Socialization is a vital aspect of raising a well-adjusted dog. As sweet as your puppy might be, they are likely to develop behavioral problems at some stage without adequate socialization during the vital socialization window of about 6 to 16 weeks.

But what if your dog is already older than the recommended socialization age? What if you have adopted a more mature puppy, rescue dog, or other circumstances prevented it from being socialized? We answer how late is too late to socialize a puppy, and how to best go about it.

Veterinarian Comment

Whether your dog is 9 weeks, or 4 years, it is important that they have appropriate vaccinations under their belt prior to introducing them to other dogs, or even introducing them to highly trafficked dog environments.

Vaccines are a way of providing protection against several different contagious disease including Bordetella, parvovirus, and distemper along with countless others. Your veterinarian will be able to recommend vaccinations based on age and exposure risk.

Dr Marti Dudley

Can a puppy be socialized after 16 weeks? (When the puppy socialization window closes)

Yes, a puppy can be socialized after it is 16 weeks or 4-months of age, but it is far less effective and more difficult. The ideal age for socializing a puppy is between 6 and 16 weeks and this is called the critical socialization period or socialization window.

In essence, the 16-week mark is pretty much the cut-off date for a period in your puppy’s social development. Your puppy’s behavior and perspective on new experiences are still highly malleable during this time.

So exposure to new sights and experiences such as strange dogs, busy marketplaces, or cyclists, for example, works best before the dog turns four months old.

During this period, dogs are most open to learning about what is safe and normal, so they don’t react poorly when they encounter situations out of the norm.

There is some debate regarding the exact cut-off age for the critical socialization period amongst different breeds, with some professionals arguing a 12-week age limit.

Certainly, more reactive or sensitive breeds will need as much early socialization as possible from as young as possible. Either way, the process becomes increasingly challenging as your puppy gets older.

Once the critical socialization period has passed after 4-months of age, your puppy’s view of the world becomes harder to shift. New experiences can seem far more threatening, doubly so if it involves new dogs or people.

You can think of dog socialization as desensitization. The process permanently shapes your puppy’s reality and response to experiences throughout their lives.

Essentially, socialization is teaching a puppy good manners and healthy skills to interact with the outside world. And during the open window, their brains are more malleable and receptive to accepting altered environments.

Proper socialization needs to be a pleasant experience for your dog. Any trauma that your puppy experiences during the process can cause lasting damage and behavioral problems can be permanent.

This is especially true while your puppy is going through fear periods. During these times, a fluttering garbage bag can suddenly seem scary and an unsupervised, negative experience with a bigger dog can cause lifelong fear aggression.

That is why it is always best to take your dog to a professional for socialization classes as early as possible, after their first or second round of vaccines.

It’s also why enrolling your puppy in Petco or PetSmart is a good idea and here is a good comparison between the two.

Would you like to read our post, Why Does My Dog Get up When I Move?

How do I socialize an older puppy?

Socializing your dog after the 8 to 16-week socialization window has closed will be more challenging. However, it is never too late to socialize your dog. On the contrary, a dog will still benefit from socialization at any age.

For an older puppy (after the age of 4-months), you will need to be patient and approach the task slowly and in smaller doses. A puppy under the age of 16 weeks will more readily play with a large group of other puppies. On the other hand, a young dog that has been isolated past the age of four months might be more fearful or even aggressive.

This may depend on factors such as breed and your dog’s individual personality. Some dogs are naturally more open to interaction, while those with a stronger fight or flight response will need more time.

Critical socialization points to remember if your puppy is 16 weeks old

As a pet parent, you need to be relaxed, calm, and confident through older puppy socialization.

If you are anxious about your puppy, this anxiety will transfer to them and they will interpret it as a signal that they should also be afraid, anxious, and possibly aggressive.

Interactions should be brief so that your puppy is not flooded by new stimuli.

Do not let an unsocialized puppy run loose in the dog park and hope for the best. If your puppy is already showing signs that they distrust the outside world, start with very small steps.

