Most people think that socialization is - hey, let's have my new puppy meet as many dogs and people as possible as soon as possible. And I would say no way to that because, although we certainly want your dog to be exposed to other dogs and people in a controlled environment, that's less than half of what socialization's really about. Socialization is starting to understand the world as a safe place. So we want your dog to be exposed to different types of environments—maybe the water, the woods, different types of surfaces, not just grass, concrete, rocks. These things might seem silly, but the more we can expose dogs or puppies to positive experiences early on, the better things will go for that dog. The critical socialization period in dogs is three weeks to three months.

There's a little bit of wiggle room on either end, depending on the dog, the breed, and genetics, but that critical socialization period starts around three to four weeks. These early life experiences make a profound difference in the rest of their life. So if you are looking into a breeder situation and are evaluating those breeders in terms of what they're doing for early socialization, this can make a big difference.

Other things to think about if you get your puppy at eight, nine, or 10 weeks or so, we have a pretty small amount of time to pack in those positive experiences. In addition to the environmental stuff, think about exposing them to people in different scenarios—a person in a wheelchair, a person wearing a hat, different clothing types, different types of people, people on crutches, and other types of things that may move around them in the environment such bikes, skateboards, and any number of things. So, yes, I want your dog or your puppy to meet other people and other dogs, but that's a tiny part of socialization. We have a great resource on our website sending you to Sophia Yin's website on socialization in the environment and even a great checklist, so that's an excellent place to start.

I think that getting a good training relationship with your dog as early as possible is probably one of the most valuable things that you can ever do for your pet. If you think about it, we are two species trying to live in the same environment with very different social structures and communication methods. Creating a form of communication with them and setting expectations as early as possible can make a massive difference in the quality of life and the dog’s health over their lifetime. Socialization plays a huge role in this. We don't always have control over this process in the prime socialization time if your dog is a rescue or you're adopting them as an adult. Still, when we do have those opportunities, it can make a world of difference.

Behavior modification is creating a plan to change behaviors. We do a fair amount of that here at the clinic regarding our comfort conditioning or cooperative care. In those situations, we're trying to modify your dog’s association with specific procedures. It could be a physical exam. It could be getting their blood drawn. It could be getting an injection. It's just starting to change that association or change that behavioral response to a particular situation or action.

So once we know your dog's healthy physically, but we do have a behavioral problem, oftentimes, we're going to end up working with a certified professional dog trainer. We have a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in Maine now, which is a fantastic resource. In some situations, we can come up with a plan just between you and me. But in other situations, we're going to call in the troops. Have you worked with one of the trainers that we've vetted and felt comfortable with their methods? Or we can even send you over to Dr. Calder, our veterinary behaviorist, to formulate a plan. That could be something as simple as some exercises or homework to do. But it can sometimes also mean adding on some medications or supplements to improve your dog's mental health and make the behavior modification more successful.

Anything that's not working for you in a lot of ways. So you and your dog have a relationship. You live in the same house. You guys need to be able to get along. And that means keeping you and your dog healthy and happy. When we're thinking about things, if you're finding something that your dog is doing is annoying, destructive, and potentially affecting your health, we need to consider that. And that can be something as simple as chewing on things they're not supposed to. It can be jumping behavior. It can be dog aggression when they're out and about. But really anything that you find that affects your relationship or affects your daily life. If it's a problem, then let's talk about it and find a solution.