Dog Socialization Tips and Checklists

By Sherry Woodard, Best Friends animal behavior consultant

For dogs to be happy and comfortable in the world of humans, socialization is so important. Many dogs lack basic social skills, either because of limited exposure to other dogs and people, or a lack of positive experiences. Dogs who were raised without sufficient experience with new people, places, sounds and objects often show fear of many commonplace situations, such as meeting new people. These dogs are uncomfortable near new people because they look, smell and sound different from their families.

Exposure to new experiences is especially important when dogs are puppies. Between 3 and 20 weeks of age is the critical socialization period in puppy development. During that period of time, if puppies do not experience a considerable variety of new things (see checklists below) in a way that allows them to feel safe and happy, they may likely become fearful adults. One of the best ways to leverage this opportunity is to take a puppy to a socialization class with a relationship-based behavior consultant. We can help fearful adult dogs, but socialization of adult dogs can take much longer than it does for puppies.

If a dog has had limited experience with the outside world, any change, such as a move to a new house or city, can be quite a challenge. When dogs like these end up in shelters, they often have a very hard time adjusting to their new environment. They may have been great with their people, even with a few family friends, but when everything in their lives has been turned upside down, they become fearful and antisocial. Unless someone works with them to improve their social skills, they are often deemed to be unsuitable for the role of family pet.

We can help these dogs by teaching them that the world isn’t as scary as it seems. To do this, we must help them experience a variety of things in ways that they feel safe and happy:

 

• To help a dog feel safe: Always work at an intensity at which the dog is completely comfortable. You can reduce the intensity of a trigger (whatever new thing you’re introducing the dog to) in different ways, including increasing the distance, duration, size and volume. If he looks even a little uncomfortable, reduce the intensity of the trigger.
• To help a dog feel happy: Have the trigger predict something that the dog loves, such as a special food treat. Every time the dog experiences the trigger, give him a special treat. With repetition, the dog will start to understand that the presence of the scary thing means that a treat is coming, and he will start to feel better about it.

Check-off sheet

Below is a list of things to practice with a puppy or dog to get him up to speed on his social skills and more comfortable with all types of situations. I like to create a worksheet with a check box next to each item on the list, so I can check off each item as I work with the dog on it. I use a fresh copy of the worksheet each month. If a dog develops positive associations with meeting new challenges, he will soon be comfortable and relaxed, ready to go places and do many fun things.

Handle all of the dog’s body parts on a daily basis, giving praise and small food rewards for relaxing. As the dog becomes more comfortable, have other people start to handle the dog, too.

Introduce the dog to people.

People of various ages:	Differences in people:
___ Newborn to three months	___ Loud man
___ Three months to six months	___ Loud woman
___ Six months to nine months	___ Ethnic differences
___ Newly walking toddlers	___ Using oxygen
___ One year old	___ Using a cane
___ Two years old	___ Using a walker
___ More than one toddler at a time	___ Using a wheelchair
___ Three to four years old	___ Other______________________
___ Groups of children playing
___ Teenagers – boys and girls
___ Adults – many different ones
___ Seniors – many different ones

 

People doing different things:	People wearing different things:
___ Singing	___ Hats
___ Dancing	___ Glasses
___ Clapping	___ Sunglasses
___ Jumping	___ A helmet
___ Hopping	___ Coats with hood up
___ Skipping	___ Capes with hood up
___ Whistling	___ Gloves
___ Jogging	___ Masks
___ Other_____________________	___ Big boots
	___ Uniforms

 

Introduce the dog to other animals. To keep all pets safe, supervise at all times.

___ Cats	___ Kittens
___ Dogs	___ Puppies
___ Horses	___ Small pet animals

 

Introduce the dog to household activities.

If the dog was an outdoor pet, everything will be new, so don’t do too much at once.

___ Vacuum	___ Dog nail clippers
___ Broom	___ Dog brush and comb
___ Mop	___ Sound of electric hair clippers
___ Alarm clock	___ Sound of electric fan
___ TV	___ Plastic bags flapping
___ Radio	___ A balloon with air escaping
___ Noise-making children’s toys	___ A recording of storm sounds
___ Children’s pull toys	___ A kite
___ Umbrella (open and close it)	___ Things being dropped
___ Other______________________________

 

Introduce the dog to the big, wide world.

Take the dog on many different types of outings.

___ Ride in cars	___ See people on bicycles
___ Walk on different flooring	___ See people on skates
___ Use stairs with and without backs	___ See people using shopping carts
___ Walk on bridges	___ Meet new friends
___ Visit other people’s homes	___ Practice visiting the vet’s office (just for fun, and give plenty of treats)
___ Take the dog to be groomed
___ See and smell parks
___ Sit at coffee shop with you
___ Use elevators
___ Use automatic doors at stores
___ Other______________________________