Socializing Your Dog     HOW DOES YOUR DOG REACT TO STRANGERS?   If you want your dog to be 100 percent confident of all humans, you will need to introduce him to all sorts of people.  This includes those wearing sun glasses, glasses, beards, unusual clothing, uniforms, hats, motorcycle helmets, carrying bags or sacks, people in wheel-chairs, people who walk with a limp or who use canes, and people of different races.  Exposure to people needs to be at home, in parks, on the street, in other people's homes.  Your puppy needs to get used to people running or jogging, playing football, riding bikes and motorcycles and all the other strange activities that humans engage in.  Yet, this is still not enough.  Puppies need to learn that a human approaching with wide-open eyes and displaying a full set of teeth in a smile is nothing to be afraid of.  Familiarizing your puppy with this aspect of human behavior is very important.  Until your puppy has learned this lesson, ask people to look away if they are frightening him by staring at him, even if they are doing it unintentionally.  When people come into your home give them tasty tidbits that can help your puppy overcome any fear he may have of strangers.  Ask people who are unfamiliar with dogs to offer a tasty tidbit, sometimes people who are unfamiliar with dogs will approach a dog differently, this allows your puppy to become accustomed to all types of people.     HOW DOES YOUR DOG REACT TO OTHER DOGS?     Great care should be taken when introducing your puppy to adult dogs.  Do not do so unless you know that the dogs have been well socialized themselves and are used to meeting unfamiliar puppies.    This does not mean that you should keep your puppy away from other dogs!  Doing this could be just as harmful, because he will become undersocialized with other dogs and uncertain of how to act around them.  This uncertainty could lead to aggression later on.  Instead, it is important that you find other dogs that will be good with your dog.   Be careful allowing your puppy to go on walks or beaches where other dogs are loose.  A confident dog running up to a shy puppy can terrify him or her even though it means no harm.  If the puppy is restricted by a leash, he may be more frightened, or if he is loose he may run away, which could be worse.  A fright like this can leave a permanent mental scar or imprint.  Protect your puppy from such encounters if he or she is shy and see that your puppy receives more socialization with other friendly adult dogs under contolled conditions.   YOUR DOGS BREED:   Some breeds are genetically inclined to dominance, territoriality, or suspiciousness toward  strangers.       Such breeds include: Akita, American Pit Bull Terrier, Anatolian Shepherd, Beauceron, Belgian Shepherd, Bouvier des Flandres, Boxer, Bullmastiff, Cane Corso, Chinese Shar-Pei, Chow Chow, Doberman Pinscher, Dogo Argentino, Dogue de Bordeaux, Fila Brasileiro, German Pinscher, German Shepherd, Giant Schnauzer, Great Dane, Great Pyrenees, Komondor, Kuvasz, Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog, Mastiff, Puli, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rottweiler, Standard Schnauzer, Tibetan Mastiff, Tosa, Weimaraner. Some breeds are genetically inclined to dominance, territoriality, or suspiciousness toward other dogs. Such breeds include: All of the above breeds, plus the Alaskan Malamute, other breeds originally developed for dog-fighting (American Staffordshire Terrier, English Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier), and most terriers such as the Jack Russell, Kerry Blue, Airedale, etc. Your dog's attitude toward people and other dogs also comes from HIS or HER PARENTS.  If your dog's parents and grandparents were good-natured with people and other dogs, they may have passed along those genes. If one or more parents or grandparents was aggressive or shy, they may have passed along those genes instead.  Your dog's attitude towards other dogs and people also comes from his environment! HIS EARLY ENVIRONMENT:   One of the major differences between ourselves and dogs is the speed at which we grow up.  It takes a human approximately 18 to 21 years to mature.  Whereas dogs mature in about one to one-half years.  A week in our childhood is a relatively short period, whereas to a puppy it represents a large proportion of his puppyhood.  Deep and lasting impressions are formed at this age and good and bad, they will be remembered throughout a dogs life.   HOW LONG HE WAS LEFT WITH HIS MOTHER AND SIBLINGS;   If removed before seven weeks old, a puppy will not learn bite inhibition or other canine social signals that are taught by mother and siblings during this critical seven week period. Puppies brought home before seven weeks old VERY often end up nippy with people and/or aggressive or fearful with other dogs. If removed after 12 weeks old, a puppy may have established his position in the "pecking order" so strongly that he will always be inclined to act dominant (if he was at the top) or submissive (if he was at the bottom) toward people or other dogs. In other words, think twice before you consider buying a 4- or 6-month-old puppy who has been living in a kennel run with his siblings. HOW WELL YOU SOCIALIZE HIM:    Puppy socialization 7 weeks old to about 6 months old is very important. Adolescent socialization begins between 6 and 9 months old, and ends between 1 and 3 years old. Larger breeds have the longer adolescent periods. A teenage dog's attitude toward strangers and other dogs may change from week to week, even from day to day! He may have been getting along famously with the whole world when all of a sudden his (or her) hormones kick in and he becomes skittish or spooky. This is an unsettling time for owners! My view is that a compromise is necessary between the protection of physical and mental health.  Early vaccination at six weeks will give you the best chance of protecting your puppy before the later vaccinations take effect.  Taking him out and about but taking reasonable precautions to ensure he is not expsed to disease will allow him or her to socialize before he is fully covered.  Otherwise, you will lose weeks of vital socialization time, which could make the difference between a shy, fearful adult and a well-adjusted, friendly one.   You can't change your dog's breed. You can't change the genes he inherited from his parents. You can't put him back with his mother and siblings for that critical seven week period. You can't undo negative experiences that occurred in his early life. BUT     You CAN work hard on socialization!   Doggie Daycare - Day Camp Dogs Doggie Daycare 4S Ranch | Rancho Bernardo | Poway | Santa Luz | Rancho Santa Fe | La Costa | San Marcos | Escondido | Carlsbad | Del Sur | Carmel Valley    Providing Doggie Daycare in the following locations and more: Santa Luz, Rancho Santa Fe, 4S Ranch, Del Sur, Rancho Bernardo, Poway, Scripps Ranch, Rancho Penasquitos     Copyright © 2003 Patty J. 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