When rescuing a fearful dog whose
background is unknown, people often make the assumption that the dog has been
abused.Most of the time, this may
not be the case.
If a
dog with an unknown background acts fearful of people it is generally safer to
assume that they were not given the proper socialization as a puppy.
The
window period for a puppy's socialization is between 5 and 12 weeks of
age.If a puppy is not exposed to
different people, places and situations the effects can be devastating and can
last a lifetime.
Puppies
taken from their litters too early (between 5 and 8 weeks) are also at grave
risk of under socialization.During this time he will miss out on important life lessons that only
his mother and litter mates can teach him.It is during this period that he learns how to socialize
with other dogs and he learns crucial lessons such as "bite
inhibition".Bite inhibition
is when a dog learns how hard is too hard to bite during play.If he bites one of his litter mates too
hard, the other puppy will yelp and stop playing.The dog then learns if he bites too hard that the fun stops.Dogs taken from their mothers too early
will demonstrate poor social skills with other dogs and also may become overly
attached to humans.
On the
other hand, dogs who remain with their mothers for too long may be leery of
humans and never fully trust them.Between the weeks of 8 to 12 dogs go through a very important
socialization period.Now is the
time they should be exposed to three new things every day.They should be exposed to people of all
kinds, sizes and races with hats and without.Some with beards, umbrellas and canes.Now is the time to take your puppy to
new places and allow him to walk on a variety of substrates and surfaces.Now is the time to introduce him to
stairs and cats.Be careful around
week 8, however, as this is the fear impact period and a loud noise or other
scary thing could traumatize your puppy.
If you
rescue a dog who is under socialized you will have a big job ahead of you.Have a lot of patience and keep a good
outlook.There is no way of
telling how much of the damage is permanent but I have worked with many under
socialized dogs who have overcame extreme fearfulness.My advice is to seek the help of a
professional who can show you the best way to help your fearful dog come out of
his shell.Be cautious if you
decide to go it alone, as some of the ways we as humans would try to gain a
dog's trust may make the dog's fearfulness worse.
