1. Anna Leppien
BZ/VS 479
November 27, 2007
The Effects of Socialization or Lack of Socialization during the Critical Socialization
Period in Dogs Raised in a One Person Household
Introduction
As an increasing amount of people around the world become dog owners, new
problems arise. Among these problems are behavioral issues, which may have existed
before, but have become more of a problem with the increase of dogs in more populated
areas, and with the inclusion of dogs into the owner’s everyday life. Domestic dogs have
a natural tendency to develop an attachment to their owner as early as sixteen weeks, a
trait that genetically sets them apart from wolves (Topal, et al., 2005). However, it is no
longer enough for a dog to only be well behaved around its owner. Today’s society
expects, even demands, that a dog be well behaved in all situations.
Numerous studies have shown that socialization both with other dogs (Fox and
Stelzner, 1967) and with humans (Fox and Stelzner, 1966; Freedman, et al., 1961),
especially during a puppy’s critical socialization period, is imperative to development of
normal behavior in an adult dog. The critical socialization period of a puppy has been
shown to be between three and twelve weeks of age (Freedman, et al., 1961). During this
time, dogs have a tendency to focus on other dogs for their social stimuli from three to
eight weeks of age and on people from five to twelve weeks of age (Aiello and Mays,
1998). Veterinarians recommend that owners socialize their puppies by exposing them to
many new people, which should include people from different age groups and
backgrounds, and to new things such as stairs, different kinds of vehicles and bicycles
(Horwitz, 1999). Owners should also expose their puppies to other puppies and adult
dogs (Horwitz, 1999). One method of socializing puppies with other puppies is to bring

2. Anna Leppien
BZ/VS 479
November 27, 2007
them to a puppy socialization class once they have been given their preliminary vaccines
(Horwitz, 1999). Seksel, et al. (1999) determined that puppy socialization programs,
which included social interaction with other puppies and exposure to novel stimuli, did
not have a significant behavioral effect on dogs as compared with those who were not in
the socialization program. However, these dogs were only socialized in four one-hour
sessions, and the study did not account for any socialization occurring at home. In fact,
the area of puppy socialization lacks in depths look at the effects of increased or
decreased amounts of socialization occurring in the owner’s home. I think a study that
looks at the amount of socialization given by the puppy’s owner and its subsequent
effects on the behavior of the adult dog is necessary because it gives a more realistic
insight on socialization of pet dogs than a study conducted in a laboratory setting.
Materials and Methods
In this study, we will look at different aspects of socialization including with
children of different ages, other dogs, walking in different situations such as down a city
street and in the park, and going to a veterinary hospital for a routine exam. All dogs will
live a relatively normal home life, but will experience differing levels of socialization.
Each dog will live in a separate house (no apartments, town homes, or duplexes will be
allowed) with an adult owner. No children or other dogs are allowed to live or spend
significant time in the household. Owners who have dogs in the children or dog
socialization groups or a dog that is to be socialized in all categories will be allowed to
have children or dogs spending more time in the household. However, even in these
groups, children and dogs will not be allowed to live in the households and will only be

3. Anna Leppien
BZ/VS 479
November 27, 2007
allowed to spend 3-4 hours two times a week in the house. The houses will have a fenced
in back yard large enough to give the dog significant room in which to play.
Sixty dogs from various breeds will be used in the study. Socialized dogs will be
divided into 5 groups: socialized in all aspects, socialized with just children, just dogs,
just walking, and just going to the veterinary hospital. Non socialized dogs will be
divided into the same groups with a lack of socialization occurring in each group. Each
group will consist of six dogs, one from each of six breeds chosen for the study. These
breeds include the Australian Shepherd, Pit Bull, Labrador Retriever, Chihuahua, Great
Dane, and Fox Terrier. It is hoped that the variation in breeds will help to remove
influences on behavior that might be more prominent in certain breeds. Moreover, the
breeds were chosen to include a great variation in size as behaviors attributed to lack of
socialization may be perceived differently in different sized dogs.
Once the puppies are placed into their groups, they will be tested for their
reactions before they are sent home with their owners. They will then be retested at 6
months, 12 months, 18 months, 2 years, and 5 years. This will allow us to study the
dogs’ behavior well into adulthood. We will go to the owner’s house to conduct tests,
with the exception of the pre-placement test, in order to keep the situations more realistic.
All owners will receive specific instructions on how to socialize their dogs in the
different categories. Those owners who have dogs in the non socialized groups will be
told what is allowed and what they need to avoid. No dogs will be completely isolated
but, rather will receive minimal socialization in certain areas, especially as a puppy.
Moreover, owners of dogs in the socialization groups are to keep a journal record of their

