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APDT’s “Striving for Puppy Wellness” |
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(949) 533-4860 |
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Striving for Puppy Wellness:
Are Early Socialization and Infectious
Disease Prevention Incompatible?
by Jennifer Messer, BA Psych (Hons.), DVMr
What is Puppy Wellness?
Wellness is more than simply freedom from disease; it is an overall state of physical and mental well-being. Puppy wellness depends on many factors, including genetics, nutrition, protection from parasites and infectious diseases, grooming, intellectual stimulation, exercise, socialization, and a loving and safe environment. When a puppy is both physically and behaviourally well, he is more likely to meet the expectations of his human family and is at decreased risk of re-homing or euthanasia.
One of the dilemmas in the pursuit of puppy wellness is balancing the need for early socialization with the need for protection from infectious disease. Traditionally, the puppy owner has been advised to restrict the puppy to the house and the yard, until completion of his vaccination series, in order to protect him from infectious diseases until he is well immunized, which can mean virtual isolation from the outside world until over four months of age. However, the window of opportunity to most effectively socialize a puppy usually closes before the puppy is fully vaccinated, and delaying vital socialization often has negative long-term behavioural consequences. Research shows that lack of early socialization increases the likelihood of behaviour problems such as fear and aggression.
But is this degree of precaution still necessary? This “traditional” approach is based on the limitations of vaccines being used two decades ago. Vaccines have improved significantly in the last 15 years, as has our understanding of the importance of early socialization. Let us then re-examine traditional recommendations in the light of modern advances in immunology and insight into canine behaviour development.
This article will examine puppy socialization needs and the role of vaccination in the prevention of infectious disease, and explore the actual risk associated with socializing puppies before completion of their puppy vaccination series.
The Value of Early Socialization
Mother Nature designed dogs to be especially receptive to interactions with novel people, dogs, places and new experiences, while very young, so that they grow up to be comfortable with the everyday elements of their environment.1 This prevents them from wasting energy by responding fearfully to the common events and encounters of their day-to-day life.
Puppies are programmed to be most accepting of new experiences until the age of about 12 weeks. Mother Nature decrees that anything the puppy hasn’t encountered by 12 weeks old is odd enough to warrant caution! The period from three to approximately 12 weeks old is called the “sensitive period,” whereby puppies are most able to easily acclimatize to novel stimuli. From 12 to 18 weeks old the window of opportunity to socialize the puppy closes rapidly, such that with each passing week it becomes increasingly difficult to successfully socialize a dog. Once the dog reaches 18 weeks of age the window of socialization closes and it is then much harder—and sometimes impossible—to train a dog to like something new or acclimatize him to something that he finds frightening. Poorly socialized dogs are at much greater risk for responding fearfully to unfamiliar people, dogs, and experiences.
Socialization is a big project: it requires exposure to people, dogs, other pets, places, sounds and experiences they will be subjected to in the life they share with us. Depending on the owner’s lifestyle, this might include trains, garbage trucks, schoolyards of screaming children, crowds, cats, crying infants, and much more. Most puppies will be subjected to people of both sexes, various ages and appearances, handling for routine grooming, and the noises of a variety of household appliances in their day-to-day life with us.9 While it is impossible to expose a young puppy to absolutely everything he will ever encounter in life, the more bases that are covered while the window of socialization is open, the greater the chance that the puppy will be able to generalize from his prior experiences and find something reassuringly familiar in a new situation.
One way to promote socialization is through “puppy classes.”
>> Download a PDF to read the entire article.
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