For The Love of Puppy
Puppies: no matter the breed, no matter the size–we are drawn to them. Their awkwardness, their innocence, their curiosity–perhaps they bring us back to simpler times when we were young, and weird looking, and the world had not hardened us; and in that moment of crossing paths with one of life’s cutest creatures, we feel the need to stop whatever we are doing, to make contact–to say hi–in that moment, we are able to escape our reality and be transported back to our own age of innocence.
During the first 18mo. of life, a puppy is experiencing many mental and physical growth changes. The first 8-12wks alone are pivotal in creating long lasting positive experiences for puppy. Yes, this is the time where we are teaching the rules of housebreaking, crate training, and learning what to chew vs. what not to chew. But, this is also a great time to positively introduce your puppy to all the sights and sounds of the world around her. The more she experiences during this relatively short window of time, the more you are helping her grow into a well socialized dog. Although all of her shots will not be completed upon her arrival to your new home, she does have a first round of immunizations working for her as well as a pretty solid immune system given to her by her mother at birth. What does this mean? Expose her to the great outdoors as soon as possible! Take this opportunity to introduce her to a leash, and encourage her to explore the world around her. Whether you live in the country or big city, the world outside of her whelping box is intricate and intense–the more opportunities she has to create a relationship with it at an early age, the more you are helping her succeed. If you have a family or friend’s dog you would like to introduce her to, be sure they are healthy and up to date on their vaccinations–are balanced and do not mind the shenanigans of a young pup–keep the introduction short and sweet–but yes, socialize, socialize, socialize!
As your puppy will most likely be growing up with a predominantly human pack, it is therefore critically important to ensure proper socialization with people. What does this mean? It means that we are teaching our dog, AND our people, how to act around one another. You may have a go-get’em puppy who wants nothing more that to meet every person she crosses paths with. You may have a puppy who is a bit on the shy side, who needs a minute before acknowledging someone or being acknowledged. This is why it’s so important for you, the passerby or visitor to a home with a new puppy, to ask before interacting. And this is why it is so important for you, the owner, to understand the needs of your pup. It is always important to understand when it is appropriate to acknowledge a puppy, and when to give them a minute to relax–this way we are helping them understand what will get them attention, and what won’t. But above all, we are helping them make positive associations with people which they will continue to carry with them past this critical socialization period. If we constantly acknowledge the jumping and yipping of an excitable pup, we are encouraging that behavior to continue–we are signifying ourselves as excitable sources of energy which will bite us in the butt down the road if left unacknowledged. If we dive in and scoop up a puppy who is clearly showing signs of slight distress and insecurity in that moment, then we are signifying ourselves as a source of unbalanced, intense energy–which could literally bite us in the butt in the future if we do not learn how to read our dog and help her through situations that cause her anxiety. All of these principles apply to any dog of any age, but if you are fortunate enough to get a brand new puppy with a blank canvas, these are the principles that you can instantly begin applying right now–and the results will last you a lifetime. This is why, if you are at all unsure of how to get this process started, contact a professional who can kick start you in the right direction of properly socializing your new friend. This will make any future training you decide to do with your pup that much better and more enjoyable!