101 Ideas for Puppy Socialization
Mar.19, 2010 in
New Puppy
Well, after having a new puppy in my life for a few weeks, I thought I would post my 101 ideas for socialization. Feel free to add yours! The point of all of these are to introduce your dog in a positive way to anything they may encounter in their lives.
- A large dog
- A small dog
- A fluffy dog (ever seen a dog freak out at a newfie?)
- Kids
- Babies
- Bikes
- Skateboards
- Boxes
- Agility Tunnels
- Wire crates
- Airline crates
- Lawn Mower
- Leaf Blower
- School buses
- Garbage trucks
- Kids in helmets
- People in large coats
- People with disabilities
- Wheelchairs
- Sliding opening doors
- Mirrors
- Men with beards
- People wearing baseball hats and glasses
- Fireworks (carefully people!)
- Gunfire – especially if you want to hunt your dog, again, CAREFULLY!
- Gravel
- Grass
- Pet Stores
- Dog Parks
- Swings
- Slides
- Stairs
- Deck material
- Water (safely)
- Bath tubs
- Balloons
- Bubble Wrap
- Eat out of Plastic bowls
- Eat out of ceramic bowls
- The vets office
- The vet
- Training facility
- Sand
- The beach
- Different types of brushes
- A friends house
- Elevators
- Joggers
- Cats
- Farm animals
- Party hats
- Harnesses
- Different types of leashes
- Gentle leader ( I think every dog should learn to wear one – its good for handling their faces)
- Nail clippers
- Dremel
- Dog day care – every puppy should go once or twice
- Being held by a stranger
- Having a friend hold their lead while you walk away
- Shopping carts
- Little shopping carts (that kids can push)
- Hair dryer
- Remote control cars
- Baby toys
- Toys that make noise
- Different shapes of toys
- Kongs
- Rope toys
- Tags on their collar
- Socks on their feet
- Bandanna around their neck
- Visit to the groomer
- Touching their teeth
- Rubbing their gums
- Brushing their teeth
- Walk by a barking dog (always reward your puppy for being quiet!)
- Wobble board
- Weave poles
- Go under a table
- Go under a chair
- Eat from a buster cube
- Eat from a tug a jug
- Pop some balloons
- Have their ears cleaned with baby wipes or tissues (carefully)
- Kids in costumes
- Doorbell ringing (ignore the puppy early on so they dont get doorbell barky for attention!)
- A pizza person
- A mail person
- A UPS person
- Vacuum cleaner
- A large broom
- Short jumps
- Go under a bar of some kind
- Kids running and screaming
- Kids playing a sport
- Honking cars
- Car alarms
- Standing on tables (like at the vets office)
- Elderly People
- Someone with a “different” voice
- Girls wearing long flowy dresses

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