4. Anna Leppien
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November 27, 2007
socialization periods. At each testing period, owners will be asked to fill out a survey to
determine their perception of the dog’s behavior.
Puppies that are in the group to be socialized with children will be introduced to
many children in different situations while they are a puppy. It is important that the
puppies are not constantly socialized with the same children so that familiarity with
specific children does not influence the dogs’ behavior. As part of the socialization
process, one or two children will come to the house for at least two hours once a week,
but no more than four hours twice a week. At the house, the child will spend some time
petting and playing with the puppy, but will also spend some time engaged in its own
activities or playing with the other child when two children are present. Both while
playing with the puppy and while engaging in its own activities, the child will have some
periods when it is very calm and some periods of higher excitement levels. In addition to
seeing children in its house, the puppy will be brought to a playground where it can
watch children playing and where children can approach and pet the puppy. To ensure
the safety of children during the socialization process, no child will be left alone with the
puppy. Children will also be taught how to play with the puppy in a manner that does not
frighten or hurt the puppy.
Puppies that are to be socialized with other dogs will be introduced to dogs of
varying sizes, ages, and breeds. Socialization will include puppy play dates at the
owner’s house, for at least two hours once a week, but not more than 4 hours two times a
week. During this time, the puppies will have some time to play in the absence of toys
and some time to play with toys. There will also be some time where the owners of the
two dogs try to keep them calm in the presence of each other. Puppies will also be

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November 27, 2007
brought to a dog park at least once a week for at least 90 minutes each time. Puppies of
the smaller breeds will be allowed to play in a small, enclosed area of the dog park so that
they don’t get hurt. However, it is imperative that these puppies have other dogs to play
with in the enclosures. Puppies will also spend one day every other week at a doggy day
care where they will spend the whole day with numerous other dogs.
Puppies that are to receive socialization with walking will be walked at least four
times a week. The walks along the city streets will begin on quieter, less busy streets to
give the puppy time to get used to the sound of traffic. The owner will gradually move
the walks closer to busier streets. Owners will also walk the puppies in a park where they
may be more likely to see runners and bicyclists. During the walks, owners will train the
puppies to heel and to ignore such distractions.
Puppies that are socialized at a veterinary hospital will be brought to the hospital
once a week. During these visits, the puppy will be given treats and will be petted by
various members of the staff, including the receptionist, veterinary technician, and
veterinarian if available. The puppy will be weighed at each visit, and if the hospital is
not busy, the puppy will be brought into a room. However, no work will be done on the
puppy during these visits. The puppy and owner will only remain in the room for 3
minutes during which available members of the staff will again pet and play with the
puppy. It is important that actual exams remain separate from the socialization visits,
even if the puppy must be brought to the vet hospital twice in one week.
As mentioned earlier, puppies that are not in any socialization groups are not to
remain isolated. Rather, the owners will simply not strive to socialize their dogs in any of
these categories. For example, the owner may walk the dog occasionally but must

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commit to taking shorter walks along quiet streets that do not have much traffic.
Furthermore, dogs that are to be socialized in one group must remain unsocialized in the
other groups. This may mean that an owner socializing his dog in walking may have to
tell children who approach that they cannot pet his dog at that time.
As mentioned before, testing of the dogs will occur at the owner’s house with the
direct involvement of the owner. A video camera will be set up in the testing areas of the
owner’s house and yard so that the dog is not distracted by the test observer. In testing
situations outside of the owner’s home, the observer will remain as far away from the dog
while still observing so that they do not influence the dog’s behavior.
As we cannot danger children, testing with socialization to children will be
conducted in a very controlled manner, with the testing stopped if the dog shows fear or
any signs of aggression. Children will be divided into three age groups: two to three
years old, five to seven years old, and eleven to thirteen years old. Children in the first
two age groups will be accompanied by an adult while those in the last age group will
receive significant training on how to behave around the dog. This test will start in a
quiet room in the owner’s house. The owner will have the dog on a leash in this room for
one minute. A child will enter and slowly and calmly approach the dog to begin petting
it. If the dog allows, the child will continue petting it for one minute after which it will
begin playing with the dog. After playing with the dog for one minute, the child and dog
will go outside in the yard to play for one minute. After playing with the dog outside for
one minute, the child will again calm down, and another child will enter the yard. The
two children will ignore the dog and play with each other calmly for one minute. After

