What the heck is Socializing? And how do i socialize my puppy?

Question

Well the pup is a gsd and hez one month old. Can u plz help me!!!

Answer 1

yeah like others said, by being removed from his mother and siblings, his socialization is already not off to a good start. He's going to be biting more because his mother and other puppies never taught him bite inhibition so you'll have to when he's a little older and bitey.
he should be socialized after he's received all his vaccines and dewormings, and is on tick/flea and heartworm prevention.
But you can enroll him in a puppy obedience class after the first series of vaccines that is the BEST thing you can do.

how i would define dog socialization is any dogs interacting together. To introduce is to teach a dog how to act with another dog. Usually you can just let them go and they learn but always watch.
I had my puppy in petco training classes, in my area it was $95 for 6 weeks, an hour a week. But not all trainers at petco have enough or any experience. But the best part about it was, to introduce my puppy to other puppies.

Answer 2

One month old? That is awfully young. Usually, reputable breeders don't sell their puppies until they are AT LEAST 7 weeks old, possibly more. The reason for this is that at one month, they are still nursing.

Anyway. Socializing a dog means getting out around people. A LOT. The bigger the breed, the more likely you are going to need to socialize it. Mostly, to get it used to people, so as to help prevent it from becoming aggressive with strangers. Granted, any dog can become aggressive, problem is, with the bigger breeds, when they do, they tend to make the news more than the smaller ones. In essence this makes sense, since the bigger the dog, the harder the bite (usually). Socialization also includes spending a lot of time with your dog, preferably, having him live indoors, with his people, at least 60% of the time.

Suggestions for socialization: join an obedience class and take him to it. PetSmart has some really affordable classes that run over a period of a few weeks and you can pay by class.

Finally, don't worry about socializing him until he's finished his series of shots FIRST. Taking him out unprotected will only expose him more to viruses he may not an immune system to fight.

Answer 3

Don't give you a hard time about having a 4 week old puppy. I acquired mine at 3 1/2 weeks because he was orphaned. Things happen.
Socialization is not just playing with your dog & taking it with you when you run errands.
Betwen the ages of 3 weeks and 12, you have a window of time to expose your dog to many things. Their brain is developing layer upon layer. You want to add into those layers the dogs ability to problem solve, which he will never learn if you do not socialize. If you wait until your dog is 12 weeks old, after all the shots are given and then the rabies, then you've waited too long. The window closes forever.
Here are some things you can do:
1)Feed your dog out of different containers every so many days (example ceramic, plastic, a paper bag, treats floating on water, kibble in the grass).
2)Take your dog to buildings that have an elevator in them, stairs, stairs that wind (not just a flight), automatic doors, etc.
3)Take your dog to places like a baseball game, school yard, amusement park, flea market, where you work, arrival/departure traffic at the airport, a friends house because they have a small room (bathroom) to see if your dog will go into a small room & you shut the door behind him.
4)Take your dog somewhere they can hear a train go by, somebody reving up their motorcycle, the man using a leaf blower, lawn mowers, rider mowers, a vaccume cleaner at a friends house.
5)Meet many kind of people ... children, old people in walkers, somebody in a wheel chair, somebody walking with a cane, different ethnic groups, anybody that smells different or looks different, somebody in a hat, somebody wearing a mask.
6)Allow your dog to be in the presence of different animals ... cat, sheep, goat, horse, donkey, bird, mice. They don't have to interact, just have you dog notice they are there.
7)Have your dog walk over different surfaces like a large tarp laying on the ground that makes noise ... water puddles or pond edge, gravel, crates folded up & laying on the ground, a grate in concrete covering a hole, a wooden bridge, a walkway over running water, tall weeds or grass.
There's many places to take your dog where there are no other dogs so you can keep your dog away from other dogs poop & sniffing the nose or whatever of other dogs. If you do this puppy socialization, it will give your dog the best chance of being able to handle changes (stress) later on.

