# Puppy Socialization



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

http://www.apdt.com/veterinary/assets/pdf/Messer_ND06.pdf

http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/vetmed/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/646902


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

forgot one. http://breedingbetterdogs.com/pdfFiles/articles/maternal-influence-may-27-2012.pdf


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## Gibbs Mom and Dad (Jun 3, 2013)

Dave,

Thank you for posting those links. I read the first two in their entirety and skimmed the third. Let me start by saying there is much that we agree upon. I wish you had posted the APDT Article before posting the letter from R.K. Anderson.

I never had any doubt that early socialization is best for the behavioral well being of a puppy. 

I had two main points:

1. There is trade-off or balancing between early socialization and disease prevention.
2. The risk/reward trade-off between early socialization and disease prevention is situationally dependent based upon the owner's lifestyle and breed of dog, and therefore an absolute, universal or "one size fits all" approach can't be right for everyone.


While I agree with you in the main (that generally the benefits of early socialization outweigh the risks of disease transmission), the articles affirm that there is a balancing between the two that needs to be considered, and the owner’s lifestyle and breed of dog affect this balancing:

APDT Article Page 1 – “One of the dilemmas in the pursuit of puppy wellness is balancing the need for early socialization with the need for protection from infectious disease”

DVM360 Article – Dr. Messner – “Canine parvovirus transmission is the main risk, as the other infectious agents we vaccinate against are either comparatively rare in prevalence and the vaccines are highly effective, or the agents cause relatively minor illness in otherwise healthy puppies. That said, even with the improved efficacy of parvovirus vaccine technology developed in the mid-1990s, about 2% to 8% of puppies may not be adequately protected from parvovirus until after they have been vaccinated at 14 to 16 weeks old.”

APDT Article Page 2 – “Socialization is a big project: it requires exposure to people, dogs, other pets, places, sounds and experiences they will be subjected to in the life they share us. Depending upon the owner’s lifestyle, this might include trains garbage trucks, schoolyards of screaming children, crowds, cats, crying infants and much more.”

DVM360 Article – Dr. Dunbar – “Keep in mind that socialization is an ongoing process. Breeders must never forget that by 8 weeks, the sensitive period of socialization is two-thirds over, and they must expose the puppies to a variety of people before adoption.”


I added the last quote because it acknowledges a significant amount of socialization should occur with the breeder, before the owner takes the puppy home. Therefore, just because an owner may wait until after a puppy has had all if its vaccinations, it doesn't mean the primary socialization period was lost. If the breeder is doing their job, a puppy should receive the benefits of proper socialization during its "sensitive socialization period".

I also did not provide a specific quote discussing the breed of dog and hope I don't have to. The articles hammer the comparison between risk of disease vs. euthanasia or abandonment. If we can't agree that a Havanese is less likely to be abandoned or euthanized than a Pit Bull, or more generally that euthanasia and abandonment vary among all breeds, than I will need to see a study.


The APDT Article provides the best argument for early socialization. It's discussion regarding the efficacy of the newer vaccines verses the older vaccines, and the fact that dogs are better protected now after their second set of vaccinations, than they were in the past is compelling. The articles extolling the virtues of early socialization by comparing disease rates to euthanasia or abandonment rates are at best misleading. They cloud the issue that waiting until a puppy is fully vaccinated is an old standard based upon the efficacy of the older generation of vaccinations as opposed the the more effective new generation of vaccinations.

I will repost my reply from the prior thread:

Measuring the incidences of infection and incidences of euthanasia over the universal dog population will skew the results and could lead to an erroneous conclusion. 

1. Take a population of 1,000 dogs.
2. 100 dogs begin proper socialization at 8 weeks.
3. 100 dogs begin proper socialization at 16 weeks.
4. 800 dogs never begin proper socialization.


Including the 800 never properly socialized dogs when calculating a single euthanasia rate will skew the results because it is the largest subset of the population, would likely have the highest euthanasia rates, and doesn't possess the attribute being studied (when to begin proper socialization).

Furthermore, a proper comparison would probably be even more compelling. Although the euthanasia rates would drop dramatically, after reading the APDT & DVM articles, I have little doubt that Parvo infection rates in a controlled and clean environment would be negligible.


I was going to omit this next comment, but changed by mind.

I have no doubt that Dr. Dunbar and R.K. Anderson are at the top of their profession and are giving sound expert advice. I also have little doubt that they knew it was faulty to compare Parvo infection rates to the universal euthanasia rates over the entire dog population when analyzing whether to begin proper socialization at 8 weeks vs. 16 weeks. I respectfully submit they undermine their position by so doing.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

thanks John . .. euthanasia rates I don't think are meant to be anything more than rates related to why dogs are surrendered in general and never intended to be related to whether the dogs received early socialization or not. The main point is SOCIALIZE YOUR DOG ,ATTEND PUPPY CLASSES, ALL BEFORE 16 WEEKS.and preferably before twelve weeks. Sorry for not saying more, I'm having a hard time typing. .


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/dr-ian-dunbar/puppy-classes-and-canine-parvovirus


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