7. Anna Leppien
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November 27, 2007
one minute of calm play, the two children will play a little more roughly, running around
and yelling with some bodily contact with each other.
Testing of socialization with dogs will include two scenarios. The first will begin
in the owner’s house. The owner will be sitting in a quiet room in the house with the dog
on a leash for one minute. After one minute, another person will enter with a well
behaved dog on a leash. The person will slowly approach with the dog and the dogs will
be allowed to sniff and greet each other for 30 seconds. If no problems are encountered
during the 30 second greeting period, the second dog will be taken off the leash and
allowed to interact with the first dog for another 30 seconds. The first dog will then be
given five feet of slack on its leash to allow it to interact more with the second dog for 30
seconds. After 30 seconds, the first dog will be taken off the leash as well. After one
minute both dogs will be put back on leashes and brought outside. Outside, the second
dog will be taken off the leash for one minute. After one minute, the first dog will also
be taken off the leash, and the dogs will be allowed to interact for one minute.
The second scenario to test for socialization with dogs will occur at a dog park.
At the dog park, the dog will be kept on a leash for one minute while other dogs come up
to greet it. During this time the owner will try to keep overly playful dogs from jumping
all over the test dog. After one minute, the owner will bring the dog to a closed off
section of the dog park and keep it in there with the second dog used earlier for one
minute. After one minute, the dog will be allowed to interact with the other dogs in the
main area of the dog park for five minutes.
To test for socialization with walking, the owner will walk the dog from their
home along non-busy residential streets. During the walk the dog will be exposed to other

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people, some of whom are walking their dogs or who are working in their yards. The
owner will gradually move toward busier streets where the dog will be exposed to higher
volumes of traffic. The owner will also walk the dog in a park, starting in a quieter area
of the park and moving toward a busier area. While it is not possible to control all aspects
of the walks, they will be somewhat structured in that each dog will be exposed to the
same situations as part of the testing process. During walking in both situations, the dog
will be exposed to other people who are walking their dog, running, riding a bike, and
jogging.
To test for socialization at the vet hospital, the dog will be brought into the vet
hospital for a routine exam. It will sit in the waiting area for five minutes until it is called
back by a veterinary technician. On its way to the room, the dog will be weighed. In the
room, the owner will take a seat while the veterinary technician runs through a series of
questions lasting for 2 minutes. The technician will then leave, and the owner and dog
will be in the room alone for two minutes. The veterinarian will then enter talk to the
owner and conduct the exam. The exam will include having the temperature taken,
listening to the heart and lungs, looking at the mouth, ears, and eyes, receiving a vaccine,
and having a small amount of blood drawn. When no vaccine is needed, the dog will
receive a subcutaneous injection of saline solution administered in the same way that the
vaccine is given. The total time spent with the veterinarian will be ten minutes. The
veterinarian, owner and dog will exit the room and the veterinarian will lead the owner
and dog to the counter for checkout. The owner will spend three minutes checking out,
and will then lead the dog outside. The owner will bring the dog to a grassy area and

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allow one minute for the dog to smell around and go to the bathroom if necessary. The
owner will then bring the dog to the car and leave.
Discussion
As mentioned before, socialization during the critical socialization period of a
puppy is imperative for normal behavior in an adult dog. Earlier studies have looked at a
complete lack of socialization in certain aspects While these studies provided important
information on the effects of socialization in general, they were performed in laboratory
settings. They are therefore not completely realistic to a home setting where the dogs
suffer from a lack rather than a complete absence of socialization in most aspects.
It is hoped that a study of this type and magnitude will not only provide a more
realistic insight into the effects of proper puppy socialization, but that it will also provide
veterinarians and owners with a guide of how to properly socialize a puppy. Depending
on the results of this study, it will be followed with another study determining whether a
socialization program such as that used in this study would be effective for dogs that are
already past the critical socialization period.

10. Anna Leppien
BZ/VS 479
November 27, 2007
Works Cited
Aiello, S.E. and A. Mays. “Dogs: Social Behavior” in The Merck Veterinary Manual.
Philadelphia. National Publishing, Inc. 1998.
Fox, M.W. and D. Stelzner. “Behavioral Effects of Differential Early Experience in the
Dog.” Animal Behavior. 1966. Vol. 14, pp. 273-281.
Fox, M.W. and D. Stelzner. “The Effects of Early Experience on the Development of
Inter and Intraspecies Social Relationships in the Dog.” Animal Behavior. 1967.
Vol. 15, pp. 377-386.
Freedman, D.G., J.A. King and O. Elliot. “Critical Period in the Social Development of
Dogs.” Science. 1961. Vol. 133, pp. 1016-1017.
Fuller, J.L. “Experiential Deprivation and Later Behavior.” Science. 1967. Vol.158, pp.
1645-1652.
Horwitz, D.F. “Counseling Pet Owners on Puppy Socialization and Establishing
Leadership.” Veterinary Medicine. 1999. Vol. 94, pp. 149-155.
Seksel, K., E.J. Mazurski and A. Taylor. “Puppy Socialisation Programs: Short and Long
Term Behavioral Effects.” Applied Animal Behavior Science. 1999. Vol. 62, pp.
335-349.
Topál, J., M. Gácsi, A. Miklósi, Z. Virányi, E. Kubinyi and V Csányi. “Attachment to
Humans: a Comparative Study on Hand-Reared Wolves and Differently
Socialized Dog Puppies. Animal Behavior. 2005. Vol. 70, pp 1367-1375.