04/30/2023
✨Puppy Socialization✨
Socializing your puppy means exposing them in small, manageable doses to anything and everything the world has to offer. Meeting & playing with other dogs is only a small part of that.
Think of it like building a sensory library - we want them to see new things, smell new things, hear new things. Things like walking on new surfaces (gravel, grass, carpet, hardwood, tile, metal bridges & stairs, wood, etc.), seeing construction sites and dump trucks and people of different ethnicities and ages, traffic, beach, forest, kids playing in a playground, etc.
But the number one rule to socializing your puppy is that it’s about providing good quality experiences over a large quantity of them.
If your pup isn’t enjoying the experience or they are scared and you’re not able to help move them through their fear, they are only learning that certain things/people/dogs are stressful & scary, which is the opposite of what we’re trying to teach them.
Instead, we’re aiming to provide experiences that your pup walks away from happily.
If they only meet three new people this week but enjoy every minute of those interactions, they’re learning that people are good! If they meet 100 people this week but a lot of those encounters were unpleasant to them, they’re going to learn that they may not like strangers very much which could evolve into a much bigger behavioural issue as they grow up.
If you’re looking for a fun and safe place to give your puppy positive exposure to a variety of new things, controlled playtime with other puppies and foundation training, including handling for grooming and vet visits, check out our upcoming Puppy SuperStart classes beginning May 17th.
For more information and to register, click here: https://communicanine.ca/group-classes/
