Question
At what age should a puppy start socialising?
What are the best ways to socialise my dog, to make it friendly with other animals and all sorts of people, from children to the elderly?
Answer
Puppies should be socialized as early as possible. A neat thing about puppies is that, when they are younger than roughly 5 months, most other dogs will tolerate a lot more of the behavior which characterizes puppies (overly excited and playful, sometimes rude). This is because dogs tend to sexually mature around 5-6 months.
If you know of other dogs who are older, and who are well-adjusted and you trust them, I would let your dog just be herself around the older ones. The older dogs will correct your puppy if it does something rude or out-of-line, and your pup will "naturally" learn what is and isn't acceptable behavior.
If you don't have access to older dogs like that, a dog park isn't a bad place to start. But beware that people tend to bring their dogs to dog parks without fully knowing how their dog will react. Just a few weeks ago, a friend's 8-month-old pup was viciously attacked by a 2-year-old dog, and the owner's comment was "we're trying to socialize him".
In order for your puppy to grow up to be adept at socialization - both with dogs and humans - it is crucial to expose her as a young pup to many different dogs and humans, in many different situations. Doing so every day isn't out of the ordinary. And as always (especially with puppies), set your dog up for success: don't put her in dangerous situations, or in unknown environments with too many strangers at once. Simply start slow, keep things interesting and fun, and be sure to work on socialization early and often.
Answered By - Steve D