How to Socialize a Puppy

While housetraining your puppy, one of the most important things is teaching him how to socialize. An unruly puppy normally grows to be an unfriendly dog that other pets and human-beings will want to stay away from. This is the last thing you want.

Therefore, socializing your puppy should be one of your main priorities. Friendly dogs make good companions and don’t feel threatened among unfamiliar people or situations.

Socialization is a process by which puppies learn to interact with other people and animals. The first step in the socialization process is getting your puppy acquainted with members of the family. Imagine your otherwise docile puppy snarling and nipping at family members. Definitely a situation you want to avoid! So first introduce your pup to your family members and close relatives and let him frolic with them on a regular basis.

Don’t be under the misconception that letting your pup interact only with family members is sufficient to socialize him. You may get a rude shock when your friendly pup suddenly bites a child or passerby. Socialization includes coaching your dog to be friendly and tolerant of all people, children and animals that you introduce him to. Socialization is definitely not a start and stop process. It should continue throughout your pet’s lifetime.

Visits to the vet during your pet’s lifetime are inevitable. If your puppy is not used to being handled, a visit to the vet may provoke unnaturally unfriendly behavior in your dog. To avoid this, you must get your dog accustomed to being handled. You can begin by handling your pup yourself to familiarize him with being poked and prodded. The best time to do this is when your pup is being fed. Put him on a leash and begin by touching and examining his mouth, ears, toes, back, head etc. For each new part that you examine, feed him a tasty morsel of food. Proceed very slowly and steadily and give your pup a few treats. All you need to do is set aside 5 minutes each day to handle your dog. This way your pet will not be resistant to grooming, getting his nails clipped and his ears cleaned. And moreover, he will not be alarmed when a vet tries to perform a routine check-up.

Another way to socialize your puppy is by hosting a party and inviting friends, neighbors, relatives and children. It should preferably be a mixed group that includes men, women and children. This way your pup will get used to interacting and being handled by all kinds of people. You can allow these people to feed your pup and handle him gently. Over time, you can gradually begin teaching your pup to also tolerate a little rough handling.

Socializing with other animals has to be done once your dog is three months old and through with all his shots. Interacting with other animals especially dogs is of great importance. An easy way out is to enroll your pup with a puppy class. You should also walk your dog on a route where he will likely come across other dogs. You may want to get your dog familiar with other animals like cats, cattle and horses. In this case you have to teach him to obey you whether you are in the close proximity of other animals or not.

Besides this, you also have to get your puppy trained to be comfortable in different types of surroundings. So take your pup everywhere with you whenever possible: to the supermarket, the park, for a ride in your car etc.

Socializing your puppy is the best thing you can do for yourself as well as your little pet. A well-behaved and friendly pooch is a joy to be around.