Puppy Socialization – Don’t Neglect This Important Part of Training Your Dog

Let’s face it, as a new dog owner, you probably haven’t thought too much about puppy socialization. However, this is a very important part of dog training. Many cases of canine aggression could have been prevented if the dog’s owner had only known how to socialize a puppy.

Why Is It So Important To Socialize Your Dog?

When you expose your dog to lots of different people, different animals, and different places, he learns for himself that new sights, sounds, and people are fun, not scary.

It’s better to start socializing your dog while he’s still a puppy. You may not know that the best age to socialize a puppy is when he’s between the ages of three and twelve weeks. A young dog who has good experiences with new people, other dogs, and even cats will be much friendlier and less fearful of people. This helps to prevent aggressive dog behavior towards strangers when he gets older.

However, it’s never too late to socialize your dog. It may take a little longer with an older dog, but you can still use canine socialization in order to help your pooch overcome a fear of strangers and be a happier, more trustworthy friend.

What’s The Best Way To Socialize A Puppy?

Actually it’s not that difficult to socialize your dog, if you’re willing to make a little effort.

Many dog trainers suggest a puppy preschool. This is a series of group-training classes for puppies and their owners. Usually there are about 10 puppies and their people, along with a couple of dog trainers. During these classes, the puppies start to learn basic dog obedience commands like sit, stay, and others.

But the obedience lessons aren’t the most important part of puppy preschool. The play sessions are where your puppy learns essential social skills. During the play sessions, the puppies are let off their leashes and allowed to play with each other. Why is this important?

First, your puppy is learning how to get along with unfamiliar dogs.

Second, since there are other dog owners and a couple of dog trainers present, this means lots of unfamiliar people, too. This is a great way for your puppy to learn not to be afraid of new people.

Third, it’s a controlled environment. The dog trainers make sure things don’t get too wild.

Don’t Stop Puppy Socialization Too Soon

Many dog owners make the mistake of thinking that since their dog has been to puppy preschool, their puppy is now socialized. This mistaken idea can lead to problems later on.

It’s important to continue to expose your young dog to new faces, new animals, and new places. Sometimes puppies who seemed to be well socialized at a younger age “forget” those early lessons. By the time your dog is between eight months and two years old, he may become fearful of people and start showing canine aggression towards strangers.

Here’s some food for thought: even though your puppy has learned basic skills during his first few months, it’s important to keep reinforcing puppy socialization lessons throughout your dog’s life.

Dog Obedience Training – Puppy Behavior – 8 – 11 Weeks Old

Puppy Behavior 8 – 11 weeks old.

Puppy behavior is important to be able to understand as when a puppy goes through certain stages in its development their behavior will also go through changes. We will look at the stages a puppy goes through between the ages of 8-11 weeks of age and how you can learn how to train a puppy during this stage.

Puppy Development 8-11 weeks old.

You have just purchased your adorable new puppy and have teaken him home. However, you must try not to get to caught up with the ‘cute puppy’ phase and should start puppy training as early as possible.

You should start basic training.
Don’t allow strangers to scare or intimidate your puppy as this can seriously affect how your puppy interacts with humans in adulthood.
Some dog trainers argue that this phase is so important that if you want your puppy to be a detection dog and you have not taught him the basics of the ‘fetch command’ between 8-11 weeks then they will never be able to become a detection dog

Your puppy will want to explore his surroundings but will have a general fear of everything.
Start socializing your puppy by introducing him to different objects.
Use positive reinforcement to reward good behavior-give your puppy a treat and lots of praise.
Do not be over protective with your puppy. If you give your puppy lots of attention when he becomes scared this will teach him that it is natural to be scared and when he shows fear he gets praise-never a good idea.

