The primary and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life. 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 im-proper socialization during this important time can increase the risk of behavioral problems later in life including fear, avoidance, and/or aggression.

Getting Started With Socialization

The main goal for puppy socialization is to teach your dog how to properly behave/interact with people they've never met, dogs they've never met or in places they've never been before.

There are three categories of socialization: People, Dogs & Places

Many vets recommend that dogs wait until they are fully vaccinated before socializing them (approx 15 weeks of age) from a medical standpoint. From a behavioral standpoint you are missing a crucial socialization window if you wait and, as the paper states, 'behavioral issues, not infectious disease, are the number one cause of death in dogs under 3 years of age."

Our services that help with socialization:

• Puppy Social Hour (ages 5 months old & younger)
• Dog Daycare (any age)
• Behavioral Consultations / Rehabilitation (any age)

*We do ask that pups have their second round of parvo/distemper before attending our services/facility.

Interested in any of our socialization services? Click here to contact us and setup a behavioral consultation.

To learn more about puppy socialization, click here to download the AVSAB Position Statement On Puppy Socialization.