A reputable dog obedience training program, created by a top dog trainer, not only uses gentle and humane dog training tips, but it stresses the importance of puppy socialization. Wolves live in family units, for hunting success and safety. Your dog, a descendent of the wolf, seeks that same sense of safety and familiarity.
Your dog’s ancestors were, indeed, predators, but they weren’t invincible. Especially when separated from their packs, they were vulnerable in unfamiliar situations that included unknown creatures and landscapes. This fear was necessary for survival, and lives on in modern dogs.
This instinct has carried over to modern times, in our dogs’ fears of strangers and unfamiliar venues. Often, because dogs aren’t comfortable in those unfamiliar situations, their fears can manifest as aggression.
For these reasons, not excluding the safety of your family, neighbors, other dogs, and your own dog, it’s important to start socializing your puppy as early as possible.
Starting at the age of eight weeks, and through her sixteenth week, your puppy is the most impressionable. A conscientious dog owner will grasp this brief chance to introduce the world to his or her puppy, to prove that the world is an exciting place, worthy of confident exploration.
When you picture your life with your adult dog, what do you see? Whatever activities you desire, do those things with your puppy, plus more. Here are a few suggestions:
Expose your puppy to children, so that she can learn to view their quick movements and shrill voices as nonthreatening.
Take your puppy for rides in the car.
Walk her on nature trails, where she’ll see squirrels, birds, etc.
Introduce her to other dogs. Dog parks and dog obedience training schools are terrific ways to accomplish this.
Frequent city sidewalks. Give your puppy the chance to develop a tolerance for loud engines, horns, cyclists, pedestrians, and other walking dogs.
Visit the vet, the groomer, the pet retailer, and the kennel so that your puppy can familiarize herself with the smells, sounds, and sights of these places.
Know where, in your town, welcome mats are put out for dogs. Often, banks, pet stores, and hardware stores will welcome your puppy. Give your puppy plenty of time to meet and greet, and get treats from, the proprietors and patrons of these establishments.
Use clicker training to reward her most confident behavior, despite sharp noises, quick children, and unfamiliar dogs.
If your puppy is frightened by a noise or a strange dog or human, ignore her fear. If you reassure her, she’ll mistake that reassurance for reward of her fearful behavior. Disregard this behavior, and save the rewards for the time when she sheds the fearful display.
Don’t force a puppy to take part in a scenario that is causing fear. Instead, talk to the stranger, or stand tall in the face of a noisy motor, and she will take a cue from you. When she finally does relax and join in, click and offer a reward.
Often, dog owners aren’t able to find the time or the physical energy to get their puppies out into the world. In these cases, it’s important that these dog owners invite visitors to their homes to meet their puppies, and that they hire a dog walker or top dog trainer to escort the puppy on jaunts around the great wide world. If these measures aren’t taken, the puppy will grow to be a reclusive dog who is fearful of visitors, vet visits, etc.
Every time you take your puppy for a ride, or a walk, or meander through a crowd of people with her, she’s gaining the confidence that’s necessary to be a calm, friendly adult dog.
You know how it feels to walk into a party full of people you don’t know. It can be disconcerting, and can cause anxiety. Your dog experiences these same feelings in unfamiliar situations, so make it your mission to introduce your puppy to the world, early on. Your dog obedience training success, and your dog human relationship, will thank you.
Learn more about puppy training. Stop by the Fast and Easy Dog Training site where you can find out all about dog training and what it can do for you and your dog.









