You.
Yes, YOU.
I saw your fingerprints on this once again this morning:
Me: Have you been socializing your dog?
Them: Not yet, he's still too young. I was told by my veterinarian to wait until he has his last set of vaccines.
If you are that vet, time to retire. Or get some education. Even your own national associations disagree with this advice. You are responsible for the countless dogs that have grown up to be afraid of other dogs and people, afraid of going places and doing normal thing, needing to be put through extensive behavior modification programs (often done in harsh and incorrect ways) and becoming dependent on behavior modifying drugs. Responsible for many dogs being given up to shelters, in dog fights, bite cases, and dogs being put down.
The effects of socialization have been well proven since John Paul Scott and John L. Fuller conducted their landmark, 20-year dog behavior study, “Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog”, at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, between the mid-1940s and 1965. The results were published in their book of the same name in 1965.
That’s 60 years ago.
I’m done with this. And responsible vets should be, as well.
Police your own. I shouldn’t have to be telling you this.
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