Your puppy’s personality will start to really develop so it is imporant to start puppy socialization with other humans and other animals.
Puppy parties are a good socialization tool-but don’t start introducing your puppy to walks or other dogs until your vet says it is ok.
As a new owner you should expect crying and house soiling in the night.
Your puppy will also cry when he is left alone-he is not used to being seperated and he is still a baby.
Monitor fearful behavior as you don’t want irrational fears to develop into adulthood

Your puppy may start tugging and pulling on clothes and even jumping up.
Understand that puppy chewing may happen-but do not allow it.
A puppy soon grows so don’t allow behavior such as jumping up to happen-if he does start ignore your puppy.
Remember that you are the pack leader so you need to be strong and set the House rules
Try not to let anything startle your puppy at this age-watch out for fire works parties
You really need to start introducing your puppy to other dogs as this is how they learn to behave and respond to other dogs.
Although Diarrhoea is common at this age due to changes in diet-if you have any worries at all you must consult your vet.

Yo can start basic puppy training as it is a great way to communicate with your puppy and to build a string relationship-remember these golden rules when puppy obedience training:
Be patient-remember that a puppy has a limited attention span.
Be consistent-set the rules and stick with them.
Positive reinforcement-always heap lots of praise on a puppy that behaves well.
Be rational with your puppy by understanding that you are also learning how to train a puppy so will make mistakes
Be fair at all times with your puppy and accept that their will be accidents in the House.

Start Basic Puppy Obedience Training
Keep pupy obedience training short and fun.
Have lots of treats ready to give your puppy when he behaves well.
Do not give commands in a harsh tone.
Make sure the whole family use the same commands otherwise it will confuse your puppy.
Practice training techniques everyday

Puppy Behavior 8-11 weeks old – what to expect
Fearful behavior
Play biting and chewing
Your puppy may chase other animals
Crying when seperated from you or the family
Minor destructive behavior
Jumping up

If you found this article on puppy behavior and puppy development useful-you may find our more indepth puppy behavior tips useful or visit our site on Dog Obedience Training for more general dog and puppy training advice.

Preventing Puppy Biting

 

If you are living with a new puppy, there are lots of things that both of you need to learn, but one of the most important lessons that he or she is going to have from you is that it is unacceptable to bite! Dogs, just like humans, are creatures of habit, and if they form habits early on in life, you will find them much more difficult to break the longer that they get ingrained. A puppy nipping at you is one thing. You may be able to ignore it, but a dog that continues to bite, even playfully, as an adult is a danger to himself and to others. Take some time to learn about puppy biting and what you can do to get rid of it.

First, be aware that biting is natural behavior for a puppy. A puppy that constantly bites and nips at you is not vicious; he is only exploring the world around him with the tools that are at his disposal. He is mouthing things and learning about them, and when he bites, he is also likely exercising his muscles and learning what kind of dexterity and strength that he has. Puppies who play with each other will play-bite at each other all day if they can.

When you are getting ready to take on puppy biting, remember that you should not punish your puppy unless you catch him in the act. Unless he is biting you when you reprimand him, he is not going to have any idea what is going on. You will also find that it is possible to correct him without striking him. A puppy who gets hit is going to one that grows up easily startled and confused and when you want to make sure that your puppy grows up healthy and happy, this precisely the wrong tack to take!

You can learn a lot from how to keep a puppy from biting by watching adult dogs deal with them. When a puppy bites its mother, the mother will utter a short sharp yelp. If the puppy persists, she will march off and refuse to play with the puppy for a while. You can take this precise technique and use it yourself. When you puppy becomes too energetic or stops paying attention to how hard he or she is biting, say “ow!” in a high pitched sharp voice. The idea is to startle the puppy into stopping. If the puppy starts up again, walk away and refuse to pay any attention to the puppy for a while. This will tell the puppy that too much biting will result in playtime being over.

When you are training your puppy not to bite, remember that you should not engage in games like tug of war with the puppy. This can be a confusing thing for a puppy to deal with, so just avoid games like this for the moment. Dress your puppy up in cute dog clothes, take them for walks, but avoid rough and tumble games for a bit.

There are lots of ways to stop your puppy from biting, so take some time and really consider what techniques you want to use!