Socializing your puppy is important, and it is the guarantee that your dog will be confident and friendly with other pets in the future. It is the responsibility of the owner to train as well as socialize his dog. Socialization starts from the day you bring your puppy home. Puppies should be exposed to a wide variety of people, places, things, food, and situations. If the puppy is not socialized properly, he may experience fear and anxiety around these familiar things in the future.
The real meaning of socialization of your dog is to make your pooch comfortable with a variety of things, people and situations. According to the experts, the best age of a puppy in which they can learn quickly and easily is 3-4 weeks to 16-20 weeks. It means that we should start the socialization as soon as possible.
If you want to raise a well-behaved dog, socialization is the first step. It includes the following;
- Introducing your dog with different people wearing different uniforms.
- Exposing your dog to other pets (Barking pet, Old dog, Cat)
- Different sounds like a car, washing machine, etc.
- Going outside when it is raining.
- And all those situations that you think your dog might encounter in his life.
How to socialize your puppy, dog
(while you are not in the house) Teach your dog to be alone
It is true that the dogs (especially puppies) want to stay with you. When they are left alone for a longer period, they don’t feel good, but you have to teach them how to behave when you are not around. The reason is simple, in life; you have to go far from your dog due to any reason. So, while you are not with your pooch, he should not feel alone and disturbed.
Sounds
Making your dog familiar with different sounds from the little age is beneficial as well as necessary. If the puppy is familiar with different, unusual sounds or noises, he will take them normally in the future. Expose him to washing machine sound, kitchen sounds, car, TV sound, and other sounds. Make sure that you are doing it gradually because the dog must not feel disturbed.
Introducing with new people
This is a good practice to introduce your dog with people. We recommend the new dog owners to invite your friends to meet your new puppy, after taking your puppy home. The puppy will meet the new people, and when they come to your house again, the puppy will not bark at them.
Also, take your puppy outside and meet with your neighbors. The dog will get familiar with them.
Vehicles
Your pooch must know that the car is a useful thing. Try to travel with your puppy to any place, so that your pooch should listen to the sounds of other vehicles too.
Different environments/situations
You should allow your puppy to have experience of the situations which you think important.
Socializing with other Pets
The next part of socializing your puppy is introducing your dogs with other pets like cats, dogs, etc. This will make them able to behave around other pets in the future. The best way to do this is to take your dog to a dog park. There, you will find a lot of dogs of different breeds, sizes, and places.
Aggression
If you are trying to teach something to your dog and he is not responding, then do not be aggressive. It will take time and soon your dog will learn the things you are trying to teach him.
Similarly, if your dog is aggressive, deal with him calmly.
Final Words
It is essential for a puppy to be socialized as early as possible. Try to teach your dog, but if the dog feels uncomfortable, then try to continue on another day. It was our simple guide on how to socialize your dog. We have tried to cover all the stuff related to dog socialization. If you have any question, feel free to ask in the comments section below.
