|
|
How To Introduce Your Puppy To The World
Socializing your puppy is an important step in helping him find
his place in the world of people and other dogs.
A puppy naturally begins socializing within the litter. But once
he's removed from the litter, it's vital the socialization
process continues in his new environment.
You want your puppy to grow up confident and comfortable in his
surroundings. Able to meet strangers without cowering. Playful
and interactive with new dogs. Never aggressive when
encountering an unfamiliar situation.
Introducing Your Puppy To New People
Your puppy is going to grow up in a world full of people.
Interaction is a natural part of that world. Whether it's the
kids next door peeking over the fence. Or the UPS deliveryman
standing in the front doorway. Or friends who have come to
visit.
You want your puppy to enjoy these encounters and take them all
in stride.
By exposing him to as many different people as possible while
he's still between 6 and 12 weeks of age you can help him
socialize.
Invite friends or neighbors over to meet your new puppy. Have
them kneel down to his level and offer him a favorite dog
biscuit. Make sure they don't use any sudden movements that
might frighten him. And make sure your puppy receives praise for
accepting the snack. This will help discourage shyness and fear.
Take him for walks to the park or the pet store or about the
neighborhood, where he can meet new people. If strangers ask to
pet him, make sure you praise your puppy for his good behavior
and for remaining calm.
Take him to obedience classes, where he'll be around other dogs
and people. If your puppy appears to panic in the midst of all
the activity, don't force the issue. You can always try again
later. But make sure you don't reassure him if he's fearful,
either. This will only reinforce the behavior.
Basically, you want to take advantage of every opportunity to
expose your puppy to new people. Each new experience will
contribute to his growing confidence.
Introducing Your Puppy To New Dogs
A puppy first learns to socialize with his siblings. This
interaction helps him learn to inhibit his biting and develop
self-control. It also helps your puppy to expend all that puppy
energy, making him much less hyperactive and destructive around
the house.
So what can you do to help him after he's left the litter?
Puppy kindergarten and puppy training are both good ways to keep
him interacting with other dogs. A local puppy socialization
class is also a good choice. Or you might try heading down to
your nearest dog park, which is always a great place to exercise
your puppy while he meets other dogs.
All of these outings should be fun, without any pressure on your
puppy to perform. Let him interact with the other dogs at his
own leisure.
If none of those work for you, see if you can find a doggy day
care service in your area. You can drop your puppy off on your
way to work and let him spend the day playing and interacting
with other dogs until you pick him up on your way home. Once a
week is fine. More often if you'd like.
Finally, if you already have an older dog in the house, often
he'll provide all the play and guidance your new puppy needs.
Introducing Your Puppy To New Situations
The modern world is full of stimuli for a puppy. There are car
trips, televisions, vacuum cleaners, door bells, crying babies,
fireworks, trips to the vet, music and hundreds of other new
experiences.
Expose your puppy to as many of these situations as possible.
The more, the better.
As before, however, don't push him into these experiences. Let
him deal with them at his leisure. And when he reacts with fear,
don't give him the wrong message by comforting him. This only
reinforces his fear and will make it more difficult for him to
deal with other new situations.
Socializing your puppy should be a fun process. Keep after it
diligently, and you'll have a calm, confident, and friendly
family companion.
About the author:
David Silva is the webmaster of Dog Training Unlimited. Visit us
at:
href="http://dogtrainingunlimited.com">http://dogtrainingunlimited.com
Learn about...
Your Dog Will Thank You If You Read These Doggie Diet Tips
Although it was once common practice to feed dogs whateverscrapes came from the dinner table, today we realize that thereis much more to feeding an animal than we thought. It isimportant to give them foods that will provide them with ahealthy life and a long one too. In fact, there are a number o. . .
|
