1. How To Socialize a Puppy By Cara Lipford

2. Socialization  Puppies that are socialized correctly are less likely to become liabilities later in life.  Encourages good behavior instead of allowing bad behavior.  Prevents creating a dog juvenile delinquent.  Ensures that your puppy will grow to be well adjusted.

3. Why is Socialization Important?  Puppies are not fearful of an age group, skin color, or body type.  Will prevent them from running away from people.  Will prevent the dog from barking at or biting people out of fear and insecurity.

4. Poorly Socialized Puppies  Grow into dogs that are fearful and lack confidence.  Might bite children.  Pull out of their collars and run away.  Bark at the site of everything and everybody that they are not familiar with.  Are a liability.

5. How Do I Socialize My Puppy? When you get your puppy, hopefully he will be between eight and nine weeks. This is a fearful period for puppies. They are afraid of loud noises, movement, and confusion. They are cautious of anything new in their environment, including you!! When you get your puppy, hopefully he will be between eight and nine weeks. This is a fearful period for puppies. They are afraid of loud noises, movement, and confusion. They are cautious of anything new in their environment, including you!! This should be a bonding period.

6. Do’s Don'ts Introduce your puppy to people, dogs, and other animals Leave puppy unsupervised Take your dog to friend’s homes and play groups Scream or scold the puppy with a threatening voice Let your puppy be held and touched by a lot of people Introduce the puppy to too many new things at one time

7. Bonding -Allow the puppy to adjust to you. -Allow the puppy to sniff and climb on you, this is the way the puppy learns to interact and trust you. -Call your puppy to you and get him to follow you. -Sit down on his level and play. -Talk to him, this is still a bonding period!!!

8. Fear Imprint If puppies develop a fear at an early age they could carry it with them for the rest of their lives. To prevent this from happening, always introduce your puppy to new surroundings within a controlled situation.

9. Fear Imprint cont. Puppies must learn from their own experience that people, dogs, objects are not threatening. You must allow your puppy to approach, investigate and retreat if she wants to, at her own pace. Soothing the puppy for being frightened is often interpreted as a reward for being fearful.

10. Introducing a Puppy to Sights and Sounds  Meet other animals (supervised play)  Meet well mannered children of all ages  Vacuum cleaners  Stairs  Crates  Automobiles  Veterinarian Offices

11. More Socialization  When you have visitors come to your home such as the mailman or a deliveryman, take the puppy to the door with you so that he can associate visitors as a pleasant experience instead of being something to bark at, jump on and to protect the family from.

12. Enroll Your Puppy in a kindergarten  If you are not a trainer or a breeder my best advice is to either enroll your puppy in a puppy kindergarten or a training class.  This will be a way to take your puppy out of the house at least once a week where he will be exposed to many new situations.

13. Summary A properly socialized dog is well adjusted and makes a good companion. It is neither frightened by nor aggressive towards anyone or anything it will meet under normal circumstances. An un-socialized dog is untrustworthy, often become fear-biters and are generally unpleasant to be around.

14. Questions or Concerns? If you have any questions or concerns please e-mail me!!e-mail me