Quote:
Originally Posted by goodvic2
Just a question to you puppy owners....
The social development of the dogs mind is at it's most crucial at between 4-6 weeks with other dogs and 4-12 weeks with humans. (although some argue that it is up to 16 weeks) After this point it is still possible for dogs to learn social skills, but according to the experts, if it is not done in this window you can really hinder their social behaviour.
My question is: Are puppy owners made aware of this when they buy a puppy?
The reason I am interested is because the OP is basically not allowing the dog out until it is 12 weeks old. According to the experts, it has missed the socialisation period.
It seems to be quite common that people talk about the vaccination procedure, but not about the socialisation period. Am I missing something?
As I only have problematic rescue dogs, I only see the benefits of good socialisation and although agree it is important for the dog to be healthy, an un-socialised dog is more a problem.
Can anybody enlighten me?
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I don't think puppy owners are made anywhere NEAR aware enough of the importance of socialisation. I think most people have a vague idea that the puppy should meet lots of new people (I've seen loads of people at the school gates with pups in arms, meeting and greeting) but after that, it seems to drop off a bit. They do a couple of school runs and seem to think that's it.
Before I got my latest pup I read up on the different socialisation windows and consequently bombarded my pup with new and positive experiences but not everyone is that interested, frankly.