Clean Run - January 2016 - 56
Timely, Structured, and Adequate
Timely (3-12 weeks is the critical time),
structured (we don't want to create
the wrong impressions), and adequate
(daily short outings when the pup is
well-rested and feeling good) socialization will provide a puppy with a
good impression of the world and his
handler's confident attitude about it.
Any dog living in our society needs
to be socialized, but to underline the
necessity of socialization for an agility dog and indeed, any working dog,
we can take note of what qualities
make a good guide dog. According
to a detailed analysis performed by
The American Guide Dogs for the
Blind program, a number of otherwise
perfect dogs were failing their final
test which was making independent
decisions, such as refusing to obey
a command that might endanger a
blind owner. Research narrowed down
this lack of confidence to a single factor. The pups who failed the final test
had spent longer at the kennel before
commencing training; therefore, they
lacked a few weeks of socialization.
56
© MARY PEASLEE
the seemingly crazy activity, sights,
and sounds at a trial. His experiences
during the next few weeks will have
an impact his comfort and enjoyment
of life in general, as well as his agility
training. We've all heard of the importance of building a good foundation
in agility training; well for your puppy
this is the solid ground on which you
will place those foundations.
© MARY PEASLEE
© MARY PEASLEE
This puppy is 5 weeks old and the tunnel is in
the back yard of his birthplace, which is accessible
via a doggie door that the puppies
also learn to use.
Although a puppy's senses are not fully functional,
this is a great age for cuddling and handling by a variety
of people, including pup-savvy teenagers. As long as their
mom was current on her vaccines, pups have passive
immunity to parvo, etc. for the first 5+ weeks,
so visitors are encouraged.
This field trip to a friend's farm involved crates, a car ride, and
the pups exploring as a group. It was staged to be a positive
experience, so we selected calm ducks that weren't likely to
frighten the pups with flapping or aggressive actions. Five
to six weeks of age is a good window of opportunity for the
pups to gain the most out of an experience like this.
Clearly the time you spend now will pay
dividends in the future. So take your pup
out and about with you and show him
your world! So, how do we go about this
and what do we want to avoid?
It is at 5 months that the big door closes and we may discover gaps in our
exposure. For example if the pup has
been everywhere with his best buddy
Fred (because we don't want Fred to
feel left out) and then for the first time
Fred is not there when he goes out it,
is common for a 6-month-old pup to
turn into a mass of worried jelly. Older
dogs are useful, but should not become props. We don't want the pup to
become Fred's shadow and incapable
of going out by himself.
Short, positive, memorable experiences
are best. Positive experiences will be
remembered for his entire life, as will
negative experiences. I sometimes
teach dogs that have problems integrating with other dogs. They usually
have either not been socialized enough
or have been pushed beyond their
personal threshold in their experiences.
Dog parks should be avoided, as being
overwhelmed by dogs that are usually
lacking in social skills can cause a dog
to be insecure and often reactive (I will
bark and scare them off before they get
me) in their future lives.
When your puppy comes home it is
advisable to spend a day or so allowing him to relax and get to know you
and your household. That is enough to
keep his mind busy and we don't want
to overload him. You want your bond
with the pup to be established so that
he can turn to you with confidence.
There is also some data that suggests
weeks 8 and 9 can be fear imprint periods, so it is important not to present a
memorable negative experience.
After that, time is short and the socialization clock is ticking. At 12 weeks the
first window will close and he may be
less confident about new experiences;
however, daily outings should continue through 16 weeks, if possible.
There are many articles on puppy
socialization. The ASPCA has a good
one online with a chart of the different
things to expose the pup to, but I tend
to be a little more relaxed about this. I
feel that on his travels with you he will
hear, see, smell, and feel many things
that are different and if he learns that
different is the norm, he will be better
able to cope later in life. Also, I feel that
some well-meaning owners get carried away and over-expose their pups
by forcing meetings with strangers.
In your puppy's eyes, your friends are
strangers and he will look to you for reassurance that these people really are
okay. It is not necessary for him to love
real strangers. We just want him to be
comfortable with the fact the world is
full of people he doesn't know.
Puppy classes are popular and can be
useful, but they should be researched
thoroughly. Depending on the skill
level of the trainer involved, forced
exposure and handling in a class
Clean Run | January 16
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - January 2016
Contents
Clean Run - January 2016 - Cover1
Clean Run - January 2016 - Cover2
Clean Run - January 2016 - Contents
Clean Run - January 2016 - 4
Clean Run - January 2016 - 5
Clean Run - January 2016 - 6
Clean Run - January 2016 - 7
Clean Run - January 2016 - 8
Clean Run - January 2016 - 9
Clean Run - January 2016 - 10
Clean Run - January 2016 - 11
Clean Run - January 2016 - 12
Clean Run - January 2016 - 13
Clean Run - January 2016 - 14
Clean Run - January 2016 - 15
Clean Run - January 2016 - 16
Clean Run - January 2016 - 17
Clean Run - January 2016 - 18
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Clean Run - January 2016 - 21
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Clean Run - January 2016 - Cover3
Clean Run - January 2016 - Cover4
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