Answer 4

Socializing is getting the dog adjusted to being around people, dogs, cats, and children so maintain a comfort level and decrease the possibility of fear biting and defensive and territorial behavior. Socialization starts with the litter. Pups who are removed from their mother at a young age tend to miss out on vital socialization behaviors. At about five to six weeks old the pups will start to interact with each other and develope social orders and pack realations. Dogs will use these behaviors throughout thier lives to develope new pack members. These behaviors include sniffing, licking, herding, playing, and occasionally nipping. When you bring your dog home you should continue socialization by introducing your dog to new surroundings with people and other dogs. Dog parks are a good place to help with socialization and if you have friends with socialized dogs it also helps. Any unwanted behavior such as growling should be corrected immediately. The dog will gradually associate other dogs and people with a positive response rather than a defensive one.

Answer 5

Socializing your dog is introducing your pup to new people, dogs, objects, places, situations. Try to take your pup to as many new places as you can. Like an outdoor mall, a parking lot, the pet store, the vet, anything really. This time of year, you could visit a Christmas tree farm. Most hardware stores allow you to bring dogs inside. Take your pup to as many new places as possible and explore everything, and meet people. Make it a good experience for your dog, talking in a happy voice, giving treats and praise like crazy. It will make your dog more confident and social. Which is very important for a GSD, as you don't want them having any fear aggression and biting people for no reason. It also makes training easier, because your dog is confident in all surroundings, and can concentrate on you, and not that weird person 50 feet away.

Answer 6

one month? as in 4 weeks? he should still be with his littermates and mom. This will help socialize him (which is getting him to know what's right and wrong through interacting with others).

If for some reason this is not possible (or he's older and you just mis-typed his age) then once he's had his distemper and other early shots (talk to your vet about those) then you can enroll him in a puppy play-group or just see if there are people around you who would be interested in starting a play-group - just make sure that all the dogs have had their shots and are not dog-aggressive.

Socializing dogs with people is also important. Make sure that you introduce him to new people and let him know that new people are good things (as a general rule).

Socializing will help him in many ways - it will tire him out, which makes him easier to put to bed, it will teach him what he shouldn't do (as far as biting, etc) and will also help you out.

If the dog is actually 4 weeks old and unable to return to it's litter, talk to your vet and make sure that he is getting proper nutrition. He may need puppy milk.

Good luck

Answer 7

proper socialization begins with the mother and the rest of the litter so that a dog learns how to be a dog first (birth-6 weeks). then, with people and it's environment. young puppies (7-8 weeks) should start to be introduced to as many different experiences as possible - this includes novel objects, sounds, sights, etc. After appropriate initial puppy vaccinations, it will also include new environments outside the home and new people and new puppies (such as at puppy pre-school).

Answer 8

Socializing it taking the pup around other dogs, people, children, and other things in the environment. It's like letting a child explore. However, do make sure that your pup is all up-to-date on his shots, as he can become sick very easily as his immune system is not that strong.

And as someone else asked... what the HECK are you doing with a 4 week old puppy? Most, reputable breeders will not release pups until 8-10 weeks of age.

Answer 9

Just because a dog is socialized does NOT automatically mean the dog will not become aggressive with other dogs as it gets older. Dominant Male Terriers will become aggressive even if they've been around a lot of other dogs as puppies. It's in their nature. This isn't true of all Terrier Males, but some Terrier Males see themselves as top dog and will not tolerate a dog that does not agree.

In dog shows when they put the terriers nose to nose, it's called sparring. The judge is not comparing the 2 dogs' physical features. He is looking to see which dog will flinch. Being spunky is a desired feature in terriers. A terrier that is not spunky is considered a bad specimen that should not be bred.

So while it is good to socialize your dog, it's not a given that the dog will not be aggressive with other dogs.

Answer 10

Socializing includes getting the puppy used to new places, people, sounds, smells, etc. and teaching him how to react to new things.
At this age - and I do wonder why your pup is so young, he's too young to be protected fully by vaccinations - he can become adjusted to new surfaces (tile, cement, grass, crinkly things), sounds (cars, radios, loud wierd things). You can handle him as frequently as possible and get him used to being touched ALL over his body, and having you open his mouth and touch his teeth and tongue.
When he's older and can be protected against disease, you cam take him out and have other people handle him, let him interact (SAFELY) with other non-aggressove dogs, and at that time he'll get to know places other than your home.
You can alo take him for frequent and pleasant car rides so that traveling won't be a problem.
The best thing for socializing with other dogs is obedience class - it's nice to know your dog won't be the only one unde control!

Good luck with your puppy.