THE NEW SKETE SOCIALIZATION PROGRAM
“By socialization we mean two things: first, the positive adjustment a puppy makes to the many aspects of her life, whether this includes other dogs, people, places or objects; second, what we do to foster this.” (The Art of Raising a Puppy, pg 48)
“The Socialization Program here at New Skete is a program of specific stimulation and activities implemented systematically and in tandem with the pup’s neurological development to achieve the goal of a well-grounded, well-rounded, socialized dog. The aim is not to produce a more ‘human-like’ dog, were that even possible, but to enhance the qualities they and we share that allow for enhancement of the canine/human relationship.”
Socialization:
- Early Neurological Stimulation: Day 3 – Day 16
- Socialization:
- Weeks 4-6 socialization with dogs
- Weeks 5-7/8 Socialization with people
- Enrichment:
- Weeks 8-10 Fear/Avoidance Period
- Weeks 8 and beyond- Socialization/Enrichment with the new handlers
Early Neurological Stimulation is effective only in the first 16 days of the life of the pup.
Effects are:
- Improved cardio-vascular performance (including better heart rate)
- Stronger heart beats
- Stronger adrenal glands
- More tolerance to stress
- Greater resistance to disease
The Socialization Phase:
In an important sense, the advent of the fear/avoidance period (8-10 weeks) signals the end of a certain plasticity of the canine brain. This is a neurological reality. “What is most likely occurring is merely the pup’s natural adjustment to full adult sensory capacities” (Art of Raising a Puppy, pg 84). For the pup up to about 8 weeks old, everything is new and the pup soaks up this information like a sponge but at this point, the canine brain reaches a developmental stopping point. The pup develops the concept of danger in the course of the fear/avoidance period. Fear is the response to the unknown. While the pup/dog can be conditioned and/or trained after the onset of the fear/avoidance period, it appears that the imprinting of early socialization is no longer possible.
Through our socialization program, we are expanding the pup’s neural repertoire. By exposing the pup in systematic ways to a wide range of stimuli (other dogs, people of various sorts, various surfaces, gradients and steps, noises, changes in environment- anything that we can think of), we give the pup more to build on so that, when the brain reaches that critical point of the fear/avoidance period, the world becomes a systemically less stressful environment. In essence, we are setting up the pup/dog to realize that “This is like that and it’s not so bad.” What this translates to is introducing the pup to well-spaced WTF moments.
This program belongs to the Monks of New Skete