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Basic Training

Socializing a Puppy

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Puppies naturally love every person they meet. But as the puppy grows into adulthood he or she can become anti-social or mean to children and adults he does not know, unless he has been socialized correctly. No one enjoys a mean or temperamental dog making friends and strangers feel uncomfortable, so socializing a puppy is very important to his overall behavioral training. Below you will find a few tips for helping you through this process resulting in a dog people love to be around.

When socializing a puppy, the owners aim needs to be focused on producing a pup/dog that is comfortable in both familiar and unfamiliar situations he is confronted with. He should not be aggressive to other dogs or strangers you and he may meet while out walking, or when people come to your home for a visit. He should be at ease when the children in the neighborhood try to pet him, and not go ballistic because the mailman comes on his turf.

From the time you bring the pup home you should be actively introducing him to other people, other dogs, and new environments like the park or doggy playground in your town. Allow him to experience these things without forcing him to accept more than he is capable of as a pup.

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3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Avatar Of Robin Simrill

    Robin Simrill

    says:

    *approach not approch

  2. Avatar Of Robin Simrill

    Robin Simrill

    says:

    Does she know “down”? also, get her her “spot” and have her “down” & “stay.” let her know you “got this.” For people, it helps to have them NOT look at her, or talk to her. it’s too much stimulation.
    Give her lots of time to see no one is bothering her.

    Later, if she does feel safe enough to approch them (in a non-threatening way), have them turn sideways, keeping a calm frame of mind (you & the other person–also, speak calmly to each other). Later still maybe have them offer her food, like a small piece of meat.

    One of my dogs is a rescue, he is getting better after 2 years. He happens to love being scratched right above his tail– people he doesn’t know make him nervous if they touch his head, but scratch him there and it’s instant friend for life. If she has a “sweet spot” like that, it helps.

    Another rescue we had was taken from an abusive situation at age 12 and was terrified of men, but very gradually she learned to trust the men in the family. after awhile she loved my husband more than anyone and wouldn’t leave his side. She understood ALL family members loved her and became affectionate and content.

    Have patience with her, be calm & let her know “I got this” (makes her feel safe). Try not to get nervous that she’ll misbehave, be proactive with setting her up to succeed by giving her her spot (a blanket in a certain area where she feels protected, for instance) so she knows she’s expected to stay there, have the people ignore her (it sounds mean but it’s not) until she’s ready to approach them, all that; she’s young and does want to please
    you. Something to chew on like a kong toy with peanut butter can help with her nervousness.

    Good luck! She’s young and that’s good, her brain is still growing, it can make happier pathways.

  3. Avatar Of Susan Thieleman

    Susan Thieleman

    says:

    I have a six month old, former feral pup that is very fearful when we meet people, dogs etc or when people come to my home. She has been this way since day one. I take her with my big dogs, hoping they will give her confidence, but that doesn’t seem to be working. She barks aggressively, raises her hackles and maintains a very threatening posture. I foster rescue puppies so I have people in and out of my home frequently and my 20 year old son lives with me and she barks at him in the morning when he comes upstairs, when he comes home from work, when he comes out of the bathroom. I’m the only one she seems to trust. Can you offer some guidance for us, please?

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