All young animals have an important but short period in their life between the ages of 8 and 16 weeks called “the socialisation period”. During this time they are exploring their environment and developing their natural behaviours. They learn from their mother and litter mates and get as well as how they feel about the experience and they make determinations about how they want to respond going forward in life.
This period usually runs from the age of 3 weeks through to the age of 14 weeks. These are important lessons for safe living, but if dogs get the wrong signals during this time, it can create major behavioural problems including stress, separation anxiety and even fear aggression. Unfortunately there are a large number of dogs euthanised each year solely for behavioural problems, and the reality is that many of these behaviours are learnt during the critical socialisation period. It is imperative that puppy owners understand how this period affects puppies and how they can help their puppy get the best out of it, starting at the point of selecting the puppy based on how the breeder has managed the puppies socially prior to it coming home with you.
An important aspect of the socialisation period is positive experiences with humans and other dogs – with emphasis on the positive part. A puppy will decide whether they should be positive or fearful to other humans and dogs based on the experience the have at this time. They learn how to read social cues through play and trial and error and these are also extremely important skills the puppy will use for the rest of their lives.
Sadly, the existence of Parvovirus, which is highly infectious and often fatal, has meant veterinary advice for puppy owners is to isolate them from other dogs, and external environments such as parks, until their vaccination program is complete in order to protect them picking up this disease. Vaccination programs end at 16 weeks which is after the socialisation period ends.
For more information on the socialisation, the American Kennel Club has two great articles that can be accessed here;
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeding/creativity-and-timing-key-to-puppy-socialization and https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/puppy-socialization/
