The Critical Periods of Canine Socialization

The critical periods of canine socialization are specific times in a dog's young life when he learns to interact with his environment, other dogs, animals and people. What we consider to be a well socialized dog is actually a dog that has (by intention or lucky chance) been exposed to the right type of environments at the exact right times in his life.

Experiments have shown that puppies learn in stages. They first learn to be a dog while being with their mother and the other members of the litter. By exploring they then learn about their environment and upon meeting other animals and people they learn about us. The exposure must be during the exact critical period and it must be positive in order for the dog to have a rational and harmonious relationship with the world around him.

As an example, if a puppy was never introduced to strangers during his human socialization period, he may get on great with friends and family but be fearful or aggressive towards people he does not know. His fear is not of people, but of people he doesn't know.

Another example would be a puppy who is removed from his litter and the care of his mother too soon. The chances are great that as an adult dog he will have trouble relating to other dogs. Because he was taken away from his litter mates and mother, he never learned the social skills of being a dog. He doesn't understand what other dogs are “saying” to him. He doesn't know how to communicate!

Critical Period Learning Is Permanent

Before we start describing each critical period of learning, there are two very important points to understand. What the puppy learns during the critical periods is permanent memory – or at least permanent conclusions that the puppy makes about what is a threat and what is good. If a broom falls on him, he will make a strong decision that brooms (or sticks or umbrellas) are bad. If a stranger offers him food there is a permanent decision that people or strangers are good.

The best way to describe the state of mind of a puppy and the critical periods is to compare the puppy's mind to a sponge. The first drops of water in the sponge are nearly impossible to wring out. But once the sponge has been completely soaked it is possible to wring out most of the water – but not the first few drops. The earliest experiences of the puppy are the lasting ones while later learning and experiences can be modified, added to or forgotten.

The Adult Personality

The second thing to understand is that the temperament of the dog will not be known until he reaches maturity. It is not until he reaches full adulthood that any phobias or fears will surface. He may seem social enough as a puppy but that could change when he reaches maturity when any lack of socialization during the critical periods will show itself. The same applies to the unmanageable and unruly puppy. When he matures he may calm dramatically and be a totally sociable adult dog.

The critical periods have been broken down into several different phases that occur through the early years of the dog's life. These are exact periods of time when a dog learns to relate to other dogs, people and his environment.

And here are the critical periods of social learning.

The First Six Weeks

The first 3 weeks of a puppy's life are really a time when they get switched on. They begin to walk, start seeing vague images of the world. In this period the pup will start to come “on line”.

The first six weeks are the canine socialization period. During this period the puppy will learn the craft of being a successful dog. It is in this period where the dog learns to be a dog. He learns the body language and social skills of being a dog. He learns about hierarchy and being put in his place by his mother or the stronger puppies of his litter. There will be fights between puppies, lots of playing and exploring the possibilities of pack life. All of this is essential to the dog's survival skills and must be allowed to occur. Do not interfere.

Human contact does not have any lasting impact on the puppy at this stage. The puppy is not mentally ready to learn about anything other than being a puppy. The mother should be left to attend to the pups on her own. Our role here is to provide a safe and quiet place for the litter to grow.

Human Socialization Period

From weeks 7 to 12 your young puppy enters the human socialization period. This is the most important time for the dog to have close, positive human contact.

If the dog does not come into contact with humans during this period he will NEVER, EVER be fully comfortable around people. This is the best time for the dog to be homed or to be passed between foster owners. When professionally socializing puppies I often take the dogs to schools and let children handle the pup. I take the dog with me wherever allowable so that he can meet all different kinds of people.

If a dog is not exposed to children during this period later in life he will be nervous and incapable of relaxing around children. If a dog is not socialized with both human males and females he may be be nervous around one or the other.

How Much Socialization Is Needed?

How much socialization? As much as possible, as long as it is positive. The more the better and the more it is varied the better, too. Have him meet people inside and outside your house, places he feels comfortable and places he feels nervous. Have him meet all kinds of different people: old and young, tall and small.

It is true that a dog can differentiate between people of different cultures and ethnics. Many dogs that have come to Thailand from America or Europe can be nervous or aggressive towards Thais and people of other ethnic backgrounds. The dog is not prejudice – he is just unfamiliar, and therefore uncomfortable, with other types of people.

If the puppy displays any negative reactions such as fear or aggression, don't reinforce this by trying to sooth and calm him. Remember, it is not how he behaves now that is important – it is the socialization that he is experiencing for later life that is important. His reactions to being exposed to new people or other environments is not a sign of how he will react later in life. Ignore any fearful reactions and just continue to socialize him as much as you can.

