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| Cooperative Paws llc
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Puppy training with a focus on owner education. Serving residents of Northern Virginia (Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax), Maryland (Bethesda, Chevy Chase), Washington DC |
Puppy Socialization Tips
New puppies are so exciting! Not only are they adorable, but this is an important time for socialization and also a great time to get started with training. A reward based puppy trainer uses treats, toys and other "fun stuff" to get desired behaviors so even young pups can get started learning basics like sit, down, and coming when called.
However, many well-intentioned dog owners do not realize that they waited too long on getting started with socialization. Did you know that most veterinarians, trainers, behavior consultants and certified behaviorists emphasize the importance of socialization before the pup is just 3 months old! Adequate socialization can help prevent many behavior problems such as shyness, aggression, fears and phobias as well as behavior problems caused by anxiety.
Your puppy needs to meet people of all different shapes, sizes, ages and ethnic backgrounds. All these experiences need to be fun! That's easy to do, simply have many different people give your puppy a delicious and healthy treat. Use small nutritious treats the size of a pea or even your puppy's own food as a reward. Be sure to read Dr. Ian Dunbar's excellent information on puppies online.
Socialization includes not only the opportunity to meet many people, but also many dogs of different breeds, shapes and sizes, and experience different environments. Just because your puppy lives with another dog does not mean your puppy is sufficiently socialized to dogs. Please do not take your young puppy to a dog park! Dogs at dog parks can have great temperaments or terrible ones and a bad experience now will have lasting ramifications. If you schedule private lessons with our trainer, we are able to provide opportunities for socialization of your young puppy with our own gentle, well-socialized dogs and we can provide recommendations for additional socialization opportunities.
Your puppy also needs to have opportunities to explore urban settings and suburban and rural settings. This is especially important for people living in Northern Virginia and Washington DC area because there are many different kinds of environments relatively close together. If you dream of a dog that you can take hiking at Great Falls, for leisurely walks in suburban Fairfax, and will lie politely by your side while you enjoy lunch outdoors in Old Town Alexandria, you need to prepare your puppy for these very different environments now.
Please remember, you can overwhelm a puppy and create the very behavior problems you hoped to prevent. Early experiences need to be fun for your puppy. You should never force a fearful puppy to "face her fears." That will not only teach your puppy that the world is scary, but she also will learn not to trust you! If your puppy becomes afraid stop, and wait a few moments to see if she recovers on her own. If she remains very afraid remove her from the situation. Often times, pups outgrow their fears as long as you do not do anything to make it worse.
If your veterinarian tells you not to allow your puppy to meet other dogs until he has all his vaccinations, please show your veterinarian the following:
- American Veterinary Society for Animal Behavior position statement on the importance of socializing puppies before they are fully vaccinated
- Dr. RK Anderson's open letter to veterinarians on the importance of early puppy socialization
- Purdue University veterinarians' letter on vaccination and puppy classes
The importance of preventing behavior problems by appropriate socialization and reward based training cannot be overstated. Contact us to schedule a consultation so our puppy trainer can help get you and your pup off to a great start! Be sure to check out our recommended resources for puppy owners.
Allie, a chihuahua mix and one of Cooperative Paws' clients plays with a ball.
Puppies of all shapes and sizes benefit from training and socialization. Private training sessions are a great option for any puppy. Many of our puppy clients are first-time dog owners or have not raised a puppy in many years. One-on-one support in the session as well as phone support between sessions can be especially helpful in these cases.
Some puppies (or their owners) may not be successful in group training lesson format. Toy breeds or shy puppies may be overwhelmed and frightened if surrounded by many other dogs. Also puppies demonstrating aggressive behavior or other behavioral challenges may need private sessions to address their unique needs.
We can often provide opportunities for socialization of young puppies with our own well-socialized dogs. Here Louie, our smooth collie, plays with Peggy, an adorable Corgi puppy.