Getting a dog is an exciting time for many families and individuals. Whether this is your very first dog or a dog you can call your own, puppies are both exciting and nerve wracking for many people. They’re adorable balls of energy, and many require lots of training, housebreaking and socialization. If you’ve joined the 69 million families who own a dog in America, then you might be wondering about how you can introduce your puppy to the world. From what to put on a custom pet tag to when your dog should be comfortable around other dogs, here’s everything you need to know about socializing your new dog! CHECK WITH YOUR BREEDER Depending on your puppy’s age, they might not be ready to experience the outside world. Until dogs are at least three weeks old, they shouldn’t really interact with humans or other animals that aren’t from their litter or pack. If you got your puppy from a breeder, talk with them to see what socialization your puppy’s had. Many breeders will start to have puppies interacting with other dogs well before you can take them home. By the time you bring your puppy home, they’ll already have experiences with other humans and animals that will hopefully help you as you socialize your puppy further. Shelter puppies are in a similar situation. In fact, they might even be further along than puppies bred by a breeder. Because shelter puppies are born into a communal environment, they will have already been acclimated to various sights and sounds. Plus, there’s a chance they’ve been fed and cared for by lots of different people due to the nature of animal shelter work. Of course, this might mean their perception of socialization is a bit more negative than dogs that come from a breeder. Shelter environments can be chaotic, with lots of loud noises and animals fighting for food or toys in some cases. No matter what, checking with your puppy’s breeder or the shelter staff about what level of socialization your puppy’s had before you start the process will go a long way in ensuring that you socialize your puppy properly! WHY IS SOCIALIZING YOUR PUPPY IMPORTANT? Dogs are typically some of the most friendly and easily trainable animals in the world. However, they won’t be very friendly if they aren’t socialized properly. A properly socialized puppy doesn’t get nervous around children, enjoys car rides and can go to lots of places in public without too many behavioral issues. Socialized puppies can spend hours at the dog park without too much worry from pet parents that other dogs are in danger. Socialized dogs tend to have less behavioral issues, too. Many reports about dogs being put down after biting someone is usually due to improper socialization. When the dog isn’t socialized properly, they will typically see other dogs and children or humans as major threats and react accordingly. While the dog isn’t necessarily doing anything wrong, if they’d been more exposed and socialized, maybe the reaction wouldn’t have been so bad. Either way, socializing your puppy is just one major step in dog ownership to ensure that you have a happy, healthy puppy that develops into a healthy, happy dog. CAN YOU SOCIALIZE AN OLDER DOG? In short, yes, you can socialize an older dog. However, it’s important to note that older dogs require retraining, and that can take up a huge amount of time. If you currently have an older dog and are thinking of bringing a puppy into the household, consider how well your older dog does with younger dogs at the park. Introducing a puppy can either help your older dog or make their behavior worse. Consult with your dog’s vet before you start any socialization processes with your older dog. Discover Our High Quality Pet ID Tags and More SOCIALIZING A PUPPY Here are some steps to socializing your puppy! Start out slow. Try to avoid doing too much too fast. It might be tempting to take your puppy to all the places and introduce them to as many dogs and people as possible, but doing so can overwhelm your puppy and actually have an adverse effect on them. Instead, start out slow. Introduce your puppy to one or two new things at a time, and keep revisiting them until your puppy barely even reacts to being there. Reward them. Rewarding your puppy for their good behavior and interacting positively with new sights, sounds and smells is essential in the socialization process. They will need to know that what they’re doing is good, so rewarding them with a treat or praising them will go a long way in keeping the socialization process smooth. Remain calm. Even if you’re nervous about introducing your puppy into specific sights and sounds, you don’t want to show it. Dogs can pick up on your emotions, and they’ll reflect it back to you. If you appear nervous or anxious in front of your dog, your puppy will probably react the same way. And that’s definitely not something you want when you’re trying to socialize them with other dogs or humans. Remaining calm is a great way to socialize your puppy successfully. Make a list. Making a list of all the potential places you can take your puppy to have them experience new things can be a major help in the socialization process. If you have a family, make it a group activity. Sit everyone down and have everyone write down as many places, people and smells they can think of for your new puppy to get acclimated to. If your kids are younger, turn it into a game for them. You can provide them with a prize for coming up with the most items within a certain amount of time. It’ll also be a great way for you to emphasize how important socializing the puppy is. Some young children might not understand the importance of