Puppy Socialization

Puppy socialization is an important part of training. Exposing the puppy to different sights and sounds while helping the dog associate the exposure with a positive emotional response helps the pup learn about their world while being with their trusted human. It is not only important for the dog to see the things, but to associate them with happy or neutral feelings instead of feelings of fear, anxiety or stress. 

When socializing the puppy, it is important to not force the dog to face the object but encourage them to sniff and explore around the object and rewarding for good behavior. Remember not to take the puppy out for socializing until your veterinarian has administered the required vaccinations. 

Here are some people, places, and things to explore with your puppy (keeping safety in mind such as permission, leash-controlled, and being aware of your surroundings, never leaving the dog unattended and have high value treats ready to go):

• People with beards, hats, sunglasses, bags, umbrellas, helmets, bikes, wheelchairs, canes/walkers, shopping carts, uniforms, motorcycles, bulky clothing (such as winter coats, scarves, overalls), high pitched voices, deep voices, and even cheering for teams.
• Things like elevators, stairs, drive-through windows, automatic doors, kites, balloons, tractors, playgrounds, inclined surfaces, sprinklers, and fencing. 
• Sounds like trains, nail grinders, vacuums (don't chase them with it), blenders, microwave beeping, blow dryers, drills and hammering sounds, garage door sounds, doorbell sounds (great time to reinforce place training), bells, babies crying (keep the dog safely away from the baby), lawn mower, leaf blowers, sirens, trucks (garbage, fire trucks, worker trucks), school buses, and smoke detectors. 
• Meet and greet with policemen, cats (supervised, vaccinated and not around food), ethnic groups, mailmen (with their permission), crossing guards, and drive-through workers. 
• Surfaces such as linoleum, cobblestone, gravel, brick pavers, tall grass, running water (talk to your veterinarian to see if vaccinating for Leptospirosis is necessary), mud, sand, tile, tin foil, and plastic tarps. 

For further assistance with socialization, talk to your veterinarian or trainer knowledgeable in positive reinforcement.