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Socializing CC puppy during social distancing for Corona Virus

Garciagirl83

New Member
We pick up our cc puppy in 10 days. Anyone have any good ideas of how we can get our 8 week old socialized during social distancing for covid19? We are under a shelter in place order per our county. We know how important it is to socialize early, our puppy kinder classes have all been canceled and we can’t go to dog park until she is fully vaccinated. We are planning to carry her on short walks, but there is nobody on the streets in our community. We are considering playing dress up to get her used to hats, canes etc. Any creative ideas would be appreciated.
 

NeoBull

Well-Known Member
I’m going through the same thing, luckily there are plenty of people out walking here so we just sit and watch them go by, she see’s people of all ages, dogs, bikes, runners, even ducks. I’ve also taken her with us to the pet stores for supplies. Not ideal but doing what we can ‍♀️ 5773A587-7D71-4FA5-8A4E-9524F96FA268.jpeg
 

Zeela

Well-Known Member
I didn't socialize Zeela until she was trained for all the right commands at 6-7 months old. You have time, 8 weeks is too young to take them all over the place.
 

NeoBull

Well-Known Member
I didn't socialize Zeela until she was trained for all the right commands at 6-7 months old. You have time, 8 weeks is too young to take them all over the place.

The main window for socialization closes around 12-14 weeks. They need to be exposed to new sounds (storms, garbage trucks, sirens, crying, motorcycles, etc) smells, places, surfaces, all kinds of people (old, young, different races, disabled, etc), animals (cats, ducks, whatever they may see in their regular life, might include cows and horses for some, and as many safe vaccinated dogs as possible.4464A8E7-A097-4784-80C5-86AA498C438D.png
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
I agree that there's an optimal time for socialization, but if you miss it or aren't able to do as much as you'd like it's not the end of the world. Do the best you can. A lot of exposure can happen from a distance. You can go to parks for exposure to different surfaces. Be creative! I'm also a fan of having people that you can be around dress in odd clothes, etc. Can't hurt anything. Sounds on the computer aren't ideal, but better than nothing. If you see any issues developing, post about them and maybe we can help you work through things. Don't forget to post pictures please.
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
I agree that there's an optimal time for socialization, but if you miss it or aren't able to do as much as you'd like it's not the end of the world. Do the best you can. A lot of exposure can happen from a distance. You can go to parks for exposure to different surfaces. Be creative! I'm also a fan of having people that you can be around dress in odd clothes, etc. Can't hurt anything. Sounds on the computer aren't ideal, but better than nothing. If you see any issues developing, post about them and maybe we can help you work through things. Don't forget to post pictures please.

Completely agree with this. With introducing the dog to different surfaces and scenarios with no other people or dogs involved it boosts their confidence. And a confident dog does better in any kind of new situation. We did agility training a bit with our dogs and they both got more confident after walking over bridges, through tunnels, between tubes, and on all the different kind of surfaces. Diesel just plain enjoyed it but Kahlua was super nervous of each new thing we had her do and she would grow in confidence as we did it more and more. It also built her confidence and trust in us which is most important of all. She is not friendly with unknown dogs but her being more confident in us lets us redirect her in controlled situations like on walks when we cross paths with another dog.
 

Loverboy Skyline

Well-Known Member
Right now my 13 wk old Bullmastiff puppy is staying at home. He has our Shih Tzu to play with, he sees some neighbors and dogs thru the fence, and 2 weeks ago we took him out to visit friends before the Covid19 scare really hit us locally. I don't take him out in public because his immune system might not be ready yet. I won't do it until his titers check positive or he gets his boosters. I'm not at all worried about the window closing after 14 wks. Have you seen the Dog Whisperer? He socializes adult dogs with aggression problems, and it seems to work for him.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
I just came across this excellent post from Denise Fenzi. One comment ... I'm not a fan of flexi leads, but I think that if you aren't an idiot with them it can be okay.

https://www.facebook.com/denise.fenzi/posts/3022725247759651

Denise Fenzi
March 28 at 10:45 AM ·
more thoughts on socialization:

I'm not interested in starting a war today but I was asked specifically about socializing new puppies to other dogs and people in this time of social distancing.
In my opinion, dogs do not need direct interaction with a variety of novel people and dogs. They need to become comfortable with their presence.
None of my dogs has ever gone to a puppy class of any sort. Not even one of them in the last 40 years. They do fine.
They do, however, go out and about.
I'd recommend driving your car to various locations like grocery stores, train stations, parks that have people walking/out, pet stores, post offices, Home Depot, park and rides near busy roads and the like, opening the door and letting your puppy watch the world go by. First in the crate, then maybe on your lap, and then maybe on a leash right in front of you (depends on your car I suppose).
If you have a puppy, people who walk by are going to ooh and ahh and talk nicely to your puppy - and that's enough. They don't need to pet the puppy, any more than human children need to be cuddled by strangers to get comfortable.
If you have other dogs, they will get socialization to other dogs. If you walk your dog on the street (still allowed where I am) you will see an amazing number of dogs - more than normal!) and that will do the trick. If you really really want interaction, bring your puppy out on a Flexi lead and let them interact on the end of the leash - pick your risk assessment and go from there.
 

Zeela

Well-Known Member
I just came across this excellent post from Denise Fenzi. One comment ... I'm not a fan of flexi leads, but I think that if you aren't an idiot with them it can be okay.

https://www.facebook.com/denise.fenzi/posts/3022725247759651

Denise Fenzi
March 28 at 10:45 AM ·
more thoughts on socialization:

I'm not interested in starting a war today but I was asked specifically about socializing new puppies to other dogs and people in this time of social distancing.
In my opinion, dogs do not need direct interaction with a variety of novel people and dogs. They need to become comfortable with their presence.
None of my dogs has ever gone to a puppy class of any sort. Not even one of them in the last 40 years. They do fine.
They do, however, go out and about.
I'd recommend driving your car to various locations like grocery stores, train stations, parks that have people walking/out, pet stores, post offices, Home Depot, park and rides near busy roads and the like, opening the door and letting your puppy watch the world go by. First in the crate, then maybe on your lap, and then maybe on a leash right in front of you (depends on your car I suppose).
If you have a puppy, people who walk by are going to ooh and ahh and talk nicely to your puppy - and that's enough. They don't need to pet the puppy, any more than human children need to be cuddled by strangers to get comfortable.
If you have other dogs, they will get socialization to other dogs. If you walk your dog on the street (still allowed where I am) you will see an amazing number of dogs - more than normal!) and that will do the trick. If you really really want interaction, bring your puppy out on a Flexi lead and let them interact on the end of the leash - pick your risk assessment and go from there.
Well said, I completely agree.