The Importance of Proper Puppy Socialization

Given the task of writing a column about puppy socialization, I took a moment to reflect on puppies in general; the opportunities they present to a trainer, and the role they continue to play in my life. I have come to believe that puppies keep me young. Even as I get older, and I look back over a sample size of flushing dogs that is bigger than most, I still find myself amazed at the raw potential that exists in every pup I see. Now, I recognize that not every pup has the genetic material, the opportunity, or the special combination of both that will result in a Field Champion or even an exceptional hunter. But I gladly hold out hope that each pup that comes through my hands will realize its full potential and that said potential will amount to something great. I remain willing and ready to be amazed by every pup I interact with. It’s this hope that keeps me as captivated by flushing dogs as I was when just starting out.

Changing Mindsets About Socialization for Puppies

It’s interesting, however, to look back over a lifetime of training and trialing to see how the widely held approach to puppyhood has changed. When I first began messing around with flushing dogs, most trainers looked at the early months of a dog’s life as little more than an annoyance. It was a period during which a certain amount of growth, mainly physical, had to be achieved before the real work of training could begin. Puppies were seen as incapable of learning much; with minds and bodies insufficiently developed to receive the necessary lessons required of a working gun dog. Therefore, most trainers waited out those first several months with minimal formal interface with their puppies. It was only at nine months, or maybe a year, that trainers got serious and began to really put some structured work into their young dogs.

I suppose I was never quite patient enough to adhere to these sorts of cultural rules. Even as a young trainer, I liked getting my puppies engaged, and I enjoyed watching them learn even the most basic tasks and ground rules. I liked playing with them and developing that two-way bond between student and teacher. What I noticed in doing so was that pups were capable of far more than I had been told by most of the trainers I knew. Sure, puppies could be silly and easily distracted, but they also had the ability to learn a whole set of foundational skills. Moreover, and what impressed me most, the process of early learning and socialization made the entire training process, that would come, far easier and more efficient than it was with dogs that had little handling before adolescence. Even now, I can often get my young pups to reliably learn some sound fundamentals within the first few weeks and months of life. Fortunately, many trainers these days see the same benefits.

Defining Puppy Socialization

In digging into puppy socialization, it is valuable to begin with a working definition: for my purposes, puppy socialization refers to the early engagement of a puppy’s mind and body, in a range of settings, and with a range of people. It also refers to the establishment of basic ground rules and ways of interacting.

Puppies, despite their “cuteness,” generally get a bad rap; they are seen as destructive, excitable, and occasionally willful. When poorly socialized, this can indeed be true. But getting a puppy to engage in a healthy and productive way doesn’t require much more than the confidence that puppies can and will benefit from some learning. Remember, we humans remove pups from the litter/pack when they are quite young and fairly uneducated. In the setting of the litter or pack, the puppy will learn a whole range of lessons about behavior, manners, and healthy challenges around independence. When taken out of the family/pack environment, it is the responsibility of the owner/ trainer to build an equally dynamic and beneficial learning environment. It is our responsibility to actively engage in the development of the puppy. Otherwise, we leave him to fend for himself and to absorb whatever he can from a foreign and often confusing environment.

Socializing Puppies in New Settings

At as young as nine weeks, I begin working with my puppies on such skills as place training, retrieving, and even recall. In previous installments of “The Flush,” I have described how exactly to train and drill these skills, but of note here is that these lessons can begin quite early. Short sessions on the place board will require the puppy to take physical steering and maintain concentration for short periods of time. These demands engage the mind in brief stints, providing the pup an opportunity to take mental command of his physical choices. Similarly, throwing a balled sock down a hallway and enthusiastically steering the pup back to you with an excited voice engages the physical body of the pup, creates muscle memory around retrieving, and gets the pup excited about a recall. Engaging the pup with these tasks regularly exercises the mind and body, building tone and stamina. This is all part of the socialization process.

During these little drills and lessons, move the pup through different environments. Move the place board work to different rooms, to the garage, and to the backyard. In the retrieve drill, move from a balled sock to a squeaky toy, from a dummy that is soft and plush to something harder and heavier. Diversify this experience, change it up regularly, but keep the rules of the game the same. This will indicate to the puppy that while standards of behavior stay the same, environments and circumstances change. This process enhances the complexity of thought required by the puppy, engaging his mind all the more.

Socializing Young Dogs with New People

Finally, expose the puppy to people of different shapes, demeanors, and sizes. A great way to do this is to engage kids in the early socialization process. Take some time to teach your kids, or grandkids, the process of working with the puppy on a retrieve or a place exercise. Make sure that their standards of delivery and expectation are consistent but let them approach the training in their own way. Children, like puppies, are somewhat erratic and excitable. They change their cadence and their volume regularly, requiring the puppy to interpret and react to a somewhat unpredictable environment. Provided the exercises and lessons retain consistent standards and ground rules, having kids engage with puppies lends a great level of complexity. This allows for an even higher degree of socialization. Wonderfully, engaging kids early in the training process also heightens their lifelong connection with the puppy, and vice versa.

This outline of suggestions begs the question of why early socialization is of value. As mentioned above, the process of socialization is just plain fun and a great way to engage with your pup from the get-go, giving him an early jump on the training to come. It also allows an owner or trainer to engage with that puppy whose physical and mental energy are at a surplus, providing him with benefits from tasks to do, games to play, and opportunities to have his mind challenged.

But perhaps most importantly, early socialization provides a puppy with a necessary level of durability that will allow him to learn and perform in a range of circumstances down the line. Training will have its stresses, hunting will have its challenges, new environments/people/dogs will present unfamiliar circumstances. These are the realities of a gun dog’s life. But, as I said at the outset, my hope is for each puppy to realize its full potential, and to surprise me with all that it is capable of. Good, basic socialization helps optimize that potential and likely allows that puppy to become the best dog he can possibly be.

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