Research paperImproving puppy behavior using a new standardized socialization program
Introduction
Undesirable behaviors in the dog population are on the increase. Up to 90% of dogs exhibit behaviors that owners find unacceptable (Vacalopoulos and Anderson, 1993). Many of these behaviors have a detrimental effect on the dog-owner relationship, resulting in dog behavior being the most important factor cited during relinquishment decisions (Arkow and Dow, 1984, Patronek et al., 1995, Salman et al., 1998, Wells and Hepper, 2000). Adult dog behavioral problems also limits the number of dogs available for service dogs and assistance work, such as guide dogs, hearing dogs, military and police dogs; which imposes a large financial burden on working dog agencies (Cobb et al., 2015). Perhaps of greatest concern is the increase in dogs with behavioral problems that pose a serious risk to public health and safety (NHS digital, 2017). The dramatic rise in the number of dog attacks on both humans (Morgan and Palmer, 2007) and other animals (Brooks et al., 2010, Moxon et al., 2016) likely reflects the increase in reported dog aggression problems (Borchelt, 1983, Wright and Nesselrote, 1987, APBC, 2017). Many dog behavior problems have never been subjected to empirical research, therefore little is known about their probable ontogeny (Serpell and Jagoe, 1995). Future studies identifying the underlying determinants of adult dog behavior and highlighting successful methods of early intervention are essential to reduce, and ultimately prevent, the development of problem behaviors.
Links between adult behavior and social interactions during early life are widespread across many animals, including humans (Ramchandani et al., 2013). It is widely agreed that a lack of adequate socialization during early life can result in unacceptable adult behaviors (Freedman et al., 1961, Battaglia, 2009, Miklósi, 2014). Although the average crucial social development period of puppies is from two to thirteen weeks (Scott and Fuller, 1965), practical difficulties have often prevented studies from examining the role of social experience from birth through to adulthood. As a result, the effects of social interactions, puppy physiology, maternal characteristics and the environment during early life remain relatively unknown.
Socialization is the learning process that all animals must undertake in order to gain key life skills and ensure confident engagement with their environment and effective communication within their social group (Manning and Dawkins, 2012). For young puppies, socialization is facilitated by people through the introduction of various social and environmental stimuli (Hubrecht, 1995, Boxall et al., 2004, Battaglia, 2009, Miklósi, 2014). Numerous intervention studies have demonstrated that puppies experiencing early socialization exercises matured faster, explored more, were more stress resilient and performed better in problem-solving tasks (Fox and Stelzner, 1966, Battaglia, 2009, Schoon and Berntsen, 2011, Foyer, 2015, Howell et al., 2015). However, these studies often only measured the short-term impact on puppy behavioral development. Few have examined the relationship between early life socialization techniques and specific adult dog behaviors.
Correlational evidence from a limited number of retrospective surveys suggests negative social experiences during the critical early period of puppy social development can have long-term deleterious effects on specific adult behaviors. For example, a short period of puppy isolation can precipitate abnormal fear responses, social inadequacies, hyperactivity, increased aggression, decreased learning ability, separation anxiety, increased frequency of stress behaviors and abnormal sexual imprinting in adulthood (Fox and Stelzner, 1966, Serpell and Jagoe, 1995, Tiira and Lohi, 2015). Intensive socialization in adulthood frequently cannot reduce or eliminate these undesirable behaviors (Scott and Fuller, 1965). Only by identifying how and when early life socialization techniques should be applied and how these techniques impact specific undesirable adult behaviors, can breeders and carers of young puppies reduce these displays of behavior in the adult dog population.
In working dogs, early experiences can have a profound impact on animal welfare and future working ability (Foyer et al., 2014). Early socialization provides a mechanism for working dog agencies to increase desirable behaviors and to decrease undesirable behaviors in their working population (Pfaffenberger and Scott, 1959, Seksel et al., 1999, Batt et al., 2008). For example, Duffy and Serpell (2009) found guide dog puppies that had been whelped and reared at a facility providing intensive socialization from birth to eight weeks had a higher success rate in training when compared to puppies whelped and reared at a guide dog facility without intensive socialization or puppies whelped at volunteers’ homes. However, the link between individual socialization techniques and specific adult behavioral traits needed for successful guide work still remains unclear.
