A Last Word on Socialization

I posted earlier this week about ideas for socializing your puppy. Here is a link to Dr. Becker's site (one of my favorites) where she talks about WHY puppy socialization is so important. (HINT: poorly socialized puppies become poorly socialized dogs, and poor socialization is the number one reason dogs get euthanized.)

I forgot to mention, too, that even though your puppy needs to be socialized to other dogs, the jury is out as to when it is safe from a communicable disease point of view. Conservative vets (almost all of them) will tell you to wait until the puppy's full set of vaccines is complete. Others, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior included, recognize that the window of opportunity for good socialization is small (first 16 weeks of life), as is the risk of catching something horrible, and that socialization should take precedence over pretty much EVERYTHING. Read The AVSAB paper HERE.

A happy medium might be to get your puppy into a puppy socialization group that meets regularly, is supervised, and where all the puppies have shown proof of vaccination. Talk you your trainer or puppy school to find out what they offer.

Start with a puppy, add a sombrero, finish with a confident dog.

or, Puppy Socialization 101...expose your puppy to EVERYTHING!

Rico came into my life when I lived in Seattle, and we had the good fortune of going to puppy school at the Montessori of puppy schools...Ahimsa Dog Training, owned by Grisha Stewart, an amazing trainer and a tireless advocate of clicker training. Although Rico often slept through class (he was only 8 weeks old when we started), I learned a lot and we still had fun. Part of each class was spent exposing the puppies to odd-ball things to teach them to accept new situations with grace and aplomb. We would all put on back packs and crazy hats like jester hats and sombreros with fringe; or carry umbrellas; or push baby carriages, carry umbrellas AND wear sombreros.

The bigger the variety of experience you can give your puppy, the better adjusted and more confident and happy he or she will be as an adult. Be creative, and remember to make sure things are safe and fun, and reward, reward reward for calm and confident behavior! Try to give your puppy 10-15 brand new experiences every day. Watch how fun it is for you, too. One day, you just might find yourself running outside in your PJs with your puppy in tow because there is a high-school marching band practicing in front of your house. Or maybe that's just me.

In addition to sombreros, here are some other ideas for you to get you started:

NEW LOCATIONS:

• variety of staircases
• boat
• elevator
• grooomer (just say hi and get treats)

NOISES

• garage door opening
• washing machine
• vacuum
• leaf blower

HANDLING

• hold under arm like a football
• wipe cotton ball in ears
• look in mouth
• hold toenails

MOVING OBJECTS (no chasing, just looking)

• skateboard
• bicycle
• children running
• cat

MEETING NEW PEOPLE

• children, children and more children
• men
• different ethnicities
• elderly people

PEOPLE WITH/IN

• wheelchairs
• strange gait
• backpacks
• walkers

PLAY OBJECTS

• large ball
• small ball
• plush toy
• hard toy

EATING LOCATIONS (because you never know when you might travel with your pet)

• back & front yard
• car
• under umbrella
• bathtub

EAT OR DRINK FROM

• wobbly bowl
• cardboard box
• paper coffee cup
• pie tin
• Kong

SURFACES

• metal grate
• wooden bridge
• grass/wet grass
• gravel

Well, you get the idea. There are so many potentially scary things out there in this big world. Start early getting your puppy used to new things, and watch her grow into a well-adjusted, sombrero-loving sweetheart.

Two Toys are Better than One...and here's why.

Here's a fun game I learned from Susan at A Good Dog's Life. It's called the "Two Toy Game." Well, that's what I call it. I've found it to be really useful for getting Rico engaged and focused on what we are doing together. Even Lucy likes this game, and Lucy is fundamentally opposed to fun in all its forms.

When Rico is having fun with me, it makes him want to keep having fun when we get down to learning the agility tricks. Not only that, if you are consistently the fun machine, then your pup will learn to look to you for the magic, rather that to seek it from outside sources, like squirrels. And McDonald's wrappers lying on the ground. And clumps of freshly mown grass.

The game is simple.

Take two identical toys. Identical. Buy them both at the same time so your dog doesn't get all googly-eyed about one because it smells better than the other. Whip out one toy and start to tease and play with your pup. When he or she is engaged, tugging, trying to take it away, release that toy (the dog wins the prize), then whip out the second identical toy. Guaranteed your dog will drop the first toy and lunge for the second. Play play play, then let the dog win the toy, and quick, whip out the first toy. Keep going like that, and be sure to stop while pooch is still having fun and wanting more.

Enjoy yourself and your dog. This can be a great, mentally stimulating game to play indoors during these cold days. Lucy likes the organic, non-toxic reindeer in the picture. You can find them at my website, www.luckydogdelivers.com.