The Importance of Socializing Puppies

While many people want a dog that is friendly, outgoing and confident, it is important to understand that many puppies need proper socialization in order to achieve this over their lifetime. As a puppy owner you have to committ to helping your dog develop skills they will need over their course of their entire life.

  The first three months of a puppy’s life are incredibly important to their socialization process. At Cantata, puppies here are exposed to various stimuli including noises like hair dryers and vacuums. They are introduced to crate training, leashes and baths as well as various types of flooring, bedding, food bowls and toys. We also introduce them to various other dogs, travel crates/airline bags and car rides as well as have people over to handle them.  We strive to do our best to provide you with a puppy that has had various positive life experiences. 

However, the work we’ve done must continue once the puppy goes home with you. While many people, for example, prefer not to crate train their puppies, we strongly emphasize the importance of this skill for a puppy and adult dog. While you may intend to have your puppy with you all of the time, there will no doubt be times in their life where they will be in a crate. For example, an airport, in the car on the highway or a veterinary office.  Wouldn't it just be better if they'd been taught that the crate wasn't a big bad thing that they're in and that it isn't a punishment? It doesn't mean your dog isn't engaged and living life with you but you are preparing them for something that will likely happen at some point in its life and therefore it has no reason to be afraid.  Make sense?

We emphasize the importance of puppy obedience classes but also introducing positive life experiences.  You need to acclimate a puppy to noises, sights and sounds. One of the most fundamental parts this summer for us was being able to bring dogs to the Water Street Pedestrian Mall where there were tons of people willing to give treats and praise, lots of noise and smells, and really just lots to explore. For a puppy this was a lot to take in but we also continued our socialization with our grown up dogs who worked on their obedience training in an environment which was a whole lot more distracting than a backyard!

Well socializing your puppy could save its life and save you money in the long run in hiring trainers to work with you and your puppy.   The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior states that “ “Behavioral issues, not infectious diseases, are the number one cause of death for dogs under three years of age.”  As a puppy owner, you have to be committed to providing good opportunities to socialize your puppy. 
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But how? 

You can do this by providing positive experiences with dogs of all sizes. Make sure you choose dogs that are good with other dogs. Don’t be afraid to go out in public with your puppy once they have received some vaccines and let them explore their world. Do not coddle or protect your puppy from every stimulus it sees and might be afraid of, instead, encourage them gently without forcing the issue. Reward with a treat and praise when they interact positively but never force them to go any further than they're comfortable with on their own. If you pick a puppy up repeatedly, you risk teaching that there’s a reason to be afraid or nervous. Finally, don’t do too much too quickly.  If your puppy is apprehensive around a couple of dogs, don’t put them in a situation where they are now surrounded by a dozen of them. If they’re worried about lots of loud noises, take the exposure slowly and make it fun too. 

Doing this will only help you encourage your puppy to be what you’ve wanted. 
Some resources to help socialize your puppy are:


https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/puppy-socialization/

https://www.petmd.com/dog/puppycenter/communication/evr_dg_why_is_puppy_socialization_important

https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Puppy_Socialization_Position_Statement_Download_-_10-3-14.pdf

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/puppies/pre_puppy_prep/properly-socializing-your-puppy/