What is the best age to socialize a dog?

The greatest window of learning in a dog’s life starts around 3 weeks of age and closes between 16 and 20 weeks. This period allows puppies to be exposed to a wide variety of sights, sounds, smells, and sensations without becoming fearful. Puppies who miss out on these experiences may never learn to be comfortable around unfamiliar things, paving the way for anxiety, fear, and aggression later on in life. Young puppies should be cuddled and handled daily by as many different people as possible. Introduce your puppy to several new people every day, keeping the interactions pleasant and unthreatening. Note that while puppies under five months tend to explore the world with their mouths, dogs past this age are considered adolescents and should no longer be play biting.

The socialization period closes 12 weeks. Generally, the earlier you begin to socialize a dog, the better. Ideally socializing your puppy when they’re still within the impressionable stage is best but you’re not necessarily too late either. It’s never too late to socialize an adult dog. If we’re talking about dogs over 6-7 months you’ve missed the critical time period when puppies are most impressionable. Socializing an older dog is much like training a younger dog, but usually with more patience and encouragement required. The most important things to remember are to go at your dog’s pace and keep things positive. So while it’s best for your furry pal to learn social skills early on, it's never too late to teach an old dog new tricks.