Negative Human Contact

Because an owner sometimes fears that something bad might happen, many dogs are under socialized. Some veterinarians recommend that puppies are not given any outside exposure during this critical period to avoid picking up disease. In my opinion, the chances of contracting illness are out-weighed by the need to socialize. Veterinarians are coming from a purely medical standpoint, whereas the responsibility for the dog's permanent mental well-being is entirely in your hands.

It is inevitable that some negative human contact will occur during this period. There may also be occasions when accidents occur. While these should be avoided, they actually have less impact on the dog's later outlook than a complete lack of contact.

The Fear Impact Periods

Running at the same time as the human socialization period we have the first of several fear impact periods. During this period things that were familiar to the puppy will suddenly cause him to display fear. He might have been totally comfortable while you were vacuuming the floor before but during this period he will be very frightened. He was comfortable around house guests before but suddenly he barks or runs away when guests come to your home.

In this period the puppy is honing his defensive skills. The best thing to do is completely ignore any undesirable reactions. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REASSURE THE PUPPY. Reassuring him (using a calming voice, petting, soothing in any manner) will be misinterpreted as rewarding the fear. You'd be telling him that his fear was the correct response and this will reinforce, amplify or permanently establish this reaction.

You may try to gently present the “threatening” object or person to the puppy allowing him to make up his own mind as to whether it is an actual threat. For example, if his reaction to the vacuum cleaner is fear, do nothing while you are vacuuming, but leave the vacuum out (switched off) so he may take the opportunity to smell it and check it out on his own. This period would be the wrong time to try to teach the dog to overcome a fear by flooding him with exposure. If your puppy is frightened of guests, ignore his reactions but as your guests leave, have them drop a few of his favorite treats on the floor and let him experience and decide for himself that guests are actually very good to have around!

A second fear impact period occurs between 6 - 15 months. Deal with it in the same manner as his first fear period. Don’t force the dog into confronting his fears – use patience and good judgment and allow the dog to get through his fear on his own.

The fear impact periods are not the same for every dog. Each dog is different and each dog will have different fears and express them differently (and in different degrees). They will get through their fears in varying amounts of time.

Thunder and Loud Noises

A very common problem is fearful reactions to thunder and loud noises. In 90% of cases, a puppy that is fearful of thunder was born just after the rainy season. My own studies show that if your dog is fearful of thunder he was almost certainly born sometime between October and July or during a year where there were few thunder storms to experience during his critical learning period.

If a puppy does not experience thunder or loud noises during his critical periods he will be unfamiliar and fearful of these as an adult. If your puppy was born just before the rainy season and experienced thunder during his critical periods he understands and has come to the conclusion that thunder will not harm him. He will be relaxed and comfortable when he hears thunder or loud noises.

Get your dog familiar with these sounds during his critical learning periods no matter what the weather is by downloading sounds of thunder and storms and playing them for him on your stereo. Make some noise in the kitchen by gently banging pots and pans. Knock on your front door and ring your door bell to get him used to these sounds. Clap your hands, whistle loudly – anything to make a bit of noise. Remember, ignore his reactions. His reaction as a puppy in not important. You just need him to experience these sounds and conclude on his own that nothing harmful came from them.

Overcoming A Lack Of Socialization

But what if you don't know if your dog has been socialized? What if you have gotten this puppy after his critical periods? Or what if you have an adult dog that shows signs of lack of socialization? Is there hope?

What your puppy learned during his critical periods were permanent conclusions about the world around him. But there is hope to get your dog over the worst of his fears. Obedience training your dog will allow you to replace his fearful reactions with actions that you have taught him.

“Berry” was a dog that was fearful of motorcycles. His natural reaction was to bolt and run when he heard the sound of a bike coming. After several lessons we were able to teach Berry that the correct reaction to motorcycles was to sit and stay until the “danger” passed.

“Sammy” was a dog afraid of sticks. He would become very aggressive whenever someone held a stick of any kind near him. The owners got Sammy when he was already an adult dog. He obviously had some bad experiences with sticks when he was a puppy. They realized he had a problem whenever the maid swept the floor or when they needed to use an umbrella. He would growl or bark and run from the room. After weeks of sessions where we desensitized Sammy to sticks of all types he no longer showed aggression. His negative reaction was reduced by 75% percent.

By replacing a dog's natural reaction to a fearful object or situation with obedience you gain control. You make it possible to exhaust the dog's fear by exposing him to it in a non-threatening way. Your dog will become more confident and his fears will reduce.

Conclusion

The critical periods of canine social learning are vital to understanding and shaping your dog's personality and behavior. What I have given you here is an overview of a detailed subject. To know more, read some of my favorite books on the subject: Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog by Scott & Fuller (University of Chicago Press), The Dog's Mind by Bruce Fogle, and Understanding Your Dog by Eberhard Trumbler.