Socializing a puppy is a vital step in raising a happy, confident, and well-behaved dog. The first few months of life, known as the critical socialization period, are when puppies are most open to new experiences. Introducing them to various people, pets, environments, and situations during this time helps prevent fear and anxiety later in life.
In this extensive guide by Sploot Vets, we talk about how to socialize a puppy with people and other dogs, in a way that is safe and beneficial.
Overview:
- Puppies that are NOT socialized are more prone to being reactive or aggressive around unfamiliar dogs and people.
- Socialization is best done at 3 to 14 weeks of age. Though it’s still possible to improve the behavior of an adult dog, this process typically needs in-depth training over weeks or months.
- Though puppies can be socialized with humans early, direct contact with other pets is not recommended until the puppy is 10 to 12 weeks old and has had all their core canine vaccines. (The only exception to this timeframe is a family/friend’s dog that is healthy and up-to-date on vaccines.)
What Happens If A Puppy Isn't Socialized?
When a puppy isn’t properly socialized, they may exhibit the following behaviors as they grow up:
- Increased reactivity (or aggression) towards other dogs or unfamiliar people
- Difficulty in adjusting or being calm in new environments
- Increased fearfulness towards new experiences, sounds, or places
- A tendency towards excessive barking when faced with unfamiliar stimuli
- Difficulty in learning basic obedience
All in all, unsocialized puppies or dogs are relatively more challenging to bring to dog-friendly places, pet boarding establishments, dog groomers, or the vet. At-home routine care for dogs (grooming, nail clipping, toothbrushing) may also pose added difficulties.
What Is The Best Age To Socialize A Puppy? [Critical Socialization Period]
A puppy’s critical socialization period starts at 3 weeks of age and ends at around 14 weeks of age. Considering that most puppies are adopted at around 8 weeks of age or more, puppy socialization is one of the first and most important things to do after bringing a puppy home.
Note: If you missed the critical socialization period, you can still take steps toward socializing your puppy. However, the older a puppy is, the more time and effort may be required to get them fully socialized.
I. How To Socialize Your Puppy With People
- When: A day or two after adoption
- Prerequisite: Veterinary puppy exam and clearance from zoonotic parasites and infections (e.g. ringworm)
Socializing your puppy is not just about teaching them to be friendly; it’s also about teaching them how to live with people and be a calm and confident member of the household.
1. Cover The Basics of Puppy Care
Because young puppies are in a crucial stage of physical and psychological development, it is important to make sure their primary health needs are addressed. We recommend scheduling a puppy exam before or shortly after bringing a new puppy home.
During the first vet visit, your puppy will get a personalized recommendation on the best puppy food for their needs—as well as reminders about dog vaccine schedules and other crucial aspects of preventive care.
2. Allow Your Puppy to Settle In
Once you bring your puppy home, give them a safe and comfortable place to stay. It is recommended to place them in a spacious crate or a pen near your bed so they can sense your presence. You can move the puppy to a puppy-proofed room after a few days.
Check out our guide, How to Take Care of a New Puppy 101: The 1st Year [Vet-Approved], for recommendations on choosing a crate, as well as other must-have puppy supplies.
After a day or two of settling in, your puppy should be relatively comfortable in their new environment and ready for puppy socialization.
3. Treats: An Effective Motivator for Puppy Socialization
Puppy socialization, just like other forms of training, needs to have a reward system. This is where treats come in. Treats, along with lavish praise, help reward desired or good behaviors; this is also known as positive reinforcement.
In addition, treats can also help puppies develop a positive association with harmless sights, sounds, or experiences. By desensitizing your puppy to certain aspects of life (loud household noises, bath time, nail trimming, etc), they can develop a calmer disposition and can be much easier to care for.
4. Using Tone & Body Language to Engage & Set Boundaries
Using the right tone and body language helps you communicate with your puppy—even if your puppy is still in the process of maturing and picking up on cues and commands.
Here are a few examples of how tone and body language can affect how your puppy perceives your reactions:
- Reassuring tone & meeting your puppy at their level—by speaking calmly and crouching (not looming over your puppy), this helps them feel more comfortable around you. This is especially useful if your puppy is nervous or fearful.
