When Socialization is NOT Appropriate

It has long been thought that if a dog is shy or even fearful, you should get that dog out and expose them to MORE social situations.  If your dog is afraid of people, she should see more people.  If she is afraid of dogs, she should be more exposed to dogs.

The proper time for socialization is very early in a puppy’s life.  The best time is up to about 16, maybe 18 weeks.  During that time, we imprint events and good behaviors. (This is one reason it is so critical to do training, too at this time and NOT wait until the puppy is 6 months old.)  Notice what I said – we imprint EVENTS during that time.  So if your puppy is exposed to an extremely bad event such as a dog attack, or someone that kicks your puppy, your puppy will most likely remember that even the rest of her life.  How your puppy responds to that is influenced a great deal by what the puppy’s genetic temperament is.  A puppy with a strong and stable temperament probably is not going to be too heavily influenced.   I see puppies all the time that have had horrible beginnings, but come out smelling like a rose.  A puppy with a little less confidence can be devastated by a bad event.  And sometimes, if you have an older puppy that is fearful, it is hard to know if the puppy has a genetic fearful behavior or one that was influenced by a bad event at a crucial time.

During this critical time, it is important to be very selective about where you take your puppy and who your pup is exposed to, both human and canine.  Socialization is critical, but it is also critical that you do not expose her to a bad situation.  YOU must make decisions about who she plays with and where she goes.  This is NOT the time to be cavalier about socialization.

The second most important time to avoid socialization is when an older dog has nipped or bitten.  It has long been thought that if a dog is afraid and has attempted to bite or has nipped, exposure to more of those things will help your dog to overcome their fear.   Instead, what is imperative is that she not be continually exposed and feel the constant rush of hormones released during an event that scares her.  Many of those hormones stay in her body for several weeks.  If she is continued to be exposed and continues to be afraid, it becomes an overload of hormones in her system. This can only continue a vicious cycle of more fear.

It is also important to consider that if a dog has used their mouth to nip or bite initially, not only is she a danger to other people and dogs, it is likely that the more she is exposed, the more she will practice that behavior and begin to rely on that behavior to solve the problem.  

Dogs that are afraid and even threaten to bite or nip need to learn new skills first, and then gradually be exposed during a CONTROLLED desensitization period that has successful outcomes.  This is best to do with a trained and experienced professional. 

Before you jump into any behavior modification programs, please, get advice from someone that is qualified.  Information on the internet will be conflicting and not necessarily accurate for YOUR dog.  And remember that socialization is not always the cure!

Caption:  In many cases keeping your puppy or dog in a safe environment is better for the development of a puppy, or recovery of a dog that has had bad experiences in the past.  A nurturing backyard and known friendly dogs can be much more helpful.