 week old pup would easily have 'met' 100 people. Have 100 people touched her, fed her and come to my house? No bloody way!

I'm with Huski on neutralisation.

Have a look here

http://leerburg.com/flix/player.php?id=727

[kasoo]

I have learnt the hard way that early socialisation is important. My first girl, I kept away from public areas because of my confusion regarding vaccinations. We don't have any family nearby and few friends who visit. The puppy class didn't start until 16 weeks. Although she is wonderful at obedience she is very timid around other people and dogs.

I read as much as I could before our current pup came along. I read Dunbar, Caesar Milan and The Focused Puppy. I found the Focused Puppy most helpful for what I need. At 9 weeks I took him out to the local supermarket where we waited for hubby outside. He got to see people, vehicles and tolleys. I had treats and worked on keeping his focus on me. He got to meet many elderly people there who were very gentle in giving him a pat. I treated him every time he met someone and returned his focus to me. His puppy classes started at 8 weeks too. (Different club) This pup is now 7 months and friendly with everyone he meets. He meets other dogs with good doggy manners and learns which dogs are happy to play and which prefer to be left alone. The difference in the two dogs is incredible. Im so glad I researched this time.

[pixie_meg]

100 sounds like a lot but isn't actually that hard. But regardless you cant just get the puppy and do no socialising and expect a well rounded pup.

This is what i follow.

1. Regularly go out in public in the first 6 months. This way they meet people and can see other dogs. They are also exposed to sounds and sights that they should get used to.

2. Find appropriate dog role models of different types to learn from and play with.

3. be aware of the fear periods to minimise issues.

[Weasels]

I have to admit, I raised a few eyebrows at some of the suggestions/advice. It does contain a lot of good information though. But I gathered information from a number of sources, and took the best, most useful bits from each.

I think this is the best way to go. I try to expose myself to as many books, tv shows, trainers, behaviourists, other dog owners etc. as possible, then run it all through my personal "bullsh*t filter" and only apply the things that make sense to me.

E.g. There are plenty of dogs in rescue that have had a damn rough start to life, let alone an intensive socialisation program, who are absolutely lovely. The funny thing is if you listen to the Dunbar's podcasts I get the impression his wife is a bit sceptical of this '100 people' claim too

Edited December 4, 2011 by Weasels

[Pretty Miss Emma]

Read what you can and pick and choose what will be possible, practical, etc for you. There's no one magic formula!!

That said, I set myself the goal with Kenzie of meeting 100 different people. It was surprisingly easy!! She met about 130 different people aged 0-84, male and female and of many different cultures; and she met 25 dogs (all of which I knew were safe for her to meet). Had she not done that (combined with continuing socialization of similar sorts right up til now) I dread to think how she would cope with the world. Socialization is super important for a pup, but it's also an ongoing thing for life! I think your pup will survive if it doesn't meet 100 people!

[Oscar (AmBull)]

Have a look here

http://leerburg.com/flix/player.php?id=727

LOVE this video- great advice I wish I had when starting out.

[Cavstar]

I just finished reading 'after you get your puppy' I thought that some parts were really over the top as well.

Will check out the video that SecretKei posted.

Thanks

[Nekhbet]

tear it up and throw it in the rubbish bin. Conversely I'm sure it will be the most expensive chew toy your dog will shred. I dont agree with him especially his letting dogs mouth people ...

Email me ASAP, [email protected], I'm going to be having some beginner tracking lessons over the Xmas break if you want to join too.

[*Lolapalooza*]

Bernese do benefit from plenty of socialisation, be yes as everyone says pick and choose what you take as gospel from that book. The parents of your puppy have nice 'normal' temperaments so with consistent, varied socialisation he should be fine.

[alpha bet]

Socialising your pup with 100 is easy. I always set the challenge for my puppy buyers to get their pups out to meet 100 new people before they are 4 months old.

I start litters off when the pups are about 4 weeks old meeting people - by the time they go home they would easy have met with 50-60 different people as well as different dogs, chickens, cats, goats and anything else that visits our farm. That way the new families are half way there already. The pups live in our house full time and we have different little garden areas penned off to play depending on weather.

Every Sunday when I have a litter we kinda have open house, friends often bring their kids or sometimes even the neighbours kids over to visit. This is also the time to have anyone who is interested in future pups come up and meet the pups and the adult dogs. We sit around the garden and have the pups and adults charging around under the trees having a ball just loving all the attention.

When pups go home they have already been to two puppy classes and also have a strong understanding of going outside to the toilet.

We also take pups out to visit - that way they get used to new places and travelling in the car.

The idea of setting the challenge to meet 100 new people is more about getting the family committed to the pup at the beginning - get them out and about when the pup is small is easier for the family and starts to set habits for the family of taking the dog with them.

If you add it up you might be surprised how many people your dog has actually met - try it sometime you will be surprised at the number.

[Alouk]

Before I got Stella I started reading around and all the advice was so overwhelming and scary that I got nervous that I wouldn't raise her properly and I would be a terrible 'parent'! I remember being so nervous about it before picking her up! Then I realised a lot had to be off my gut feeling, I chilled out and used a bit of info from everywhere but stopped stressing out about following everything to a tee

The socialisation thing though- I thought Stella had met people of all different types, my age, elderly, children but the other day some kids came around who were really high energy, they really wanted to talk to Stella and play with her and she freaked out!

She has always loved kids, they are her favourite. I even started to think these kids had hit her or something from the way she acted with them- she kept hiding and lying low with her ears flat and frozen. Then I thought about all the kids she has spent time with- none of them had ever wanted to talk to her as much as these ones did! She was used to kids her were kind of shy around dogs and had never heard such excitement and high pitched squeal-y voices coming towards her. So it is something to think about a little bit, if you know loud/quiet, gentle/rough people- try and get a bit of everything!

[Rosaline]

Interesting. My first thought was "100 people, no way", but thinking about it, school pick up should cover that one easily. May just have to find more males to introduce, other than my husband and father, and the cafe owner!

Possibly explains why the GR I had many years ago was so sociable...I picked her up two weeks before my 21st Birthday That girl loved nothing better than being the centre of attention in a crowd of people.