Hunter's Heart Brittanys - Socializing Puppies

One of the most important things we do as breeders is to pay individual attention to each of the pups we rear. We do as much socialization and early fun training as we can possibly fit in during the time they're with us.

photo: Chief (2 year old male) playing with younger sister Sonic The following is a list of experiences we try to provide and a few suggestions for further socialization up to one year of age. If you don’t do every single one listed you aren’t a failure! But try to arrange as many positive experiences, starting with this list as a guide. Add your own, taking your particular goals with your particular dog into account. If your dog will live with several cats, introduce him to cats early on. If you own a golf course, get him used to the golf carts early on…. See how it goes and use your imagination.

introduction to household activity: dinnertime at the table, vacuum cleaner, blender, coffee grinder, music, TV, exercise bike, taking lots of pictures, yelling, and quiet time
the pups all wear collars (string at first, then buckle collar), started crate training (the litter sleeps together in a large crate)
confinement in x-pen
started house training (we don't believe in paper training and use crate training with "business" outside)
introduction to strange people: male, female, adult, teens, young children, strollers, elderly, big hats, umbrellas, kisses and hugs, correcting for nipping if required (at this stage it’s usually play mouthing that occurs)
Introduction to people with walker, wheelchair, cane, crutch
handling of all parts of the body with tail tugs, “pinch” fold of skin, squeeze paws, including nail clipping, brushing, teeth brushing
introduction to pet ferrets
introduction to other dogs: males, females, different ages and position in the pack, different breeds
NOTE: we try to avoid puppies meeting adult dogs that are dog-aggressive. At this age, we’re mainly trying to build confidence in new things in the outside world. There will be plenty of time later to meet dogs that are aggressive towards other dogs
corrections are given for chewing inappropriate stuff around the house (for when Bitter Apple spray didn't successfully deter chewing)
NOTE: Some people prefer to ignore misbehavior and reward for good behaviour; but I think that’s a bit simplistic. I start by trying to set the puppy up for success. For example, instead of leaving my pair of fancy shoes on the floor (promoting failure i.e. puppy eats shoes), I put them safely away in the closet. Instead, I leave out an object I want the puppy to play with e.g. a ball. If I see the puppy eating my wall instead, I will say “Uh-uh”. I always try to get the message across: don’t do that; do this instead. So after I’ve said no for chewing the wall, I would show him the ball that I want him to play with. If he persists, I gently put my hand under his chin & hold eye contact with him (showing him who’s dominant) and tell him how bad that is in a stern voice. Brittany puppies, who are generally soft-natured, rarely require a firmer correction. Also, be aware that the correction has to happen within 5 seconds of the misbehavior for the puppy to understand and link the correction to the misbehavior that caused it. If you’re 6 seconds late, you missed your chance.
It doesn’t matter the exact type of correction you use. As long as you use what seems right for you and your puppy; and be consistent.
firing a cap gun at meals, so that pups associate gunfire with a good experience
the pups play outside, e.g. in an exercise pen, or in our fenced yard, with other our adult Brittanys and other breeds (other colors and sizes) that will safely play with puppies
playing in the kiddie pool for exposure to water & less problems dealing with baths
playing with game birds: we don't mind if they chase the birds at this point, we're trying to imprint the scent & get them interested and excited
play fetch and retrieve, chase, roughhousing, giving up food and toys, taking food gently
up and down stairs
playing on agility equipment (e.g. tunnel, ladder) and walking on different surfaces e.g. metal, bubble wrap, shifting table top, places to hide (makes the pups more adventurous & confident in the field and in life)
riding in the car
preliminary recall with food (most puppies don’t have names yet when they’re with us), but no down or stay at this age
introduction to clicker
beginning show stacking
individual attention away from littermates
hugs and kisses
puppy held in your arms, sitting on your knee
take the food bowl away
grab puppy’s collar, surprise puppy with playful tap on the behind when he’s not looking
expose puppy to all sorts of safe toys e.g. biscuit balls, Kongs
as suggested by Donna Duford (in Clean Run August 2001 magazine): play sound effects CD’s to get your puppy used to a variety of strange, loud noises. Although I couldn’t find these online at hmv.com or columbiahousecanada.com; I could find several in person at our HMV music store. Our picks:
Fun With sound Effects Vol. 1(Madacy) includes: thunder, horse whinnies & snorts, wild dogs and wolves, crowd in panic, angry small mob, anti-aircraft fire, fire engine pass, children laughing, baby crying, baby laughing, carnival-midway, shooting gun, fireworks with crowd, firecrackers, cuckoo clock, rifle shots, tires screeching, fire alarm, swarm of bees, horse race – start gate with crowd, etc.
Falling books and chairs, and applause, crowds are also loud noises that you can get the puppy used to
Cartoon Sound Effects (Nesak International) includes: bicycle bell, big gunfire, breaking glass, bugle, burp, car horns, clapping & laughter, Door Creaking and door knock, doorbell, galloping horses, etc.
Get the puppy used to livestock e.g. horses, other pets
Introduction to power boat or canoe and/or swimming (a life-jacket for your dog may be helpful. You can encourage him to go deeper by being in the water yourself and putting some floating biscuits in the water)
Introduction to grates in the sidewalk (most dogs will naturally refuse to walk over them), bridges that you can see through

