The Socialization of JayDee

I was very pleased with the start of JayDee’s socialization! I was trying to adhere to Ian Dunbar’s concept of introducing JayDee to 25 new people and 5 new dogs each week while the pup was between 8 and 12 weeks old. Including the five people in the breeding household of Harborview Goldens in Erie, we ended Friday with a total of 15 people signing JayDee’s Friends Book. On Saturday we added 5 more new people and 1 dog. And Sunday we added another 3 new people.

I could have but didn’t count even 2 more that day. We had two guests from England who stayed with us for two weeks and our Pastors took them out for lunch. When the Pastors brought our guests back to our house, we invited the Pastors to say “hello” to JayDee. Because the Pastors were both dressed in white outfits, outfits that they usually wear only once or twice during the summer, I didn’t want JayDee to soil them. I did demonstrate the “Sits”. I told Pastor Wayne that if he used a clicker, perhaps some of the congregants could be helped! (He said he wished it could be that easy!) Like I said, I could have included the Pastors in the socialization count, but did not.

George and Mary Lu Way are neighbors down the street. They have a sign near their front door: “Dog Lovers Live Here”. Years back they had a beloved beagle, Belle. Now they had two rescues, Penny, a 13 year-old Pekinese (a bit feisty), and Bree, a 2 year-old Shiatsu (very pleasant, but a bit timid). So one evening during JayDee’s first week with us, I took her to meet the Way’s. Mary Lu wanted to know “what in the world are you doing with a puppy?” When I told her the story she was beaming. She welcomed us anew, as another dog lover living in her neighborhood!

She kept Penny in the house, but she brought Bree out. It quickly became evident that Bree was a bit overwhelmed by the very playful JayDee. During the conversation, I mentioned that socializing the pup to people was not going to be a problem, but finding 25 dogs over a one month period looked like a steeper hill to climb.

By the end of the first week I had managed to have JayDee meet 1 child, 2 youths, 11 teenagers, and 30 adults. That totaled 44 people, 27 were females and 17 were males. JayDee had met only 2 dogs, so although I was running ahead of schedule for the people, the number of dog interactions was running behind.

The following Saturday, Mary Lu drove up to our house, and brought Milli, a full grown, female Golden retriever to meet JayDee! Mary Lu was dog sitting her pastor’s dog and thought Milli  and JayDee would be a good mix! Some people are amazing!

Several hours later, Mary Lu came again, this time she brought Fluffy, a 2 year-old male Shiatsu/Poodle mix (would that mean that Fluffy was a Shiat-Poo? Careful there, careful.). Mary Lu felt that Milli had not been playful enough! I asked Mary Lu if she was dog-napping for my benefit, and she assured me that Fluffy’s owners were aware, if not totally comfortable with her plans and purposes. Obviously, Mary Lu is not one to take “No” for an answer. As always, at least according to Mary Lu, she was right, because Fluffy was a wonderful match for JayDee. They romped and played and it was a joy to watch. I am in awe of those folks who are willing to go above and beyond the call.

The next day was a picnic to jointly honor two ladies from our church who had recently turned fifty. Of course I brought JayDee; how could I bypass the opportunity to have so many people at my disposal and not take advantage of it! Most of the picnic people came over to say hello to her and my people socialization totals more than doubled during that two hours alone. JayDee was typically Golden – loving everybody, but I think we wore her out! The next day was a sleepy puppy day.

Later that week I invited a family to come over and meet the pup and that put my people totals exactly at 100 people but only 6 dogs.

By the end of JayDee’s first full month with us, I could say that the socialization with people has been going great. On the basis that you obtain the pup at 8 weeks of age, Ian Dunbar recommends at least 100 new people and 25 new dogs within the first month. JayDee met 7 children 9 youths, 24 teenagers, and 82 adults for a total of 122 people. 67 were female and 55 were male. On the dog tally, we didn’t make it to halfway. JayDee only met 10 dogs, but with her immunity building and puppy kindergarten starting within the week, I knew that we would achieve and surpass the doggie requirements in short order. 
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