10 Things to Socialize a Puppy To

I have plans in the works for a new Toller puppy in the Spring and I started thinking about my socialization opportunities and making a list. There are so many things that we should expose young puppies to in a positive manner
to try to ensure they grow into a well rounded adult. If you have a confident, happy and eager puppy, you’ll want to grab some excellent treats and their favorite toys and head out to experience as much as possible. As we talked about in a previous post Should You Socialize That Puppy? not all puppies are created equal when it comes to approaching socialization. If you have a shy or fearful dog, you’ll want to discuss the right approach with a qualified trainer who has a strong knowledge in behavior.

For your average puppy, here are my top 10 broad categories:

People

Top of the list is all of the people your pup will meet! You want them to meet people of all shapes and sizes. Approach with lots of positive association tools like food and toys. It’s not necessary for your dog to greet every single person they see, in fact, this can lead to hyper-enthusiasm. You want your pup to be comfortable meeting strangers, but not over the moon excited every time a stranger appears. Be careful you don’t fall into the habit of making it a free-for-all. Sometimes, work on attention to you with…