That gets them started in things like house training. By 10 weeks, puppies have started house training. But they aren't reliably house trained till at least 6 months. We strongly recommend crating your puppy when unsupervised to prevent accidents in the house or damage to household contents, until you're sure he's reliable. (Options to crate training include confinement to an "ex-pen" (a metal exercise area), a puppy-proofed room, a dog run, or doggy daycare where the puppy is always supervised and will be taken outside to go for potty breaks.)

One thing you can do with a young puppy to encourage him to get used to your routines is using an “umbilical cord”. Tie a 4 to 6 foot leash to your belt, and go about your business. The puppy will tag along and learn about what you’re doing in the process. This time spent together helps you and your puppy to bond together and encourages him to focus attention on you. Compared with leaving the puppy to wander the house unsupervised, where the puppy may misbehave; this is a good way to provide a learning experience even while you can’t be paying 100% attention to the puppy.

The idea of socialization isn’t just for the puppy to get used to your household routines and or family members. It’s a good idea to get your puppy used to staying with a stranger. For example, you could take the puppy to a professional groomer, or board the puppy or have a pet sitter, or use a doggy daycare, or send your puppy to your parent’s house (if your parents like dogs). Sometime in your dog’s life, he will have to be away from your family. Early exposure will help him be more comfortable with the situation when it happens later on.

Of course, you’ll have to balance the need to socialize your puppy early with the risk of infection until the puppy series of vaccinations is complete. At http://www.huntersheart.com/health.html#Puppy%20Shots we suggest some ways of handling this balancing act. For more information, ask your veterinarian.

We can’t stress enough how important it is that you attend puppy kindergarten aka puppy socialization class. Don’t miss the opportunity to continue the socialization process started by your breeder. Their whole attitude toward new situations, and towards learning in general is shaped when they’re a puppy.

We adopted one of our dogs at 9 months of age; before that, he had never been inside a house. To this day, he’s more challenging to work with compared to our other Brittany that had all the early advantages of extensive socialization, and puppy kindergarten. It’s never too late to work with your older dog; but it is a lot easier to work with a dog from early puppyhood.

Consider bringing your puppy for a ride on public transit. In Calgary, dogs are allowed on public transit as long as you pay their fare. Few dogs are on transit, so infection risk is lessened. You can carry your puppy on and off. The puppy will be in a new environment with lots of new strange people

Maybe you’d have fun introducing your puppy to clicker training. Get the puppy used to the idea of the clicker at first by clicking then giving a treat. Repeat until your puppy responds to the click with obvious anticipation e.g. my Brittany’s eyes get really wide and his tail wags. At this point, your puppy has learned that click means treat is coming. A good exercise (suggested by Sue Ailsby in her clicker training seminar) to start with is “Zen”:

Show the puppy you have a treat, then hold the treat in the palm of your closed hand. Your puppy will probably mouth and/or paw at your hand to try and get it. Provided that he isn’t actually hurting you, ignore him. When he gives up trying to get the treat and backs off of your hand, click and give him the treat. The message: “You can’t get this treat by force. It’s mine and I give it as a reward when you behave.” This helps the puppy to learn manners, promotes being less “pushy” and gets you started on clicker training. Next you can move on to clicking for sits or for eyes and attention focused on you (if you’re interested in competing with your dog).

