The importance of the early socialization
The base of a balanced adulthood
The crucialness of the early socialization can often be heard, but what does it actually mean? Why is it important in the puppies' lives? How can it affect a dog's adulthood? When does the process of socialization start?
Practically, the socialization is a process during which, the dog gets to know the world it is immersed by. So as for a newborn baby, for a puppy, everything is new and they must be introduced to the significant things of life.
The socialization consists of several sections, and it is extremely important for the puppies to be stimulated from birth.
The first 6 weeks
The first, very early stage starts from birth, and continues until the puppies turn 6 weeks. This very early and sensitive stage determines the dog's future life..
In this period, the breeder's primer job is to establish the puppies' trust in people. This can be achieved by holding the puppies a lot, and talking to them from the very first moment, even if their hearing is not perfect in the beginning. The puppies gradually get used to noises, the most ideal is if they grow up in an environment where the base household noises are present from the first minute. As the weeks go by, the breeder has more and more job to do since the puppies do not only need to get used to humans, noises and the life itself, but the foundation of the puppies being cooperative during daily care (nail trimming, bathing, combing, etc.) also has to be made.
Additionally, the maternal attachment is a non negligible part of this stage of socialization since they are linked to their mother from birth. This dependence starts to fade as the weeks go by, but their mother is the one teaching the rules of behaviour within the pack, including how to play with each other. It is crucial that in this stage, the mother is together with the puppies, of course, with assurance that the mother gets the sufficient time of rest and regeneration.
6th- 8th weeks of age
By this time, the central nervous system is fully developed, so the puppies will start exploring the world without fear and the breeder should take advantage of this. From this time onwards, they need a larger playground where they can explore different textures (grass, concrete, sand, carpet), unstable ground (a tiny ball), a play tunnel (where they can go in despite it being dark and moving) or even a crate full of bottles that rattle and clink. These all are developmental toys that prepare the kids for the future life in the city.
This is the life stage in which the joint play betweem the puppies begin, during which, they learn how to behave with other dogs. The mother still plays an important role since she continously teaches the puppies to communicate each other, and steps in when needed.
In this stage, the breeder's job gets way more complicated. A safe environment has to be provided for the puppies' proper development and the breeder has to continue working for the puppies to trust people without boundaries.
8th - 12th weeks of age
Ideally, by that, the puppy had already gone to its owner. This is the time when the bond is the easiest to form between the puppy and the new family. But there’s no need to panic if a puppy over 12 weeks old joins the family. If the socialization continues with the breeder during this period (until the puppy finds a new owner), the puppy easily settles into the new family. However, it's significant to look after how the breeder was working with the pup.
The socialization of the puppy starts with the breeder, but it is equally important that the prospective owner follows the breeder’s advices and continues the socialization that has been started.
Why?
Because a well-socialized puppy will settle easily and without problems into a new family and become a well-balanced adult dog that behaves well in all situations. The breeder's and owner's goal is the same: to ensure a happy life for the dog!