Take them to an empty car park and let them out on a leash for five minutes, calmly rewarding often, before leaving.

Steadily increase this exposure to new environments while making sure you have treats and toys to make each new environment a pleasant experience.

Gradually increase exposure to new sounds and people, making sure your puppy is comfortable during every step. Remember to keep sessions short and relaxed, ending on a positive note.

Focus heavily on obedience training with positive reinforcement.

It is vital that your dog understands and reacts to basic commands such as “sit” or “come”. It’s also important that they know how to walk calmly beside you on a leash, and focus their attention on you when you ask for it.

All of this is crucial so that your young dog learns impulse control. Impulse control and good training will help in situations where your puppy is faced with new stimuli, such as a passing bicycle.

In these cases, it is essential that you can draw your dog’s attention back to you, preferably before they react. In fact, you want your puppy to look at you as much as possible, rather than something that could induce stress or excitement.

It also builds trust, communication, and understanding between you and your dog, so that your puppy will be more inclined to look to at you for direction in unfamiliar situations.

While being calm is key, so is controlling every situation until your dog has the coping skills to manage.

Do not let your puppy interact with another dog that does not have advanced social skills themselves. A dominant, overexcited, or reactive dog can do massive damage to your puppy who doesn’t yet understand how to interact with other dogs.

At this point, the most helpful strategy is to find a trainer who can identify and expose your puppy to other dogs who are calm and well-socialized in a controlled setting.

You might like to read our post, What Happens If You Don’t Play With Your Dog or Puppy?

socialize dog after 17 weeks

Is 17 weeks too late to socialize a puppy?

It is never too late to socialize a dog, but the older they get, the more challenging it becomes. Inadequate socialization will most likely already manifest as behavioral problems by 17 weeks.

You may not realize it until your puppy encounters a situation that provokes a fear or aggression response, but the consequences of not socializing before 16 weeks will have already started taking root. That said, it’s better to begin now than wait any longer.

You should expect challenges when your 17-week-old puppy first encounters other dogs. Therefore, you don’t want to overwhelm them. You will need to start socializing your puppy using the same steps outlined in the steps above and be prepared to take it slow.

It is never wise to attempt to socialize your dog by yourself, but a professional trainer is even more important when a puppy has passed sixteen weeks. Incorrect reinforcement will only further embed any issues your dog might already have.

This is especially critical if you have a powerful or strong breed that could be dangerous when fully grown.

Is 18 weeks too late to socialize a puppy?

Even if the key socialization window has passed and your puppy is 18 weeks old, it is still vital to start the socialization process.

The challenges you will face socializing your puppy pile up the longer you wait, and although one can never make up for missing the socialization window, some bigger problems such as fear aggression in unfamiliar territory can be mitigated if you start straight away.

With every passing day that your puppy isn’t socialized, the likelihood of behavioral problems becomes more serious.

This is also true for small breeds, who often aren’t socialized because of their size. Keep in mind that not socializing a small dog can result in a lot more stress for them as they may become fearful and reactive of visitors, or vet visits.

This kind of anxiety can lead to problem behaviors such as excessive barking, hiding, or nipping.

18 weeks is not too old to still prevent a host of problems. Although, at this stage, your puppy may already be deeply uncomfortable in new environments or with other dogs.

By calmly increasing exposure with positive reinforcement, your puppy can still learn to accept the unfamiliar, if not welcome it.

No matter what the age of your dog, a steady, careful process of socialization is necessary so that your dog can be comfortable with the outside world and learn to navigate it safely.

older puppies socialized

Can older puppies be socialized?

There is no age at which socializing a dog isn’t beneficial. However, the challenges increase as behavioral problems take root. A puppy that is older than 4 months and has lacked proper exposure means they also lack the critical early developmental skills they need to learn.

These skills include how to greet and interact with new dogs, how to cope with strangers, busy children, and loud noises, or how to be calm around crowds, traffic, cyclists, other animals, or barking dogs.