Another game you can start to play with young pups: “check it out” as described in an article by Sarah Wilson at greatpets.com:

“Make boldness a game. Start with an object he knows and does not fear. Put it on the floor and say excitedly "Touch" or "Check it out!" Walk over to the object and when the pup touches it -- praise and give a treat. Now move away from the object and repeat. Repeat until your pup [thinks] this is the easiest, stupidest game he has ever played.

If your dog is frightened, reward him when he gets as close as he can manage, then retreat with him and try again. Never pull on him. Just cheer him on when he moves forward, reward the best effort with food then retreat. He'll soon get up his courage.

Next, start adding different objects -- things he's never seen. Have fun -- try a poncho on a chair, open umbrella, beach ball, balloon or wind-up toy. Soon it will be a game he loves to play. Once he knows that when you say the magic words, all will be fine and a treat or two are involved, you'll have a way of signaling to him that a new object is safe. This can be mighty helpful when you start taking him outside.”

As your puppy nears one year of age, you can start making socialization experiences more challenging, but still positive. If you’re interested in agility, get your puppy used to “jumping” over bars placed right on the ground. If you’re interested in tracking, set up a 20 step track in ideal conditions with a piece of food in each footstep. If you’re interested in hunting or field trialing, you could practice “getting lost”. Intentionally take the puppy out in a place you know is safe (perhaps even on a check cord). When the puppy is away from you and not paying attention, hide behind a tree and keep your eye on him. When he realizes you’re not there, he will go searching. You can help show him where you are by sneezing or coughing or whistling a song. The idea is that your puppy will learn in a fun way to keep checking back with you; and will have an idea of what to do to get back to you if he ever gets lost in the field. Don’t try these things with a 2 month old puppy: they’re still too young. You don’t want to go to far too fast; pushing your puppy into scary situations he isn’t ready for will not increase his self-confidence and that is the main goal here. There are many years in future to learn the finer details.

Consider taking your dog to a dog show. For example, puppies older than 6 months of age may be entered for Exhibition only (usually a $5 fee) and spend the day at the dog show without competing. Just sit with your puppy and let him get used to the sights, sounds in the busy show environment. See how it goes, and if your puppy isn’t too afraid, carry food treats and ask many strangers to give them to your puppy.

Or you and your dog might consider entering a fun conformation match. This is an opportunity to have the puppy meet a judge and be examined in more understanding circumstances than the official conformation ring.

GO AT YOUR PUPPY'S PACE!

This list of possibilities is a long one and it's extremely important to control your enthusiasm. The goal is to offer as many positive experiences as you can. If you push your puppy fast and hard into a schedule, you've missed the point and may do more damage than good.

Make sure you're going at your puppy's own individual pace so that the experiences always remain positive. This involves "reading" your dog to make sure that he/she is happy and having fun rather than scared and anxious. If you're unsure about reading your dog's body language, get some expert help from somebody with lots of positive experience with puppies.

To learn what socialization is and why it's important, see our "What is socialization?" article.

For greatpets.com full article on early socialization before puppy shots are completed , go to http://www.greatpets.com/home/dogs/behavior/common_problems/socialization/d_article.jsp?articleId=120

Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson have a lot of great ideas at their website, message boards. I subscribe to all 3 of their free newsletters and find them informative and interesting. For their article on what to do if your puppy is afraid of a new person, go to: http://www.greatpets.com/home/dogs/behavior/common_problems/d_article.jsp?articleId=118

And for things not to do when socializing your new pup, visit: http://www.greatpets.com/home/dogs/behavior/common_problems/socialization/d_article.jsp?articleId=119

We always welcome your comments. If we missed including something, or you have suggestions for other things you’ve found helpful, please contact us at webmaster@huntersheart.com and we will share with other families.