WHAT IS “SOCIALIZATION” AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?
Socialization is the process of introducing your puppy to new experiences and friendly people, dogs and other animals. By the age of 49 days, puppies’ brains are fully functional and they are ready to learn. It is vitally important to get them out into the world and let them experience all kinds of new things including small children, city traffic, people in wheelchairs or on bikes, skates or skateboards, climbing up and down stairs or elevators, for people who live in city flats or apartments. Anything that your expect to be a usual part of you and your dog’s world should ideally, be introduced to your puppy in a fun, non-threatening manner at an early age. This will help strengthen the bond between you and your puppy and will encourage an outgoing, confident attitude in your grown dog. Proper socialization also lessens the chances of a pup becoming a shy or fearful dog. Letting a young puppy meet as many friendly human strangers of different ages, sexes, sizes shapes and races as pos
Puppy socialization is the exposure and the experiences you give your pup to help it develop the skills necessary to interact appropriately with two-legged and four-legged critters. Your pup needs to know what is and what is not acceptable behavior when it meets people, dogs and other animals. By exposing your pup through a variety of controlled situations in its early life, you will be helping to insure a calm and confident adult. Remember: genetics plays an important role in your pup’s development of personality, character and temperament. So does the interaction your pup experienced with its dam and littermates. A good breeder will begin the foundation for puppy socialization when pups are only a few days old. Not all pups are born equal. Some are little bullies, others may be shy or even fearful. A good breeder will ask about your family and training expectations before matching you with a pup. A pup’s temperament is not a clear indicator of what it will be like as an adult. Proper