socialization, but this activity will assist them. Consider puppy training classes. Not everyone has the time or patience for full-on puppy socialization and training. If you have the means, consider puppy training classes. This allows your puppy to get trained and socialized by a professional so that you don’t have to stress about doing it incorrectly. The main responsibility you’ll have is to research quality puppy trainers near you and keep up with any assignments or skills that your puppy learns. Reinforcing what your puppy learns in their classes is essential to their socialization. Create a schedule. If you decide to socialize your puppy on your own, create a schedule. Dogs do best on a routine, so having a schedule written out will go a long way in making the socialization process easier for them. A schedule is also helpful for you as you plan events, work and more around your puppy’s socialization. PUPPY SOCIALIZATION ESSENTIALS When socializing your puppy, you’ll want to make sure you have everything you need. Here are some puppy socialization essentials! ID tag. Every puppy should have an ID tag. Our silicone pet tags are a great option because they don’t make any noise, clean easily and won’t rust. You can include all the important information on your dog’s ID tag, like their name, your contact information and even any medical conditions your puppy has, all on their silicone tag. Leash. Socializing your puppy means taking them out in the world. However, your puppy should always be on a leash when you take it beyond your yard. Not only is this to keep them safe, but it’s also to train them to get used to wearing one. A quality dog collar and leash set is essential when socializing your puppy. If you don’t train your puppy to wear a leash now, they might resist later. That would be a nightmare! Treats. Treats are required when socializing your pet to reward them for their good behavior. If you don’t want them to develop an unhealthy attachment to treats, you can always use their puppy kibble as an alternative. In fact, this is a great option for dog owners who aren’t too sure about any of the treats on the market or don’t want to spend any extra money. You already know your puppy likes their food, so why not use it as an incentive? This is just one thing you can do to make socializing your dog easier and more affordable for you. Toys. Toys can be used in socializing your dog. Both human and dog toys alike are good training and socialization tools. Your dog will need to know not to puncture a beach ball with their teeth, so introducing it when they’re a puppy will help them later on as an adult dog. Toys are also great to have as training tools because you can use them as trigger objects. When your dog gets acclimated to different triggers, they’ll be less likely to react when on a leash or out in public. Scented clothes. If you’re thinking of introducing your puppy to new people, especially people who are familiar to you, you can do so gradually by presenting your puppy with an item of their clothing. Scented clothes can give your puppy a chance to acclimate to the new, interesting scent without overreacting. Even if they initially react negatively, your puppy will get time to scent the clothing and get used to it before interacting with the new person. Ideally, this should lead them to have a minimal reaction when the new person walks in the door. Your puppy will recognize the scent, which will go a long way in making everyone comfortable and keep your puppy on the path to socialization. OTHER PET ESSENTIALS There are some other essentials you’ll want to have on hand when bringing your new puppy home. Dog bed. A dog bed is great for puppies, even if it’s too large. They’ll grow into it! They can easily relax in their dog bed, and you can train them to sleep in their bed instead of on your furniture. Make sure to lay their favorite cozy blanket on top so they can snuggle on it at night. Trackable dog tag. If you find that your puppy grows up to be an escape artist, or is always finding a way to get away from you, consider investing in one of our Tiles for pets! Our TraQ dog tag uses Tile’s state of the art Bluetooth technology to track your dog’s location. For puppy owners, this can be a huge help — especially as you’re socializing your puppy or allowing them to explore the world. Even if your backyard is fenced in, dogs are notorious for finding ways to escape. A TraQ tag will go a long way in being a wonderful addition to your puppy essentials. Grooming supplies. From shampoo and conditioner to brushes and combs, grooming supplies are essential for your puppy. Puppies can get into a lot of mischief as they’re growing, and you don’t want to be caught off guard the first time they roll around in the mud in the backyard. Make sure you stock up on all the necessary grooming essentials so your dog’s coat will be pristine. This also brings up a good point about grooming — if you don’t want to groom your dog, start taking them to the groomer at a young age. This way, they’ll be socialized to allow someone else at the groomer to handle them. The worst thing would be grooming them as a puppy and expecting them to be comfortable getting groomed by someone else as an adult. Dogs already hate getting groomed. Don’t make the process more difficult for them! THE BOTTOM LINE Socializing a puppy is essential for their health and well-being. Showing your puppy the ropes of being out in the world takes some patience, but it’s well worth it. A well-behaved, socialized dog is a happy dog! And besides, happy dog, happy life, right? 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