A major limitation of many studies examining the role of early life socialization is the lack of a consistent environment during the nest period. A large assistance dog organization in the UK has an extensive breeding facility which enables bitches to be whelped in a standardized environment. For the first six weeks of life, litters whelped at this facility experience identical environmental conditions, undergo the same socialization program, and are continuously monitored using video recordings. Puppies continue to experience a similar socialization process throughout the first twelve month of life.The behavioral development of these dogs is subsequently monitored throughout life using standardized assessments and direct observations. Thus, this facility provides a unique opportunity to study the effects of early life socialization on specific adult behaviors when raised in a controlled environment.
Existing socialization techniques are frequently applied indiscriminately across puppy developmental stages. Techniques tailored to a puppy’s physiological and behavioral development stage could provide a more efficient mechanism of socialization. This study aimed to design and evaluate the effectiveness of a new, inexpensive socialization program for puppies in the nest. The socialization program was created by combining existing nest stimulation theories with neonate and young puppy developmental stages. Using this as a basis, the introduction and intensity of each socialization stimulus was tailored to mirror puppy physiological and behavioral development from birth to six weeks. The short and long-term impact of the program was evaluated using puppies reared under standardized conditions.
Section snippets
Socialization program development
The new socialization program (Table 1) was developed following an extensive scientific literature review of nest stimulation theories, young puppy behavioral emergence and development and puppy physiological developmental stages. The aim was to provide a highly effective socialization experience which could be completed within a short time frame and utilized low cost materials. The introduction and intensity of each stimulus was tailored to mirror puppy physiological and behavioral
Sample demographics
Six litters were enrolled in the study ranging in size from three to nine puppies. Nineteen puppies received the new socialization program as well as the breeding facility’s standard socialization procedures (10 males and 9 females). Fourteen puppies received the standard socialization procedures only (5 males and 9 females). There were nine Golden Retrievers, 11 Labrador Retrievers, seven Golden Retrievers cross Labrador Retrievers and six Labrador Retriever Golden Retriever crosses in the
Discussion
Studies on very young dogs have been conducted since the 1960s, but robust longitudinal studies are limited. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a newly developed nest socialization program on the behavioral development of puppies. Results showed a significant positive effect of a newly developed nest stimulation program on puppy development which persisted throughout the first eight months of life.
Puppies that received the new socialization program had significantly more
Conclusions
Inadequate nest socialization is a risk factor associated with numerous adult behavioral problems such as anxiety (Appleby and Pluijmakers, 2004, Sherman and Mills, 2008) and aggression (Virányi and Range, 2014). This study has provided practical guidelines for dog breeders and early care givers on simple, effective socialization techniques that have a lasting positive effect on puppy behavior to eight months of age, which is likely to continue into adulthood (Slabbert and Odendaal, 1999,
Conflict of interest
None.
Acknowledgements
Authors are grateful to the Kennel Club Charitable Trust for a generous grant to support the work. Special thanks also to Guide Dogs UK’s’ breeding staff for their continued support and the volunteer dog handlers who completed the PWQ.
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2020, Journal of Veterinary BehaviorCitation Excerpt :Due to the small size and pet dog population in which the living environment was not controlled, we did not analyze obtained sources of participants (e.g., shelter, breeder, or pet shop) in this study. However, the influence of early environment, including maternal care, on stress-related behaviors and cognition is well documented in rodents (Meany et al., 1988; Liu et al., 2000) and somewhat in dogs (Harvey et al., 2016; Bray et al., 2017; Vaterlaws-Whiteside and Hartmann 2017). Thus, an important topic for future study would be to compare the levels of BDNF in a population where we could examine the influence of maternal care and social environment on puppies.