Presuming my pup is in hand and being trained for protection sport... what is proper/adequate socialization? If strangers are not permitted to pet and play and do the "cutsie-wutsie", is taking the pup to shopping malls, subways, parks, events etc. suitable enough? What type of interation with strangers and visitors to my home is the pup permitted?

Thanks in advance, all.

TTT

Ande

The 1st couple of months should be all about you and th pup, slowly socializing the puppy to different things and people, later. You are a little ahead of yourself, I know we are just assuming.

I would get the puppy use to its new surrounding, house training and ect.., slowing start work the puppy in Obedeince and teach it how to wear the leash. Play with the puppy with a string or sock, fetch, tug and give. Pet it feed it, love it, build a bond.

Gradually you start bring other things into its life people, other animals (cats, dog, birds & people) teach it how you want it to interact with them. I'm being vauge because just like the questions.

When you are at home and friend visit have the pup down or sit at your side. Don't let your friends ruff house with him unless they know how to work a pup. If they won't stop crate or put the pup in another room. This can save a friendship and the pups career.

Some people like seeing a spunky puppy barking a growling as they antagonize it, but one of the
worst thing to happen is that they are playing and the puppy's razor sharp teeth snag their wrist or sweater. The person swats the puppy across the room, out of anger or shock. This can damage your puppy phyiscailly and mentally and it may not be recoverable.

They can say all the cute things they want at a distance. If you got a plan for the pup don't let your friends side track your plans. Everybody think they know how to handle a dog, very few really do. Or can enhance rather the hurt your program.

We are only assuming so this is just that, I know you won't let that happen. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Ande, I have a similar problem. When I purchased my pup my intent was to raise it for patrol/exposives detection. Then he started with submissive urination and everyone said that more socializing would cure it. So I'd bring him to local plazas and let him walk around on lead so that he could get used to new activity and scents. Have of the advice says to socialize him by bringing him around people and other half says keep him away if you wish to do law enforcement work.

I'm about as confused as you are and I keep running into dead ends. I'm not sure if they mean to bring them around people and just dont let them pet him or keep him away from people totally or what the story is..lol

Any advice from the experts would be appreciated.

Guys, socialize the snot out of a pup. Anything and everything you can think of. This is the best time to do it. If you don't socialize a good working dog enough you can acctually ruin what could have been an outstanding dog. At this age he should be friendly to everyone. Let them pet him. Let him greet and jump on them. (I am not talking about ruff housing just so you know).
The aloffness(sp), aggression, defense, etc, will come later.
Bring him around kids and children (supervised of course). Old people, different races (everybody has a different smell), etc.
I even enroll in a puppy OB class just for socialization ( not obedience, it is a bad idea ) because of all the different types of puppys the same age (still be careful though).
Bring him to plazas, malls, parking lots, train tracks and stations, airports, firing ranges(not too close). As inventive as you can think of.
Also you should imprint things like OB and tracking at this age.

I'm with Patrick. Let that pup get some love, man!

I let everyone who wanted to feel all over my chow/akita bitch when she was a pup-and true to her breeding, she is a high defense type dog now, but is very dependable in public, thank goodness. Kids and strangers can walk up and pet her. But I have no doubt she'll protect me (and herself!) because I've seen her do it. I followed the advice of my first schutzhund guy who told me if little kids in the neighborhood ever wanted to walk my dog, let 'em- He said that kids were the best thing to happen for socialising a sport or protection dog-they drag it everywhere, make lots of loud noises, and think of obnoxious surprises-and it's all in the mood of a big party.
My dog still digs kids. This is super-I don't have any, but they are everywhere and they are not obedience trained-they'll run right up to a dog and be in it's face before anyone can snatch them. I don't want a dog that has to be muzzled in public-what's the point of a "protection dog" if his mouth has to be tied shut every time you leave the house?
I didn't have any kids in my new area near strong enough to walk my GSD pup when I got him, and we are just meeting large groups of people this summer-he came in the winter and not much going on outdoors. This summer we've been going to lots of parks and beaches. Now that he's a big boy, guess what- little kids I've never seen in my life run up to pet "that big black wolf"! (And yup, grown-ups do it too-annoying-but do I want the dog to bite them, or even scare them with a big mean bark-no)I do let everyone who wants come up and touch him now-I make him sit and then they pet. It is both obedience exercise and socialising.
He likes it all-and I don't think this will make him a bad protection prospect-I do think it makes him a good family member who is not going to be a liability to myself, schutzhund, or the breed.

My advice for a protection dog prospect(puppy) may not be the most popular but here it is. I say take the puppy everywhere and have the puppy around as many people as possible, I want the pup to experience as much as possible starting as early as possible. The only catch is I ask people to ignore the pup. I want the pup to be very socialized with places and people I just want the pup to come to its own conclusion that people are everywhere, the are no threat and they are very boring.Now I dont mean your family and certain people apply to this but for the most part I want the pup to find people as uninteresting.

I strongly believe that you cannot over-socialize a pup. I raised 5 GSDs, all with different temperaments and socialized the hell out of them. All of them eventually reached the point, as they matured, where they stopped being interested in people. IT’S IN THE BREED. I’m yet to meet a dog whose protective instincts (or protection work) were screwed up due to over-socialization.

On the other hand if you dont socialize you dog enough and it becomes under socialized, what are the common signs to look for?

Most common signs I've seen: unwarranted suspicion toward strangers and aggressive behavior toward other dogs.

Pete