Dog Ownership & Training

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Raising a puppy to become a confident dog with a solid temperament requires extensive socialization during puppyhood. Puppies experience two developmental "fear periods"—one early in life (8-11 weeks) and one during adolescence (6-14 months)—so it is especially important to focus on positive socialization during these windows. The first fear period heavily overlaps with the "sensitive period" of puppy development (from birth until 13-16 weeks), during which a puppy's experiences—both positive and negative—are exponentially more significant in defining the dog's temperament than any experiences afterward. Proper socialization involves introducing your puppy to a variety of experiences and ensuring that each experience is positive (or at least neutral). These experiences include all kinds of sights, smells, sounds, and textures. There are many puppy socialization guides throughout the internet, but we recommend Puppy Culture and will provide our own list on this page. For socializing puppies with different sights and sounds, you can desensitize them by playing different soundtracks on your TV or speaker system and gradually increasing the volume. Here is a non exhaustive list of a variety of experiences you will want to introduce your puppy to:

People: Different sizes, shapes, races, genders, handicapped people, people with facial hair, glasses, hats, babies, toddlers, children, elderly people, and all of these groups both in and outside the home

Animals: other dogs, cats, horses (even if only on TV), wildlife, any other pets

Surfaces: hardwood, carpet, tile, concrete, asphalt, grass, wet grass, sand, stairs, uneven/unstable surfaces

Equipment: toothbrush, hair brush, nail clippers, muzzles*

Sights: cars, bicycles, motorcycles, lawnmowers, brooms, vacuum cleaners, exercise equipment

Sounds: vacuum, sirens, thunder, fireworks, barking, howling, meowing, birds, rain, appliance beeps, phone ringing, answering the phone, things falling on the floor

Handling: paws, nail trims, head, tail, teeth, toothbrush, hair clippers, holding/carrying

Environments: home, yard, walking on the street, hardware store, dog park, pet store, crowded areas, outlet malls

*Muzzle training is an excellent idea for any dog, especially if you get them as a puppy and therefore have the opportunity to easily socialize them to wearing a muzzle. Even if you are able to raise your puppy to be fearless and confident, muzzles can help in an emergency and are a great way to make other people feel safe around your dog.

Puppy play dates

Appropriate play behavior is essential to becoming a well-rounded dog. There are several different play styles (chase, mock battle, play biting, tug, etc.), and most dogs have preferences, so it is ideal for your puppy to have the opportunity to learn them all so that they are comfortable accommodating other dogs' play styles throughout their life. It is also important for dogs to switch roles (e.g., chasing vs. being chased) and take breaks (when needed) to prevent each other from becoming stressed or frustrated. Some dogs are able to naturally pick up on cues from other dogs' body language, but some dogs need to be taught these cues. When the other dog is stressed or scared, your dog should be able to recognize this and 1) initiate a break period (if already playing); 2) handicap their play when play begins (display inhibited play behavior, like a partial play bow or lying down before pawing at the other dog) if the other dog is small and/or nervous; and/or 3) offer displacement behavior (e.g., ignoring the other dog, sniffing around) if the other dog is scared during their initial introduction. If a dog offers appeasement behavior (see next paragraph), yawns, or shakes, it is probably time for a break because the dog is stressed.

Canine Body Language

Tail position: A high and stiff or wagging tail means a dog is apprehensive. A tucked tail means the dog is scared, and if it is wagging then the dog is probably displaying appeasement behavior. A relaxed wagging tail is a sign of a happy dog, and if the tail is wagging in full circles over the dog's back it is a (good) sign of excitement.

Ear position: If a dog's ears are tilted forward, it is apprehensive. If the ears are pointed in some other direction, the dog is probably listening for something. If the ears are relaxed, that is generally a good thing. If the ears are pinned back, it could be a sign of appeasement behavior (look for other signs such as excessive licking and a tucked tail) or it could be prosocial behavior.

Posture: When a dog slouches or rolls over on its back with a tucked tail, this is typically a sign of fear and/or stress. When a dog is standing still, if its weight is on its front paws, it is apprehensive, but if its weight is balanced the dog is relaxed. During play, rigidness is a sign that a dog is stressed, but bouncy play behavior is a good sign.

Facial expressions: When a dog bares its teeth, it could either be playful or threatening, so you will have to look for other signs of play or apprehensiveness. A furrowed brow is an indicator that a dog is stressed and apprehensive, and a yawn is a sign of stress as well. 

Eye contact: A hard stare is a sign that a dog is aroused or apprehensive. If it looks like the dog is squinting slightly, the dog is relaxed. If a dog is avoiding eye contact and you can see the white part of the eyes ("whale eye") the dog is afraid.

Littermate Syndrome

Another thing that can interfere with proper socialization is littermate syndrome. This occurs when you get two or more puppies who are very similar in age at the same time (they do not have to be actual littermates). The puppies will become codependent and never bond properly with humans, ultimately usually leading to human- and/or dog-directed aggression and a severe lack of confidence in at least one of the dogs. This can be abated if trained and socialized very carefully (including keeping the pups separate most of the time), but it should not even be attempted by anyone who is not a true expert at canine behavior. Do not get two puppies at the same time.

Continuing Socialization

Even after properly socializing your dog during the sensitive period, it is important to maintain their love of people and other dogs by continuing to socialize them throughout their life. Whether you have other dogs at home or not, this should consist of going out and interacting with other humans and well-behaved dogs. If you have multiple dogs, we recommend assigning each dog a day of the week and taking them out to a hardware store, supervised dog park activity, or some other kind of social outing on that day every week.