- Speaking with a positive high-pitched voice, patting the ground, and soft clapping—these gestures help encourage your puppy to be playful. Pairing these actions with the gradual introduction of toys communicates to your puppy that it’s time to play.
- High-pitched “good job!”, paired with affectionate pats or treats—typically dogs have a positive association with high-pitched voices, petting, and of course, treats. Over time, your puppy will understand these mean that you are happy about what they did or how they behaved.
- Firm “no” or“off”, paired with a loud clap—these communicate that you are not happy with what your puppy did. However, it will take time for puppies to understand why and develop the discipline to stop bad behavior. With patience and consistency, your puppy will learn that good behavior gets rewarded and bad behavior doesn’t.
5. Desensitization to Common Sights & Sounds
Desensitization is the process of introducing your puppy to certain sights and sounds with the goal of making these either positive or neutral. Desensitization helps puppies become confident and less reactive to sights and sounds that they will likely encounter in everyday life—such as people talking, children playing, household appliances, other dogs barking, thunderstorms, cars honking, and so on.
Here is how you can desensitize your puppy in a controlled and supportive way:
- Find audio or videos of common sights and sounds.
- Play the audio or video on a low volume, ensuring that your puppy hears it.
- Give your puppy positive interactions through play, affectionate touch, or treats. This reassures them there is nothing to worry about.
- Gradually raise the sound level over days or weeks. Reward your puppy when they are calm—turn down the volume if your puppy gets overwhelmed.
- Once your puppy is ready, try exposing them to real-life situations
- Reward your puppy’s calm behavior. If they get agitated, go back to controlled audio or video to repeat the process.
- f you encounter challenges, feel free to consult your vet or reach out to a behaviorist.
6. Positive Association to Common Care Practices
Dogs are naturally hesitant about getting their face, mouth, ears, paws, tail, and other parts handled. Therefore, during your puppy’s socialization period, it is good to get them accustomed to being handled —whether by you, by a veterinarian, or by a dog groomer.
To help your puppy be calm when receiving care, give them the chance to form positive associations with these experiences. Try the following tips:
- Establish the milestones—Before your puppy gets comfortable with nail clipping, they must first be comfortable getting their paws touched. The latter is an example of a milestone. Milestones break apart an experience so that you can introduce it to your puppy gradually.
- Reward your puppy for each milestone—when your puppy is calm or cooperative for any milestone, reward them with treats and praise. Then, move on to the next milestone. Over time, they will learn that being calm amidst the experience is a good thing.
- Know when to take a break—If your puppy shows signs of fear or agitation, take a break and try again another time.
Note: By introducing experiences one milestone at a time (and rewarding your pup accordingly), they will eventually get used to nail clipping, vet exams, grooming, and other common aspects of care they will experience throughout life.
7. Teaching Your Puppy How to Meet New People
Just like other aspects of puppy socialization, teaching your puppy to meet other people calmly is a gradual process. Here are a few tips:
- Start with your puppy observing new people from afar. Reward them when they stay calm.
- Once your puppy learns to be comfortable around people, it’s time to try introducing them to someone in a calm environment.
- Tell the person to approach slowly, speak softly, and avoid towering over the puppy (crouch down instead). In addition, you can instruct the person to only pet the puppy once the puppy sits—this helps prevent the habit of jumping up.
- Reward your puppy when they stay calm during introductions.
- Keep interactions short at first to avoid overwhelming your puppy.
- Repeat the process until your puppy is consistently calm when meeting new people.
- If your puppy struggles, you can opt to enroll them in puppy classes or consult a trainer.
Note: In addition, Sploot Veterinarian Dr. Sylvia Berns recommends: “Petting a new puppy should be a gradual process too. It may be best to AVOID the face and the top of the head at first—the safest places to pet a puppy are under the chin, along the side of the neck, on the shoulders, and upper and middle back.”
8. Don’t Forget Basic Training: Potty, Crate, & Leash
While you are taking steps on how to socialize a puppy, it’s also important to plan when to get them started on potty training, crate training, leash training, and basic obedience training.
