Prep your puppy for the outside world

Denise Flaim | Animal House

May 1, 2008

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Consider these two puppy owners.

Sara took her new 8-week-old puppy to the vet for a checkup and his first immunizations. (Parvo, distemper and adenovirus only, as Sara did her homework and learned not to give "noncore" vaccinations unless there's a compelling reason.) A week later, Sara and her new addition went to a puppy-kindergarten class at a local dog-training school.

Our other owner, Zara, also took her new 8-week-old puppy for a checkup and shots. (Instead of Sara's 3-in-1 shot, Zara didn't question the vet's decision to give what one veterinary immunologist I know calls a "mombo wombo" 7-in-1 shot. Bad, bad Zara -- but that's another column.)

Because she had been warned that a puppy is not completely immunized until the second set of shots at 16 weeks or so, Zara kept her puppy confined to the house and yard until that milestone.

Denise Flaim Bio | E-mail | Recent columns

Which owner is putting her puppy at greater risk -- perhaps fatally?

If you said Sara, you're wrong.

Everyone talks about puppy socialization, but few owners really know what the word means, or how to best accomplish it. Socializing your dog means exposing it to new people, places and things in a positive way -- and at the appropriate time. I'm reminded of the clueless Akita owner who brought his bristling 3-year-old male to the dog park so he could be "socialized" with other dogs. I don't know what happened next -- I scooped up my dog and got out while the getting was good.

Puppies have a crucial socialization period that begins when they open their eyes and ears at 3 weeks to about 3 months of age. During this critical window of opportunity, they need to be exposed to a whole universe of stimuli. Folks in wheelchairs, energetic children and slow-moving senior citizens, dogs that have a profoundly different appearance than their own littermates (Samoyeds, say, as opposed to Vizslas), everyday objects such as balloons, umbrellas and loud traffic -- they all need to be introduced during this delicate, and finite, period.

Introducing them after the fact -- like at 4 months old, when most puppies get their second round of shots, and the thumbs-up from their veterinarian to venture out -- is too late.

But if you keep your puppy cloistered like a Benedictine, how can you give it the exposure to the larger world that it needs -- when it needs it?

The answer is, you can't.

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (avsabonline.org) has written a position paper on this very subject. It notes that inadequate socialization leads to behavioral problems, including fear, avoidance and aggression. And behavioral problems are not just the primary reason dogs are dumped at shelters -- they also are the No. 1 cause of death for dogs younger than 3 years old.

"While puppies' immune systems are still developing during these early months, the combination of maternal immunity, primary vaccination and appropriate care makes the risk of infection relatively small compared to the chance of death from a behavior problem," the paper states.

This isn't to say that you should take your puppy to a high-traffic place like a dog run any more than you should teach a toddler to swim in the Atlantic. But there are small-scale, safe environments for young puppies, foremost among them puppy kindergarten classes.

Like the human gatherings for which they are named, puppy-K classes are less interested in drills and perfect behavior and more focused on instilling good manners and social skills.

Ideally, puppy-K classes are offered in facilities with tile floors, or similarly nonporous surfaces that can be disinfected before each class.

Most classes offer a playtime component. Though it's off leash and free form, this is an important learning experience, as puppies test their limits. Intervening here can help derail a bully, or give a shy puppy the chance to develop self-confidence.

Outside of formal class, orchestrate opportunities to socialize your dog. Bring it along on errands (as long as you do not leave it unattended in the car). Enlist friends to wear odd-looking hats, hoods and raincoats, offering yummy treats all the while. Organize play dates at the homes of friends who you know have vaccinated, well-behaved, well-adjusted dogs.

Above all, resist the urge to put your puppy under glass. His life -- or at the very least, your future happiness as the owner of a nonmaniacal mutt -- depends on it.