5 Ways to Socialize Your Puppy

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     Puppy socialization is vital when you bring your new little bundle home for many reasons. First, it teaches them not to fear other animals, people, and strange noises. Remember, when you first bring your puppy home, everything is new, so for the first week or so, do not initialize socialization and instead get him or her accustomed to their new surroundings and work on getting the potty training down. Once you have successfully acclimated your puppy, then it is time to begin socializing him or her.

First off, you want to make sure your puppy is fully vaccinated before you take them to meet other dogs or take them to a puppy park because their systems are very delicate and it takes the full round of vaccinations to get them to the point that their immune systems are strong, then you can safely take the puppy out and not have to worry about any of the common puppyhood diseases.

There are certain things you should do in order to socialize your puppy, this includes inviting lots of different people over to your home. This exposes your puppy to different smells, different voices, and the difference between men and women, since dogs know the difference between the two. In addition, make sure you invite some children over because you want you puppy to get used to being around children of all ages.

If you know some healthy dogs that are gentle and well-trained, have them come over to play with your new puppy because this will expose them to different dogs, you can also take your puppy to other people's home that have well-mannered dogs so that he or she can get used to being around other animals, which is a huge part of the socialization process.

Once your puppy is inoculated, take him or her to parks, rides in the car, school playgrounds and other places where there are lots of people. This gets your dog accustomed to being around lots of different people and therefore, helps in the socialization process. Moreover, you will want to introduce your new pup to different noises and sounds because this will desensitize them to different noises early on, he or she will not be startled when they hear strange noises as they reach adulthood.

Along with socialization come some aspects you should not do, which includes rewarding your puppy when he is fearful. For instance, you take your puppy out, and he or she is frightened of something, so you want to soothe them and you offer them a treat and allow them to sit in your lap, unknowingly, you just reinforced that the puppy truly had something to be frightened of.

In addition, do not overload your puppy too quickly. In other words, if you puppy is fearful of the playground with a few children, don't rush him off to a crowded park. Some puppies are naturally more cautious and that is okay, go at your pup's pace and do not force a situation on them when they are clearly not ready for it.