How to Socialize Your Puppy
Puppies will be puppies, and they can be lots of fun. But, not every moment with your puppy is going to be a belly rubbing experience. Some moments can leave us feeling socially awkward, and it is in these moments we realize that puppies need socializing skills just as much as we do.
Friends and Family
One way to start socializing your puppy is to get them around a few of your friends or family. Children also can help if your puppy is ready for them. It doesn’t have to be anything formal. Let’s face it your puppy may be sniffing around where he isn’t wanted anyway. So, everyone else may as well be comfortable too. Keep things simple at first so that your puppy can easily adjust to the small differences from their regular environment. Get together a few times, and once your puppy seems comfortable with it you can move on to other things. Your puppy is going to be the best indicator of what they are ready for. If they seem overwhelmed, then dial back the fun and take smaller steps.
Puppy Daycare
Another way that your puppy can be socialized is through puppy daycare. This offers your puppy a chance to learn how to interact with other puppies in a controlled environment. We don’t want them running around marking their territory everywhere we go or nipping at everyone they see. Puppy daycare is a great way to see how our puppies will handle themselves in different situations and give them the opportunity to learn and grow before letting them loose in the park. If they are not exposed to other people and puppies, they can become fearful and anxious when exposed to it later in life.
Community
Getting your puppy out and about into the community can give them a wide variety of experiences. No matter how small or big of a town you live in the community provides a colorful array of personalities, sights, smells, and sounds. Being exposed to different things makes it so your puppy becomes familiar with the world around them even if some of the sights and smells may not be so pleasant.
Puppies learn through their experiences with the world. Sights, sounds, smells, textures, tastes, personalities, and the environments around us can all be overwhelming to a puppy. Socializing puppies is a great way to introduce these experiences to your puppy in a way that doesn’t overwhelm them but instead teaches them to be comfortable around new people and environments. We want them to have the best quality of life, and providing these social skills will help them now and in their future.