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Wondering how to socialize your puppy? Getting a new furry member of the family is always an exciting time. But there are lots of things to consider when adopting a new puppy, including training for obedience and socialization.
Socializing your puppy from an early age is incredibly important. Not only because we want our fur babies to play nice with others in general, but, if you already have other animals or children in your household, encouraging happy and healthy relations with those on both two and four legs is a must.
In this article, we’ll look in-depth at how to socialize your canine, including:
- Why socialize your puppy?
- When should you start socializing your puppy?
- Puppy socializing classes
- Why shy puppies need more help
- Never force a scared puppy
- Protect your puppy’s health while socializing
- How to socialize an older dog
Why socialize your puppy?
If you’re thinking about getting a dog, you probably know that they can be great companions. They provide unconditional love, make us smile, and help keep us active and fit. But did you know that having a well-socialized puppy can also improve your health and happiness?
Having a well-trained, obedient canine companion has been shown to reduce stress levels, lower blood pressure, and even increase life expectancy. It may not sound like much, but it’s still worth doing!
So what exactly does “well-socialized” mean? Well, it means that your pup can behave and be friendly around others. Remember that new things can be scary, which often presents itself as aggression in dogs. Therefore, if your pupster is not exposed to other canines, smaller animals such as cats, and even children, they can become aggressive around them in later life.
It is important to remember that socializing doesn’t just mean people and pets. Dogs can develop bad habits such as aggression in moments of fear around unfamiliar objects, such as a vacuum cleaner, different kinds of noises, and unfamiliar people like your friendly neighborhood postman.
Pet owners who don’t create positive experiences in those first few months of life with a variety of situations, can see unwanted behaviors continue as their puppies grow into adult dogs.
When should you start socializing your puppy?
Socializing your puppy as early as possible is the ideal scenario for success. However, they should have some obedience training and know basic commands such as sit, stay, down, come, and fetch. This helps them learn good manners and makes them more likely to behave appropriately around people and other pets.
It is a lot easier to be in control of a situation where you are introducing your pup to new environments if he can understand and obey simple commands.
Puppy socialization window
The ideal age to socialize your puppy is between 8 and 16 weeks. This crucial socialization window in a puppy’s life might influence how they will act like adults when interacting with new people, locations, dogs, and events. During this essential period, it’s critical to safely expose your puppy to as many various sights, sounds, smells, and experiences as possible without overwhelming them.
The earlier you start, the better chance your dog has of reviving adequate socialization. If you wait until after this window, your puppy will most likely find it far more difficult and may have already developed unwanted behaviors.
This is why it is so important to introduce your puppy to new situations at a young age. As long as you do this gradually, your pup will get used to different things without any major issues.
Is 6 months too old to start socializing a puppy?
Although in an ideal world we would like to socialize a puppy as early as possible, don’t worry if you decide to bring home a slightly older puppy or a rescue. There are plenty of ways to introduce him to new situations without causing any problems. For example, you could take him to meet friends and neighbors, let him explore his yard, and expose him to different sights and sounds.
The key is always to introduce him to new situations and environments without causing any stress so that he doesn’t create negative associations with certain things or situations. Although this is easier the earlier you start, it is possible at any age, it simply takes more time, effort, and patience.
Puppy socialization classes
If you want to ensure that your puppy gets off on the right foot when meeting new people and places, then you need to enroll him in puppy socialization classes. These classes teach your puppy how to interact with people and other pets. They also teach him how to follow basic commands and learn appropriate behavior.
Quite often, puppy socialization classes are unstructured rather than actual training sessions, but rather give your new family member the opportunity to meet other pups and people in an enclosed, safe space.
Remembering that everyone is there for the same reason, participants know and understand that there can be occasions where a less socialized puppy may behave poorly or even dangerously. But with this controlled environment, there will always be a trainer on hand who can assist and may even leash a puppy for aggressive behaviors like excessively rough playing or biting. Trainers are also experienced in canine body language and can spot a potentially dangerous situation before it happens.
Working with a trainer means you will also get individualized advice if your dog presents with any particular issues that need more than just socialization experiences. For example, if your puppy is showing signs of discomfort, such as excessive panting, they may recommend additional training.
Expose your puppy to different sounds, scents, surfaces, and objects
This way, he’ll become accustomed to all kinds of stimuli while still being able to recognize them later on. You might try taking him to visit a vet’s office or pet store, letting him sniff around some plants, or bringing him to a park.
It’s best to keep your puppy away from extremely loud noises like fireworks or sirens because these can frighten him. However, you should make sure that you’re still exposing him to some loud noises, such as the vacuum cleaner.
Create positive associations
When introducing your puppy to new people, places, and things, remember to remain calm and patient. It is very easy to become frustrated and angry when dealing with a scared puppy.
Instead, try to stay positive and reassuring while encouraging him to relax. Reward your puppy with praise and lots of treats when he displays wanted behaviors.
Involve the family
It’s important to involve your entire family in the socialization process. If you have children, they can help out by teaching your puppy manners and helping him adjust to new situations. And don’t forget about your partner! He or she can take over some of the responsibilities of socializing your puppy. This makes the whole experience much more fun for both of you.
