Socialization Month - Socialization When, and Where?

 Socialization When is it? 

You may remember that in last weeks blog, Socialization what it is what it isn’t, that while socialization includes a lot of exposure to those aforementioned places, people and things, it’s about HOW we do it as much as what we do. In this weeks blog we introduce when and where socialization for our service dog puppy begins. 

When should you start socializing your service dog puppy? We like to start socializing puppies as soon as possible, however, we do have a few prerequisites we recommend: 

1. We want to have started building a relationship with the puppy.
2. We want to have spent some time training simple behaviors and making sure my puppy understands them so he can fall back on if he's confused or nervous.
3. We want the puppy to have had one set of vaccines. (See guideline chart below).
   
   

*Generally accepted guideline of the puppy vaccination schedule for the first year. Make sure to speak with your vet about this as they will be the experts on any local health risks or outbreaks.

The first few days most puppies need things to stay relatively quiet while they adjust and build a relationship with you. Having just moved into a new house, they'll have been exposed to plenty of new things to last them for at least a few days.

What is the time frame for socialization?  The first 3 months is the general recommended time frame for early socialization and it usually starts when your puppy is still with the mother, and/or breeder, (if your puppy is from a breeder). This is why we highly recommend that a puppy is not brought home before at least 8 weeks of age. Things the mothers teach them and that helps with later socialization include: 

1.) Social skills
2.) How to do things
3.) How to play properly
4.) Building trust and confidence
5.) And so much more

The next time frame is the puppies first weeks home. Along with the recommended first steps, from above, your puppy will start developing new socialization skills from their home environment. Things like the type of flooring you have, carpet vs hardwood, other animals in your home, boundaries such as their crate or puppy pen, routines including meal times and potty breaks. YES this is all part of socializing your puppy. The outside of your property is also filled with things to explore, find, and experience. 

Now is also a good time to probably take your puppy off property for socialization a few days to a week. This means very short trips in your car to simply sit and watch the world. You may be surprised at how much your dog can experience in a 15-20 min. trip sitting in one location, simply watching, and sniffing, out the window. People walking by, sounds of traffic, people, car doors, along with smells of food, tree’s, grass, all things they can experience in safety. 


Toby, (one of our My Service Dog and Me students
puppy, socializing from the car. 

Keep in mind that at this time we are still waiting for the ok from a vet to introduce them to common area’s that other pets/animals may have been. 

Where do I socialize? 

We have discussed where to socialize in the first couple weeks, and even socialization they do with their mom before they come home. Now lets talk a little about a few weeks after that and moving forward. 

When it comes to the question of where to socialize, this is one place we see people rush their puppies. So let's clear something up. Socialization and public access are two sides of a coin, they go together, and your socialization will set your puppy up for future public access work. However, young puppies have absolutely no place in stores that are only open to service dogs. That doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of places for us to socialize our service dog puppies. To start with:

• Outdoor pet-friendly locations such as parks, and parking lots where you can work on basics and especially focus.  
• Indoor pet-friendly locations:  Hardware stores, farm stores, outdoor sports stores, and some hobby stores tend to be pet friendly. (Always check with your business locations to be sure they are indeed pet-friendly.)

A word on potty training and socialization.

Although it would be ideal to have our puppy potty trained before venturing out to pet - friendly indoor locations, due to the best window of opportunity, and the fact that accidents to happen, be sure and let your puppy go potty before entering store, watch for signs they may need to go so you can remove them, and always clean up any accidents. We strongly recommend taking a long a cleaning kit that includes: 

1.) Poop bags
2.) Paper towels
3.) Small spray bottle of enzyme cleaner
4.) Hand sanitizer and/or wipes

Continue to keep these things in mind while socializing your puppy:

• Keep in short - 10-15 minutes in the beginning is about all the concentration and attention that a young puppy has.
• Distance is your friend - If your puppy seems anxious, fearful, or overly excited, move further away from the distractions and environment. 
• Puppies are always learning - Thus socializing is ongoing even in every day life. 

Finally, remember, this is not public access, we are simply introducing our puppies to his world, which is a really big place.

Hint: You want to know an easy way to change up a socialization situation at home? Add or take away something from the room, (or yard), that you’re working in. This gives your service dog puppy a new view and takes little time to do. 

🗓️ Next Week: Why do we socialize and socializing with people and other dogs. 

Resources

My Service Dog and Me Socialization vs Public Access
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn7z_J7O7AA&t=733s
 
AKC recommended puppy shots: Make sure to speak with your vet about this as they will be the experts on any local health risks or outbreaks.
* https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/puppy-shots-complete-guide/

Animalko: 16 Important lessons a mother dog teaches her puppies. 
https://animalko.com/important-lessons-a-mother-dog-teaches-her-puppies/