Though not technically part of puppy socialization, these basic trainings help your puppy live harmoniously with people and other pets. Some of these basic skills can even keep them safe or save their lives during an emergency.
9. Gradually Increase Your Pup’s Exposure & Practice
Though your puppy will make progress and achieve milestones, it is important to give them practice via exposure to new situations. Doing so reinforces your puppy’s skills while also giving them mental enrichment. This is where frameworks like the Rule of 7 in Puppy Socialization can come in handy.
What Is The Rule Of 7 Puppy Socialization?
The Rule of 7 in Puppy Socialization is a guideline used to expose puppies to a variety of experiences early in life, helping them become well-adjusted and confident over time. The idea is to introduce your puppy to at least seven different experiences under various categories.
The Rule of 7 recommends that puppies experience the following before 12 to 14 weeks of age.:
- Played with 7 different types of objects
- Experienced 7 different types of surfaces or substrates
- Been in 7 different locations
- Met 7 new people (different ages)
- Been exposed to 7 challenges (e.g. climbing a box, going through a tunnel)
- Eaten from 7 different containers
- Eaten in 7 different locations
Note: There are a few variations of the above list from different sources. When in doubt, ask your vet or a pet behaviorist.
II. How To Socialize A Puppy With Other Dogs (or Other Pets)
- When: At 10 to 12 weeks of age—after your puppy has had all the core puppy vaccinations. (The only exception to this timeframe is a family/friend’s dog that is healthy and up-to-date on vaccines.)
- Prerequisite: Veterinary puppy exam, a clean bill of health, and all prescribed core dog vaccines (e.g. Rabies, DHPP/DAPP, Leptospirosis)
- Which pets are safe?: Healthy pets with a safe temperament AND up-to-date vaccinations
After following the steps on how to socialize a puppy with people, it’s time to take the next step and socialize your puppy with other dogs (or other pets).
1. Assessing Safety for Puppy Socialization
Safety always comes first. If any of the following applies to the dog that you’re introducing to your puppy, we highly recommend consulting a pet behaviorist first:
- Dogs with a history of aggression toward other dogs
- Large dogs with a highly excitable or reactive temperament
Note: Certain species are typically NOT safe around puppies. These include prey species such as rodents, reptiles, birds, and ferrets. Some of these pets also have the capacity to harm a puppy accidentally.
2. Scent Swaps & Gradual Introductions
After ensuring that a dog is safe to introduce to your puppy, here are some guidelines for seamless socialization:
- Start by scent-swapping—exchange bedding or toys to help your pets get used to each other’s scent. Reward calm behavior during this process.
- Next, let your pets see each other without direct interaction, such as through a baby gate or a barrier.
- Once both pets are calm around each other, they can be introduced. However, keep both pets on a leash during the first few interactions. This helps ensure that you maintain control.
- Always supervise their interactions and reward positive behavior with treats and praise.
- Keep the first meetings short. If either pet becomes stressed, pause and try again another day.
Note: If you notice signs of aggression at any point, consult a pet behaviorist before continuing.
Final Thoughts on How to Socialize a Puppy
We trust you found this guide on how to socialize a puppy helpful. As a final reminder, we recommend bringing your puppy to a Fear Free vet clinic for their puppy exams, vaccines, and other aspects of care. By choosing a Fear Free certified vet, you can reinforce your puppy’s progress in socialization.
In addition, even after your puppy is socialized, building trust and bonding with your puppy is an ongoing journey. Learn more in our complete guide: 8 Amazing Ways to Bond with Your Dog [Complete Guide]
Lastly, for more helpful tips on raising a healthy and happy puppy, check out this guide by Sploot Vets: How to Take Care of a New Puppy 101: The 1st Year [Vet-Approved]
Sploot Vets: A Fear Free Vet for Your Puppy’s Lifelong Care
Sploot Veterinary Care provides all-in-one, Fear-Free vet care for dogs—with primary, urgent, and emergency vet services all under one roof.
In addition, we offer unparalleled availability in our convenient vet clinic locations, open for extended hours, 365 days a year (including holidays)!
Book your appointment online or through the Sploot Vets app! Till next time, we’re with you every pounce of the way!
