Socialization is the process of introducing your puppy to the world in a way that will help him be confident and unafraid of people, places and things that he will encounter throughout his life. The most critical socialization window occurs before the age of 12 weeks, and that window is considered to be closing by 5 months.
At the bottom of this post you’ll find a list of 100 exposures to accomplish in 100 days! That should be your goal!
At 8 weeks when most people get their pup, the pup has been “group socialized” within the litter and in the home. It is VERY important to do “solo socialization” between 8-12 weeks. At 12 weeks, the socialization window closes!
Weeks 8-12 (Your first month home)
This is when your puppy learns what things are happy, friendly, normal, and fun.
Everything your puppy hasn’t been exposed to will cause him/her to feel threatened. That means every noise, texture, sight, smell, person, animal, event, and challenge they haven’t seen by week 12 is going to give you trouble down the road.
The way you set the puppy up for success in life, and create a dog who approaches every challenge with bright optimism, assumes every person is wonderful, and communicates well with every dog, is to expose him or her SOLO to everything the dog can reasonably expect to encounter. And it MUST be done before 12 weeks. Doing this correctly as a new puppy owner is practically a full-time job.
Every single day ask yourself “Who can I take this dog to see; where can we go; what smells can we smell; what textures can I put under her feet?”
NOTE OF CAUTION: Your puppy isn’t fully vaccinated yet and you need to beware
of other dogs! Keep your puppies out of pet stores, off the floor of your vet’s office, and ABSOLUTELY not at the dog park. After 14 weeks when your pup is fully vaccinated, those places are safe with supervision. Your pup must be socialized during this critical time, but without being exposed to health risks.
- NO: Dog park (dog-to-dog contact)
- YES: Walk in the woods
- NO: Meeting unfamiliar dogs on walks (dog-to-dog contact)
- YES: Walks with humans to restaurants, stores, buildings, tennis courts, farms, etc.
- YES: Puppy play dates with other fully vaccinated healthy dogs.
- YES: Rides in cars, boats, trains, tractors, wagons, etc.
- YES: Walks in your neighborhood, walks in grandma’s neighborhood.
- YES: Balloons, umbrellas, bikes, motorcycles, backpacks, stuffed animals.
- YES: Horns, music, quacking, fireworks, tools, vacuum, leaf blower, lawn mower
After week 12, push the dog socialization VERY hard once the 14-week shots
have been given.
Printable Puppy Socialization Checklist from the Louisiana SPCA
100 Exposures in 100 Days
Sounds
Alarm clock
Baby crying
Barking dogs
Car honking
Cheering
Doorbell
Female voices
Fire engine/police car
Fireworks
Grooming clippers
Gunshot
Hair dryer
Hammering
Knocking on door
Kids Playing
Male voices
Microwave
Motorcycle
Planes/helicopters
Popcorn popping
Pots and pans clanking
Radio (various stations)
Smoke alarm
Thunder
Traffic/road sounds
TV (various programming)
Vacuum cleaner
Whistles (sporting or other)
Yard tools (mower, leaf blower, etc.)
Tactile
Artificial turf
Bathtub
Blankets
Carpeted floors
Elevators
Grass
Metal objects
Mirrors
Mud
Plastic objects
Rocks
Rubber objects
Rugs
Sand
Sidewalk
Tiled floors
Wood floors
People
A wheelchair
Asian
Bald people
Black
Carrying bags/boxes
Children (children who have been trained properly on dog interaction)
Dancing
Elderly (as long as they aren’t immunocompromised)
Heavy people
Hispanic
Holding umbrellas
In uniform
Infants
Kids in strollers
Laying down
Men
On bicycles, scooters, and skateboards
People in sunglasses/glasses
People with facial hair
Running
Short
Shuffling feet/limping
Sweeping/mopping
Taking their toy or food away (invading space)
Tall
Teens
Thin people
Throwing or bouncing balls
Using a walker
Walking with canes
Wearing baseball hats
White
Women
Animals
Birds
Cats
Other (depending on likelihood of interaction)
Other dogs
Touches
Being dried off with towel
Being picked up
Being restrained by collar
Brushing fur
Brushing teeth
Clothes (winter jacket, boots)
Ears
Harness
Mouth
Muzzle
Nail clipping
Near eyes
Paws
Rain
Tummy
Tushy
Water (bath)
Golden Retriever Puppies 