Safe Socialization

We follow the Puppy socialization guidelines put out by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.

In general, puppies can start as early as 7-8 weeks of age. Puppies should receive a minimum of one set of vaccines at least 7 days prior to the first class and a first de-worming, and should be kept up-to-date on vaccines throughout the class. The primary and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life.

-American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior

AVSAB Position Paper on Puppy Socialization

The primary and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life. During this time puppies should be exposed to as many new people, animals, stimuli and environments as can be achieved safely and without causing overstimulation manifested as excessive fear, withdrawal or avoidance behavior. For this reason, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior believes that it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated. Because the first three months are the period when sociability outweighs fear, this is the primary window of opportunity for puppies to adapt to new people, animals, and experiences. Incomplete or improper socialization during this important time can increase the risk of behavioral problems later in life including fear, avoidance, and/or aggression. Behavioral problems are the greatest threat to the owner-dog bond. In fact, behavioral problems are the number one cause of relinquishment to shelters.

Behavioral issues, not infectious diseases, are the number one cause of death for dogs under three years of age.

While puppies' immune systems are still developing during these early months, the combination of maternal immunity, primary vaccination, and appropriate care makes the risk of infection relatively small compared to the chance of death from a behavior problem. Veterinarians specializing in behavior recommend that owners take advantage of every safe opportunity to expose young puppies to the great variety of stimuli that they will experience in their lives. Enrolling in puppy classes prior to three months of age can be an excellent means of improving training, strengthening the human-animal bond, and socializing puppies in an environment where risk of illness can be minimized.

The Process of Socialization:

Puppies should be handled from birth, learning to accept manipulation of all body parts. Every effort should be made to expose them to as many different people, well-socialized animals, situations, places, etc. as possible. Puppies should be encouraged to explore, investigate, and manipulate their environments. Interactive toys and games, a variety of surfaces, tunnels, steps, chutes, and other stimuli can enrich the puppy's environment. Puppies should accompany their breeders/owners on as many car trips as possible. These exposures should continue into adulthood to maintain an outgoing and sociable dog. Puppy socialization classes can offer a safe and organized means of socializing puppies and more quickly improve their responsiveness to commands. Each puppy should have age appropriate vaccinations (see side bar) and be disease and parasite free before entering the class. Where possible, classes should be held on surfaces that are easily cleaned and disinfected (e.g. indoor environments) . Visits to dog parks or other areas that are not sanitized and/or are highly trafficked by dogs of unknown vaccination or disease status should be avoided.

Vaccine Protocols

Veterinary schools are now going to be teaching that over-vaccination of pets (once a year "boosters") is only not unnecessary, but in some cases can be harmful or deadly! It has information for both dogs and cats. There still is an ongoing study regarding the Rabies vaccine. Most states now allow (reluctantly) 3 year Rabies, but the study is collecting data on whether or not even that may be too much. They are looking at 8 or 10 year Rabies Vaccines.
 If you're concerned with immune levels, have the vet run a Titer test. THEN and only then, if the levels are below acceptable, should you have a booster. After all, when is the last time you had a "booster" for smallpox, or whooping cough, or anything else you had shots for as a child? Immune systems work the same in all mammals, and the concept that pets have to have yearly shots doesn't make any more sense than if you had have shots every year. If mammals immune systems were that weak in fending off these things, all of them, us included, would have been extinct years ago!

For information on alternatives visit: Alternatives for Animal Health