Harley is 12 weeks and I am working on getting him socialized with people/kids as much as possible because we plan on having kids soon and I want him to at least be familiar of their existence lol. This will be my 5th week of owning him and our first husky. As far as I know he didn’t get a chance to meet to many new people before and I don’t know what his living conditions were like.

I have noticed that he is skittish of new people, always backs away from them. Part of it is I think he doesn’t like being pet on the head by new people and that is ALWAYS where they try. He loves being pet met and kissed by me and my husband though. Sometimes with strangers he will warm up and accept petting but he always come back to me (he is a moma's boy). I never force interaction since he feels he can be safe by standing behind me. He has never growled or anything. I have been giving treats/dogfood to friends as they meet him so that he learns that new people mean good things - but I was curious if there is anything else I could be doing to let him know no one is going to hurt him?

Also – with kids. He is very hesitant. I am assuming because of the nature of kids (loud, weird, jerky). He does okay, but every now and then he will just start barking at them and will back away if they are near…. Example, my nephew (4yr) met him this past weekend and all was good until about an hour later when he got out of the pool. He had a towel around his shoulders and was just walking by and Harley started barking at him. I leashed him and distracted him until he was fine again. It was just a weird mood slip triggered by the weird shape of the towel, but we kept him pretty much on leash for the rest of the night as I didn’t want any accidents or situations I wouldn’t know how to correct (barking, growling, ect)

I read all the threads found by searching “kids” and they were pretty helpful. We start puppy training class as soon as he finishes his shots. If anyone could give me some socialization tips (or point me to certain threads) it would be much appreciated   

Thanks!  

sounds like an average puppy to me! You're doing a great job! The best thing you can do is take him everywhere with you, but don't force him to interact with people- which it sounds like you're doing. He sounds like a pretty typical puppy, so I wouldn't over analyze his behavior just yet Puppy classes will probably be very helpful for him!

I guess I am just a worried moma lol I want to make sure he is happy and healthy and friendly
Thanks for your reassurance    

It's great that you're taking the initiative to introduce your puppy to as many positive experiences with all types of people this early in his life. The first 14 to 16 weeks in a puppy's life are the most crucial for developing positive impressions about the world (people, animals, etc.). After that window closes, it's still possible but much more difficult to condition a dog this way.

Sounds like you're already doing a great job; just make sure that each and every interaction with people is 100 percent positive. If the puppy seems hesitant or shy, back off and take it slow. Once the puppy demonstrates confidence and seems more comfortable in the situation, you can take it to the next level, i.e. petting on his head.

Also, lots of socialization can happen just by sitting with the puppy and having him observe his surroundings. Just make sure the puppy always comes away from every situation with a positive impression. Go to a park and sit on a bench with the puppy and let him observe. Feed him treats when he shows confident and relaxed body language. People will naturally come up to you wanting to pet the puppy. Watch your puppy's reaction to them closely and feed him treats when he responds with confidence. You can even have strangers feed him treats as they greet him.

Keep up the great work!

One suggestion if you aren't already is get like hot dogs or chicken or even steak for children for meeting strangers make them the only time he gets the best and his favorite treats. My boy is six months old and he loves kids because of what we did with him when he was little. Honestly now we have to work on getting him to leave kids alone they are his favorite people to meet.

LOL thanks! Those are great suggestions