Positive Dog Training Blog

Whenever  I talk about socialization, many people always assume  I  mean  with other dogs and people.  Socialize actually means introducing to something new.  With young puppies the old theory was to keep them in the house until they were 6 months old.  Then it became don’t take them out until they are fully vaccinated at 4 months. 

We now know that is not true, and its a mistake.  The fear period begins around 16 weeks of age,so the most important time to socialize is from 10-16 weeks.  Does this mean you should take your dog to the dog park to play? Absolutely not!  But here are some new puppy socialization ideas that are safe.

Sitting  outside a coffee shop on a Saturday morning.  Its buzzing with different types of people and kids.  In order to make this productive, bring some of your dogs food and of course a  hungry puppy.  As people walk by, offer a piece of food for brave behavior.  Even if that means laying down and looking at them.  Don’t worry about keeping your pups attention, that isn’t  the goal here. If people want to pet your puppy, ask them to give him a piece of food first, followed by some good old fashioned puppy loving.

If you need to stand on your puppies leash so he doesn’t jump, that’s ok.  Try not to correct your puppy for anything, just manage his behavior so he is good.  Prevention is the key!

Another great place to go is outside a grocery store.  Think of all those noises,  cars, grocery carts,big bags…its socialization heaven. Try to venture out to a few different places a week, keeping safety in mind.

Happy puppy training!

Share on Facebook

Digg

Stumble Upon

Del.icio.us

Buzz