Socializing your boxer puppy is so important it can never be over-emphasised but how does one go about it?
Through socialization a boxer puppy learns to recognise and interact with other dogs, with people of different ages, races and genders, and with other animals that she is likely to come into contact with along her life, such as cats and horses. Through socialization the young dog will learn how to communicate with and interpret the other animals’ intentions, thus avoiding unnecessary hostilities. He will also learn to cope with stress and will certainly suffer less as an adult in stressful situations. Socialization also teaches a puppy to get used to different places, sights and sounds and makes him become confident in new situations.
The most sensitive socialization period in your boxer puppy’s life begins at around 3 weeks of age and begins to reduce by 12 weeks. It is important to remember that many young dogs may need continual social interaction to maintain their socialization and failure to do so will mean that they regress or become fearful again. The 6-8 month period is another sensitive time for socialization and owners and trainers can use this window to further habituate and socialize their puppy to different surroundings, people and animals.
How should you undertake this? Introduction to new stimuli and other people and pets should be done in a systematic and controlled way. These experiences will shape the behaviour of your boxer for the rest of his life, so they should be fun and pleasurable. They may well also be challenging, but if done in the right way, the boxer puppy will learn that there is no threat and that she is safe to explore and meet new friends and situations without being fearful.
It is very important to introduce your boxer puppy to new people, places, and situations only when you can completely control the experience. A frightening experience will be detrimental so avoid unfriendly dogs and adults and children who do not understand how to be kind and gentle with animals. Always be ready to intervene if your puppy is scared, threatened or being bullied by another dog.
Evaluating your lifestyle and environment is also very important when socializing your boxer puppy. For instance, if you live in the country, take your puppy to town and gradually and carefully let her become used to crowds of people, noise and traffic. On the other hand if you live in a town, take your puppy to the countryside so she can see and smell farm animals and become accustomed to them too. Make sure your boxer meets some cats who are dog-friendly. Don’t let her chase them as this will be the beginning of a life-long habit very difficult to change at a later stage. If your household has no children, introduce your puppy boxer to some children who can regularly play gently with her. Supervise them to ensure the children are gentle and that your boxer is responding well and not becoming nervous or aggressive.
You can also socialize your puppy boxer by carrying her into different situations in your car, so that she can see different things in a safe environment and get used to trips in the car at the same time. Treats and praise should be used to reinforce good behaviour. If she becomes fearful do not comfort her as this can be interpreted as praise for the wrong behaviour. Simply try to change the situation until she feels safe and secure again.
At this age all interaction with your puppy should involve rewards for desirable behaviour which will increase the likelihood the dog will repeat this behaviour. It will also help to prevent the development of undesirable behaviour.
Enrolling your boxer puppy in socialization and training classes is another helpful step. This provides a great opportunity for puppies to socialize with other dogs while they learn obedience training in a playful environment.
Appropriate socialization will teach your boxer puppy how to interact well with dogs and other species and ensure he will have few, if any behavioural problems later in life.