In other words, the effects of missing out on socialization during the socialization window can be permanent. But dogs can learn at any age and behaviors can usually be redirected or shifted.

There are definitely many easy-going puppies with open personalities that can be socialized quite easily when they are older, just like there are adult dogs that can become well-adjusted after years of relative isolation.

On the other hand, there are puppies that may become extremely agitated in a new environment. How much extra work it will take to socialize an older puppy depends on the puppy itself.

The additional challenges also mean that the process will require more work. Basic training is important at all stages of a puppy’s development, but now there will be an even greater overlap between training and socialization.

That is because you will need basic training to engage in healthy socialization. For example, commands like ‘sit,’ ‘stay,’ ‘yield’, ‘down‘ will play a crucial role in keeping your puppy in check while they learn to interact with new people and new dogs.

It is also best to keep your older puppy on a leash unless a professional trainer says otherwise and it is a safe environment.

Whatever your puppy’s age, socialization is essential. If you have missed the socialization window, it does make things harder. However, that’s not a reason not to do it.

A badly socialized dog often needs to be withdrawn from the world. They don’t get to go on walks, play with other dogs in a park, or take part in many activities that enrich most dogs’ lives. Their world becomes very small and limited.

As pet parents, we need to do what we can to take the anxiety out of new experiences and open up the world for our puppies as much as we safely can.

If your dog experiences anxiety, here is a list of the best products for anxious dogs.

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Signs that your puppy is poorly socialized

Signs of poorly socialized dog are easy to spot compared to the traits you can expect from a well-socialized one. A well-socialized puppy is a relaxed puppy. They are at ease with meeting new people and pets.

Likewise, new experiences, like going for a walk at a new park, won’t throw a well-socialized puppy into a tizzy. Instead, they will be calm, open, receptive, and will be able to enjoy new experiences.

A poorly socialized puppy will swing the other way altogether. They will be nervous when encountering new animals and people.

Signs of a dog without proper socialization include:

  • Fearful behavior like hiding, shaking, or trying to run away
  • They may also put their tail between their legs, run, or roll onto their back to show their belly
  • Aggression such as snarling, growling, barking, and even biting any newcomers
  • They may also greet new dogs with their tails held high, bodies stiff, and/or hackles raised
  • Leash aggression or reactivity. In extreme cases, you may see leash “tantrums” where dogs become extremely agitated and try to break free of the leash when they encounter another dog or an overwhelming situation.

Broader signs of poor socialization can include:

  • Nervous behavior outside of their property
  • A tendency to be possessive of their owner
  • A tendency to be territorial over property
  • Separation anxiety
  • Noise phobias

Usually, the first sign of a socialization problem will be when the dog interacts with new dogs. But if the issue is severe enough, it will transfer to anything they find overwhelming or over-exciting, such as moving objects, strangers, loud children, or anything unfamiliar.

Final thoughts

While the ideal age to socialize your puppy is between 6 and 16 weeks old, dogs will benefit from socialization at any age.

The problem is that after the critical socialization period or socialization window has passed, problematic behaviors will begin to take hold and proper socialization becomes far more difficult.

Indeed, some problems may never be remedied. For instance, your puppy may never learn to play with other dogs.

Nevertheless, you can still socialize your puppy at 16, 17, & 18 weeks, as any socialization can still greatly improve your puppy’s quality of life and provide them with the skills they need to navigate the world calmly.

They may never want to play with other dogs, but they can be taught to tolerate or at least interact with them. Whatever your puppy’s age, reaching out to a professional to help their socialization is a vital step in their canine life.

You might like to also read our post Puppy Cries in Car (What to do)

Sources

Socialize Puppies Before it is Too Late | PetMD

Puppy Socialization: How to Socialize a Puppy (akc.org)

Socializing your dog | Animal Humane Society

How to Help A Dog That’s Missed Early Socialization (preventivevet.com)