Socialization After Puppyhood: What to do if you’ve missed that window.

Read any good dog training book and they’ll talk about how important it is to make sure your puppy is appropriately socialized before they’re four months old. Specialists in puppy development have studied various factors that can influence how a puppy interacts in their environment, and the long term effect that these experiences can have on the dog as an adult.

So much is at stake, and unfortunately the window to act is so very small.

When we talk about Puppy Socialization, what we’re actually referring to is a key developmental phase that puppies goes through starting at aged 3 weeks, and closing at around 16 week (or earlier in some breeds).

During this developmental phase a puppy is highly sensitive to the environment around them, and any experiences (good or bad) that they are exposed to. Any positive experiences will generally stay with them into adulthood, but with a word of warning the same can also be true for any negative ones.

Many behavioural challenges that develop in adulthood can be traced back to either a lack of action during this early developmental phase, or in some cases to a single stressful incident that occurred that caused the puppy to become fearful.

Think of Puppy Socialization as an opportunity to pre-program your puppy for the life they’re going to share with you.

All the skills you would like your dog to have as an adult, such as being good with young children, friendly with other animals, happy to be on their own while you’re out of the house, all of these life skills should be practiced, and be perceived as enjoyable by your puppy before they reach four months of age.

Knowing this is all well and good, but what do you do if you’ve missed this golden learning opportunity?

Maybe you adopted your dog post puppyhood, or due to covid restrictions you were really limited on what you could expose your puppy to safely.

To be honest the reason doesn’t really matter, and as the old saying goes “it’s never too late to teach an old dog new tricks” or in this case “create positive emotional associations to objects, places, animals, relationships, and experiences” it will just take a little longer.

No matter where you and your dog are on your journey together, I’ve created a list of seven recommendations that will help you both socialize, stress-free.

1. Treat every day as an opportunity to try something new.

This could be going for a walk in a new area, teaching your dog a new trick, or encouraging your dog to put their paws on something new.

Don’t underestimate the novelty factor. Your dog may no longer be a puppy, but there are still plenty of new things to try, and the more you incorporate new experiences into your regular routine the easier it will be for your dog to adapt to them.

Think of it as a fun game to play together. How many different things can your dog stand on in 5 minutes? A metal park bench. A washed up log. Climbing equipment in a playground. So many possibilities, and so many new textures and sounds.

2. Identify the core skills that are important to you and your dog, and practice them regularly.

You may have successful introduced your puppy to a playful toddler a few years ago, but if you’re not regularly looking for opportunities to reinforce this skill you may loose it. It’s not enough to meet one child, your dog needs to meet and interact with lots of them (just not at the same time).

Just like with Puppy Socialization, it’s important to make sure that all encounters are positive, safe, and enjoyable for everyone involved, especially your dog. It’s okay for them to interact from a distance, in fact if it’s been awhile since your dog has been around children I’d recommend taking it extra slow, and watch your dog’s comfort levels.

Covid is providing extra challenges for people who are “temporarily” working from home. Your dog is getting really used to having you home everyday, and you heading back to the office in the near future could be a challenge.

Just like with every other skill, if having a dog who’s okay being left alone is important to you, make sure you practice it.

3. If you’re experiencing challenges, find a behavioural specialist who can help you.

This is especially true if your dog suffers from separation anxiety, any form of aggression, or resource guarding.

You can not be expected to go through this alone. If this is something you’re experiencing please reach out to me and I will refer you to a specialist who will help you.

4. Get good at reading your dog’s body language.

This is a huge one, and I’m often blow away by how badly some people can miss read what their dog is trying to tell them. Most stressful encounters can be avoided if you know what signs to look for.

Renée from Bravo Dog has a wonderful FREE Dog Body Language course I highly recommend checking out…even if you’re a pro!

I also love Turid Rugaas’s book On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals. It’s a quick, easy read full of great information - every dog guardian should own a copy.

5. Let your dog set the pace.

Once you’re in tune with your dog’s body language it’s really easy to spot when your dog’s feeling uncomfortable. It maybe that they just need a little more space, or that you’re asking too much from them too soon.

Basically if you follow your dog’s lead, allow them the time to observe a situation before engaging, keep encounters brief, and be on watch for any stress signals, you’ll be able to expose your dog safely to almost any situation.

If you’ve got a dog who’s super excitable and prone to jumping up (on people, or other dogs), you’ll want to make sure that you have full control before saying hello - make sure your dog will check-in with you when asked, will come when called if off leash, and will disengage without a fuss. If this sound like a tall ask, I’d recommend working with a good dog trainer who can help you.

6. Never punish an unwanted response or behaviour.

Maybe you miss read the situation, or your dog was caught by surprise, either way it’s never a good idea to punish or correct a dog for growling, moving away, or any other behaviour that’s trying to put distance between them and the object of their anxiety.

If you want your dog to learn that a new object or experience is nothing to be fearful of, you have to go at their pace, and make it rewarding for them - aka bring out the good treats.

A dog that’s punished for growling will quickly learn NOT to growl, but will instead escalate to a bite if provoked. It’s really important that your dog is allowed to fully express themselves, especially when they are feeling uncomfortable - there are a lot of signal that precede a bite, if you know what to look for.

7. Manage your dog’s environment, and set them up for success.

Taking action and managing your dog’s environment where you can will have a huge impact on how safe your dog feels, and ultimately how successful a socialization encounter will be.

Simply choosing a quiet location and limiting as many distractions as possible can really help when introducing your dog to something new.

Not only do the lack of distractions allow your dog to focus on the task at hand, but it also gives you the opportunity to freely observe your dog without having to worry about interruptions.

There’s nothing worse than sitting quietly on a park bench with your dog, watching runners and bikes go by, only to be ambushed by every off leash dog or happy child who wants to say hi.

Socialization after puppyhood is lifelong adventure, so make the most of it. Get creative, keep it fun, and ask for help if you need it.