Socializing Safely

Those of you who are parents know that this is a dangerous world to be raising our children in.  We could point to the alarming trend of school shootings, or the very real danger out on the highways as they learn how to drive, or how about the risk of disease they face! As parents we’re concerned for their safety and rightly so.  We could take the route of never letting them out of the house while they are young, but I think you’d agree it would probably have an adverse affect on their social skills and development.  So as responsible parents we do our best to protect them, but we grant them some freedoms even though we know there are risks.

We face a similar dilemma as pet parents.  While our puppies are young they aren’t fully protected against the diseases we vaccinate them for until they have had all their shots.  However, if we wait until our puppy has all his/her shots before socializing, we’ve missed out on the most important time for socialization.

So what is a pet parent to do?  Well, you can take some commonsense precautions.  Below are some ideas of how you can safely socialize your puppy.  As you take these precautions the risk of infection is small.  As a parent you should weigh the risk and come up with a plan that you are comfortable with.  Keep in mind there is a much larger risk of your dog developing some serious behavior problems or even death later on down the road if you choose not to socialize in the early months.

Socialization ideas with minimal risk involved:

1. Enroll your puppy in a well-orchestrated puppy socialization class.  According to the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, your puppy should receive at least one set of vaccines at least seven days prior to the first class, and a first deworming.   You’ll also want to stay current on vaccines throughout the class.  Look for a class that is held on a clean and disinfected surface.
2. Take your puppy on car rides.
3. Setup play dates with well socialized dogs who are fully vaccinated and have no signs of illness.  You can set these up at a safe location.
4. Invite some friends over for dinner. (It’s best if they are both male and female, various ages, races, sizes, and wearing anything from sunglasses to hats)  You can have your friends feed your puppy with high value food, like chicken!
5. Allow your puppy to investigate and communicate through their nose and scent.  Take a puppy to a friend’s back yard, and make sure their dog is not at home.  Allow the puppy time to explore the garden/yard and dog’s scent, leaving messages of their own for the host dog to smell after you’ve left.   After doing this a few times this can lead to an introduction in person.  Both will recognize each other’s scent and likely be more at ease.
6. Carry your puppy to Starbucks where you can meet and greet new people.  You can also take them into a dog-friendly store in a cart.

**  It’s important to avoid areas where stray dogs or dogs without vaccinations may have been.   (Like the dog park or mountains)

** Disclaimer **

The suggestions above do involve some measure of risk of infection and Focused Dog recommends that before implementing these ideas for socialization you consult with your Vet, weigh the risk of infection versus reward of socializing, and arrive at a plan that you’re comfortable with.