Introduce your puppy to new people
As soon as your puppy arrives home, introduce him to his new pack members. Make sure you do so slowly and calmly, allowing him time to warm up to each person.
Start by giving him a few minutes alone with just you and your partner. Then, gradually move on to introducing him to the rest of the household. Start with a few short interactions, such as petting and playtime. As your puppy gets older, you can begin to teach him how to interact appropriately with others.
Start with a small group of friends
If possible, start off with a small group of friends and gradually expand your circle once your puppy has gotten used to interacting with a variety of people.
How do I socialize my puppy with other dogs?
Dogs are naturally curious creatures, so it’s natural for puppies to want to explore their surroundings and meet new dogs. That said, you don’t want to expose your puppy to too many unfamiliar animals at once. Start slowly and gradually introduce your puppy to other dogs.
It is best to start by introducing your pup to his doggy cousins! So if you have close friends or family members with other dogs, take your pup to visit them or go on a short 10-minute walk together. Only introduce your puppy to dogs that you know are friendly and gentle with puppies.
Once he has some social experience with other pups, you can start introducing him to new furry friends. Once your puppy is fully vaccinated, start by visiting local dog parks or going to public events where there are plenty of other dogs present. Make sure to supervise your puppy closely during his first few visits and keep him leashed in unfamiliar and open spaces.
Remember to keep an eye out for canine body language (on both your own dog and other peoples’) to anticipate a possible issue before it happens. Especially when it comes to strangers, poor interaction between pooches can lead to a bad experience for you as the owner, as this may spark an argument or aggression from another doggy parent.
Shy puppies need more help
The most common reason why shy puppies fail to learn basic training is that they lack confidence. When a young puppy is afraid, he will not be able to focus on what you’re trying to teach him, which means that he won’t understand what you’re saying. In order to overcome your puppy’s fear, you need to build his confidence.
Oftentimes, with young puppies, it is a case of sensory overload. Not only is your pup being introduced to a wide variety of stimuli, such as sights and smells, but sudden noises, weird animals, and even unusual surfaces.
Try and take things one step at a time if your puppy seems particularly sensitive and if things do not seem to get better with time and practice, you may want to consider consulting a behavior specialist.
Never force a scared puppy
It is also important not to force your puppy into situations that scare him. If he becomes stressed out, he may bite or lash out. In such cases, it is best to back away slowly and calmly.
Pro tip: If your puppy seems hesitant about a new person, animal, or situation, let him sit back at a “safe” distance and observe. This can help him then feel more comfortable with gradually moving closer. You can also bring along a calm and confident dog to be the puppy’s buddy, as many puppies are braver when following an adult dog that they trust.
Protect your puppy’s health while socializing
As mentioned earlier, it is very important to ensure that your puppy does not become overstimulated while socializing. This includes keeping him safe around strange objects, loud sounds, and other potentially dangerous items.
Make sure to keep all sharp objects like scissors and knives well out of reach. You should also make sure that your puppy does not chew on any toys or furniture.
Also ensuring your puppy is fully immunized before playing with other dogs is incredibly important. An infectious disease like the parvovirus can mean death for dogs, so being fully vaccinated before potentially coming into contact with any infected pooch is a priority.
Avoid areas that lots of other dogs frequent until your puppy has been fully vaccinated.
How to socialize an older dog
Retraining an adult dog who has had inadequate socialization is hard work but can be done.
Quite often, older dogs, such as rescues, have behavior issues. It is important to remember that 99.9% of the time, these issues are down to poor training or neglect by a past owner and not the dog itself.
Although it may take significantly more time and patience, even the most disobedient dog can often become a perfectly behaved canine companion.
Dealing with leash aggression
If you have a leash-aggressive dog, there are several ways in which you can try to curb his aggressive tendencies.
First, try to avoid walking your dog in an area with lots of other dogs. Instead, enlist the help of a friend with a calm, non-reactive dog to go for parallel walks, starting far apart and then getting closer as your dog relaxes.
Second, try to give your dog plenty of exercise and mental stimulation. Exercise releases endorphins, which act as natural painkillers. Mental stimulation can help reduce stress levels and increase happiness, but also, dogs are less likely to listen when they are full of energy.
Third, always reward good behavior. Even if it is the smallest of things. So if your dog has a few seconds where he doesn’t tug or act aggressively with the leash, offer praise and a treat. This will start to create positive associations with the leash, replacing any former negative ones.
Fourth, teach your dog alternative behaviors that encourage him to focus on you. A really robust sit, hand touch, or even a stationary trick like high five gives you something to ask your dog to do when you see a trigger to keep his attention on you. And then you can praise for a job well done!
Don’t punish fearful behavior
Fearful dogs tend to bark excessively and may even attack their owners. When this happens, it is important to understand why your dog is fearful and then find ways to alleviate those fears.
The first thing to do is to make sure that your dog isn’t suffering from separation anxiety. Dogs who suffer from this condition will usually display signs of fear and aggression when left alone.
Next, you need to determine whether your dog is afraid of something specific. This could be a certain noise or item. Try, like with all training, to break this by building positive associations.
Keys on good puppy socialization
Socializing your puppy early is key to having a happy, healthy dog that plays well with others.
Remember, socialization takes time and patience. Reward your pup with positive feedback and you will have a well adjusted dog.