In this blog we will talk about a puppy and the importance of socialization. We all know it: you take a puppy into your home and you are immediately sold. The cute puppy eyes, the early steps in life, playing together and having fun. You want to do everything right. You want to help your pup with socialization. However, the question is: how do I do this?
During the puppy phase, the dog’s brain is in full development. New stimuli from the environment are processed and the dog has less fear than at a later age. That is why the socialization period is so important. Due to the reduced fear, this period is ideal for teaching the puppy new things and for letting the puppy get used to the environment.
People often feel that they should offer their pup as many new situations as possible in a short time span. It is true that during socialization you should expose your puppy to new situations, but you need to realize that the puppy can be quite impressed by that new situation. It is very important that your puppy learns to rely on you as the owner. Guide your pup through a situation and don’t think: you can figure this out by yourself. This used to be what people thought. It was common that a puppy needed to approach objects or people by itself and if it was not done immediately, the puppy was practically put in front of the object, because the puppy needed to socialize. Fortunately, we get wiser with time and today we know better: every puppy is different and if the puppy is a bit more insecure, we as owner are there to support the puppy during the socialization!
In other words, introduce new situations gradually. Be sure to take the time to help your puppy process a new situation. Make sure to give a puppy enough rest. During our puppy course we will dive deeper into the socialization of your puppy. What can you expect? How can you guide a puppy through different types of situations? What is wisdom and what is not? For more information, take a look at our puppy course and register quickly!
