What does socializing pups mean?

It’s a proces in which puppies learn to live with all kinds of animals and humans (kids of all ages), to get used to all kinds of stimuli (noise, smells, colors, shapes, ...), and to adapt to different situations. Socializing is the basis for a mental healthy dogs life in our complicated society. The foundation of a good education. The phase between 3-4 and 12 weeks is the most sensitive periode to learn to handle with impressions, as the puppies are very curious and enterprising at that age.
Thanks to repetition of these experiences (habituation) we prevent desocializing and anxious behavior beyond his familiar environment.

Caracteristics of a good socialisation:

• early start: from day 3 after birth (touching)
• mild, well proportioned: no over stimulating, give puppies time to absorb new stimuli
• correct: constructive, step by step
• positive: prevent from negativity (agressive dogs)
• late ending: 1 year or later

Reasons for socializing pups:

A good socialization has great positive effect on the dogs behavio r and doesn’t stop at 8 weeks, but continues untill the end of the juvenil period. What the breeder starts, should not be stopped at the arrival of the puppy at the owner’s but should be continued untill the dog has become 12 months or untill he has become a well balanced grown up dog.

Advantages of a correct socialization:

• better able to handle stress,
• more outgoing
• quick to learn thanks to increased size of brain and even better developped brain
• etc.

Desadvantages of lack of adequate socialisation:

• more change to unacceptable behavior: chewing, biting, excessive barking
• more change to undesirable agression: growling, showing teeth, biting
• more change to fearfulness, anxiety, biting out of fear
• more change to sexual inadequacy (unfertile)