Park Hill Vet: Prescription For A Perfect Puppy
Socialization Is Critical; Teach Your Dog These Tricks
By Margot K Vahrenwald, DVM, CVJ
For the GPHN
The puppy parade that is so common for veterinarians during the summer is in full swing. Congratulations to all the new puppies and their families.
We as owners all want our puppy to be happy and grow properly, but it’s easy to forget that there’s a very short window of time to socialize properly. Missing socialization as a young puppy is the primary cause of fear, reactivity, aggression and other behavior problems – leading to the number one cause of relinquishment to a shelter for misbehavior.
Socialization is much more than meeting a few people and other dogs, a couple of veterinary visits and sitting outside Starbucks. Socialization is the gamut of interactions needed during puppyhood to prepare and be reinforced for the rest of a dog’s life. It includes:
1. Obedience training: Learning commands, teaching humans how to train a dog and work a leash, learning the ability to focus on the handler amid huge distractions.
2. Husbandry: Learning to allow being handled and groomed – nail trims, tooth brushing, ear cleaning, safe bathing, being able to touch and look all over your pup so that they will tolerate this at the veterinarian’s, the groomer’s and more. Practicing handling every day means your pup develops the ability to be cooperative for care, whether by you (brushing teeth every day) or by the veterinarian.
3. New things: Exposure to new sights, sounds, smells, and surfaces – the sounds and conditions of living in an urban area and in a house. Start with limited walks around your neighborhood as your puppy grows. Some even invest in a stroller or backpack to be out and about. I recommend avoiding dog parks, formal and informal, until your pup is fully trained and has been spayed or neutered because of the uncontrolled environment.
4. Sudden environmental changes: Car rides, boarding, changes in weather, seasonal events like the Fourth of July and snow. Take your pup for some car rides – you can park in a store or shopping center parking lots with the windows open to hear and smell while they watch all the activity. (Just don’t leave them in the car as our temperatures are too hot until we cool down in the late fall.)
5. Being alone: Crate training or building up to having a safe place to stay without anxiety or destruction while you are away from home. Slowly develop your puppy’s ability to self-entertain and relax in crate or playpen to help lessen risk of developing separation anxiety.
6. Meeting and greeting humans and other dogs and animals: Make play dates with appropriate dog friends. Play is a huge part of learning to dog in terms of hierarchy, bite inhibition, etc. Your puppy should meet and interact with at least 20 dogs before six months of age and hopefully have positive interactions with a least 100 humans in the same time window.
7. Visiting the veterinary clinic – and liking it! Pop in for a weight check and treat or just a few quicks pats as you walk through the lobby so that the vet is part of their normal routine.
These are not innate skills but have to be learned via training and repetition, just like we humans need growing and going from infancy through to adulthood. But our pups do it on a very short timeline. Avoid lifelong behavior issues with intense concentration on doing all the right things with your new puppy. Ask your vet today for some guidance. And, most of all, enjoy!
Dr. Margot Vahrenwald is the owner of Park Hill Veterinary Medical Center at 2255 Oneida St. For more information, visit parkhillvet.com