You have a new dog and now what? At what age can you start socializing your dog? Many dog owners think they should wait until they are fully vaccinated. It should start as early as 10 weeks of age. Dog owners hear the word socialization all the time, but there’s a proper way to do it. Let’s say if you put your pup in a doggy playgroup, but your pup isn’t having a good time, the dog may learn to associate being with dogs as fearful and stressful.
Proper socialization starts with a controlled environment, which means keeping stimulation very low. Keep in mind that your goal is to have a well-adjusted dog that doesn’t react to normal things, so there’s really no limit to what you can and can’t socialize your dog with. A common misconception that people have is that they should only socialize their dogs with other dogs of the same size and children. Owners need to socialize their new dog with dogs of all ages, breeds and play styles, and different types of people. Most importantly, they need to expose your dog to everyday events and anything your dog encounters in his life. Such as, the vacuum cleaner, mirrors, umbrellas, balloons, bicycles, cars, babies in strollers, wheelchairs and other animals.
My best suggestion when it comes to proper socialization is to focus on the dog’s basic senses (SIGHT, SMELL, SOUND, MOVEMENT).
The first thing is to have a plan and you can keep track of your dog’s progress with a notebook. Break down the categories, expose the dog to sight first, let the dog see another dog from a distance, if your dog doesn’t react, praise and encourage the dog to go a step further, then let the dog investigate the person . , animal or object with its nose (smell). You can find a lot of information with a single nose. Then you combine sight and smell. After that, let him listen to a person talk, a baby cry, a vacuum cleaner make a noise, a balloon “pop”, a bicycle “honk”… etc., so that the dog feels comfortable knowing that these things can cause noise, but it is nothing to be reactive.
You don’t want to expose your pup to a high level of noise at first, for example, turn the vacuum on for a few seconds (without moving it), then turn it off, give a dog a treat for not reacting, then add more duration next time. Finally, is to add movement. Have people talk and move or pet the dog, treat it and praise it for not reacting. Push the stroller, treat the dog so that it does not get scared, move the vacuum cleaner. Turn it on, then turn it off after a few seconds.
Anything that moves, whether it makes noise, we must slowly expose our dog. I have found that most dogs react easily to fast moving objects. This can become a behavior problem later that will be difficult to correct. It is better to prevent it, then correct it.
You will get the idea once you start. It’s not very difficult, it always combines good things with each of the scenarios; like giving your dog a tasty treat when another dog approaches. Drop a very tasty treat near the vacuum cleaner and praise your dog just by walking towards it. Place an all-natural dog treat, like Zuke’s Mini Naturals, inside an umbrella, open it up, to drop it, the partner dog sees high-value treats coming from the umbrella! Make some loud noise and treat your dog for all calming signals (prepare him for thunderstorms).
Never force your new dog to approach the person, dog, or object. Let the dog do it alone. Give him some space and have some patience. Praise and encourage your dog. At the same time, pay attention to his signs of stress. When things are not going well, remove the dog from the situation or walk away from it, but act neutral and calm. Don’t raise your voice or pet the dog. This only teaches the dog that it is okay to react or to be scared. You don’t want to fuel that frame of mind. Instead, have a positive attitude, don’t stop progress altogether. Remember that socialization takes time, have a better plan and work on it next time, you will have a well socialized dog.