Testing dog socialization

Before you adopt a dog, you must think a lot about what breed to choose.

You also need to make sure that the dog is socialized enough with human being

Imprinting is a way to make sure that a puppy is socialized

Konrad Lorenz was an Austrian zoologist and ethologist who studied geese. He discovered that geese identify themselves to the first individual they see when they pop out of their egg. This behaviour will last for their whole life and cannot be modified.

In dogs,  imprinting consists of making the dog believe that he's a human being. But unlike the goose, dogs imprint with odors. If you or the breeder stay away from the dog without touching them and having the dog smell you, the imprinting won't happen.

Ideally, the imprinting must be started between the 3rd and the 8th week of puppyhood. It is at that moment that a dog will become aware of their species and start exploring the world.

If the imprinting works, the dog won't fear humans and won't be aggressive towards them.

The Campbell test helps you to choose a puppy that best suits your life style

The Campbell test is not adapted for certain breeds, such as the Chow Chow, but it's useful to determine the character of a puppy.

It's composed of 5 exercises, and must be done in a place the puppy doesn't know. The puppy must be 40 to 48 days old. Also, the test must be done by the future owner of the dog.

The test determines if a dog instinctively goes toward the future owner, follows them, the way they react to physical constraint and social domination and their acceptance of being lifted.

According to the results of the test, the puppy will be placed in of these categories :

• dominant and potentially agressive dog
• stubborn dog
• tempered dog with stable temperament
• submissive dog
• very inhibited dog, not socialized enough yet

Photo credit : Yummypets