Listen to the Doggy Dan Podcast Show No.5 by using the player above, or subscribing to iTunes and listening on your mobile device. This post will give you an overview of what’s included in this episode: Socializing a new puppy. If you have a new puppy and want to understand what socializing is all about and why it’s so important then you’ve come to the right place…
If you don’t have a puppy, or yours is already socialized properly, then please, in the comment section below, tell me what issues you’d like me to cover in future episodes.
Why, when, where and how should we socialize your puppy?
Inside the podcast I cover off these important questions:
Why
Socializing your puppy is one of the most important activities that you can do. It allows them to experience a whole variety of different dogs at an age where they are most tolerant and submissive. Inside the podcast I help you see the whole experience through your dogs eyes so that they have the best experience possible when socializing. Think of it like taking a child to childcare when they are young. It is important that they learn how to behave around many children. This is not to say that they have to be best mates with everyone!
When
Timing is crucial when it comes to socializing. If you leave it too late then you can really run into trouble. Often you will find yourself balancing advice from your vets that you need to wait for more vaccinations before you socialize your puppy. Inside the podcast I talk through how I would weigh up these two important pieces of information and come to a decision.
Where
There are many different ways to socialize your puppy, one solution does not suit everyone. You can take your puppy to pre-puppy training, puppy training, doggy day care, the vet, or the park. Many people choose to do the socialization themselves and do a great job. Inside the podcast I point out the benefits and downsides of each option and leave you to decide what suits you best since there is no one way to go about socializing. Do-it-yourself is a perfectly good option when you do it correctly.
How
The most important part is knowing how to actually socialize your puppy in a way that will ensure that they have a good experience and can take that into the next doggy meet and greet. Knowing when and how to step-in to stop overly excited play and when to leave your puppy is crucial to helping set boundaries for your new puppy. Getting this wrong can make the situation worse and create a mountain out of a mole-hill!
The three C’s to socializing
I also cover off three important aspects to socializing:
- Calm – how to maintain a calm situation and how it affects your puppies experience.
- Control – why you need to be in control of your puppy and a simple way to achieve this
- Choose – the importance of selecting the right dogs or puppies to socialize with and why older dogs are so important.
As you can see there is a massive amount of tips and advice inside the podcast helping you to get this crucial aspect of your puppy training right, first time.
Some classics mistakes to avoid
To ensure your success I have decided it makes sense to alert you to some of the biggest mistakes that people make when socializing their puppy and how to avoid them. So often people only find out about these things when the opportunity has passed them by. Sometimes just a little bit of knowledge can make a big difference.
So if you really want to end up with a dog friendly, well behaved, dog-sociable-dog then make sure you are aware of:
- The most common error that people make when socializing their puppy
- The biggest reason that socializing goes wrong and does not work
- What you need to do to ensure that your puppy stays friendly with dogs as they grow up.
There you go! If you have a new puppy then I suggest that you listen to the podcast and enjoy learning about why, when, where and how to socialize your puppy and the mistakes to avoid so that you end up with the dog of your dreams.
If you find yourself needing more training resources, I encourage you to check out my Puppy Coach training program!
In this program, I'll teach you how to get your dog to relax and calm down to in order to make socialization (and training in general) a breeze!
All the best, and enjoy the socializing – it's so much fun!
Cheers,
Thanks for Listening!
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6 Responses
Further to my bad experience. Mitzi, the Min. Schnauzer is now 6 months old and had her first experience at Rest thome visiting. She was a hit with the ladies and behaved like a pro. sitting calmly on their laps.
Excellent 🙂 We all have our gifts and skills in life Mitzi sounds like she has found hers…well done. She sounds like she will make many people happy !
HI Dan, We rehomed a Rhodesian Ridgeback at around 3 yrs old. Now about 5. He has been excellent in every way except one small but very annoying way. He poos on the concrete, pebble areas, driveway and pathways around the home rather than the grass. I have never had a dog choose concrete over grass. We have 1 acre in garden so lots of grass area and not much concrete etc.
We drive over his poo or step in it at night. Can you think of a reason why he would do this and any suggestions?
Tricia
Hi Tricia,
this will be a training issue. It should not be hard to refocus him and train him to do it where you want him to go. It is simply a case of a little time and rewards 🙂 I have a podcast on toilet training inside my video website which would help. You may also need to use a line to keep him where you want during the training phase…It is a bit like training children…time and effort and some big rewards 🙂
Regards
Dan
I took my new Min. Schnauzer puppy to a top local vet., Paid $ 80 for a product sponsored class. To my surprise there were only 2 other and later a 3rd pup present, much. much larger and older who started in bullying my wee one. I was told by the person in charge she had to learn to cope.
I am an experienced ex breeder, trainer at the club and dog sport competitor and walked out in disgust. Mitzi lives with 2 B/C so is no only child. She is now 6 months old, loves and accepts people and good with other dogs.
So be careful that the class is suitable and the trainer experienced in dog behavior. If it doesn’t feel right, ask questions. Not all puppy classes are well run.
Hi there,
Yes, I could not agree more…Sounds like you know what you are doing but you are right, some poor people and there puppies do not have a good experience and actually pay for it. Thanks goodness there are more and more better quality puppy classes now 🙂
Thanks for your comment, all the best, Doggy Dan