Puppy Socialization
During the first 6 months of a puppy's life socialization is very crucial to ensure that the puppy will grow up to be a friendly well mannered member of your household and society in general. Socialization is the process of introducing your puppy to new people, other dogs, sights, sounds and even other animals. At six to eight weeks when you bring your puppy home she has very few and somewhat limited experiences to draw from. Over the next six to eight months your puppy's new experiences will play a big part in shaping her adult personality as well as her ability to deal with new stressful situations. Puppies that have been well socialized starting at around eight weeks of age are far less likely to develop serious behavior problems later in life.
Introducing New Stimulus
When socializing your puppy you need to be careful how you introduce new stimulus. Puppies are very impressionable, and socialization that is done incorrectly can be very damaging to the development of your puppy's future personality. For this reason I suggest that if you have never socialized a puppy before that you find an experienced trainer in your area to help you.
Aggressive Behaviors
Puppies need to be introduced to new social experiences on a regular basis so they can learn about the world they live in. It is important to build confidence in your puppy and to avoid reinforcing fears. You must discourage any aggressive behaviors. Puppies should never be encouraged to bark (aggressively), growl, or posture at other dogs or people. If you work to develop a good trusting relationship with your puppy she will grow up to have an instinctive desire to protect and please you. Remember, some breeds have specifically been bred just to be pets. These dogs may never have a desire to protect; instead they will look to you to protect them! Because of her genetic code it would be unfair to expect this puppy to protect or guard you. If you want a guard dog buy a puppy that has been bred specifically to protect its family, property or flock.
Introduce a Variety of People
Some examples of social experiences to introduce your puppies to include well supervised play time with other dogs or puppies. Care should be taken to make sure all dogs involved like to play with other dogs and are vaccinated against any diseases or infections prevalent in your area. Puppies should have the opportunity to visit with all different kinds of people. Tall, short, heavy, skinny, young, old, deep voiced, soft spoken, exuberant, mellow, light skinned and dark skinned are just a few examples. Never force your puppy to say hello and make sure the people you are visiting with know and understand the importance of this.
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