What Does It Mean To Socialize A Puppy

Bringing a new puppy into your home is quite the adjustment! Between developing a new routine, potty training, naps, and playtime – it’s important to work in socialization. By working with your puppy to socialize them, you’re serving as their guide to a new world. With your help, your puppy with begin to learn how to connect with humans and other dogs. Meanwhile, they’re acclimating to new sensory information from different environments. Exposing the puppy to new sights and sounds of daily life!
It’s important that socialization is handled with care. When it’s done in a gentle and positive way, your puppy will grow into a calm, and confident companion. Socializing helps your puppy to learn the “rules” of different environments and interactions with people and dogs they encounter throughout their lives.

3 Key Areas of Socialization

• Dogs- Puppies learn a lot of their social skills from their mom and littermates. Because of that, puppies should stay with their pack until they’re at least 8 weeks old but ideally 12 to 16 weeks. Then, puppy socialization classes can be introduced to help reinforce what they’ve learned.
• Humans- Be sure to provide many positive encounters with a variety of people, in different environments and types of dress.
• Environments- Taking your puppy outside to experience the different sights, smells, sounds, textures as well as any environments you want them to view positively throughout their lives.

Trust the Professionals

Dogs come in all sorts of temperaments, personalities, and abilities. Always constant a professional trainer if you are having difficulty training your dog. Early intervention is key to lifelong success for you and your pup. Contact Puppy Play and Stay to set up training or get information about boarding, daycare, and grooming.