Socializing Your Dog

Socialization is essential when it comes to providing your dog with all the necessary things he needs, such as food, water, shelter, and love.

What is socialization? Socialization is the process of introducing your dog to new stimuli in order to get him acclimated to strange sounds, smells, people, dogs, and environments. This will help to build his confidence, but also prevent any behavior problems from developing as a result of poor socialization, such as fear aggression, submissive urination, or separation anxiety. Socialization should begin as soon as you get your puppy. Introduce them to sights and sounds around your house before taking them out into the world. Be careful, too, that you don’t jeopardize his health by bringing him to a public place before he has his all of his puppy shots.

One of the best ways to socialize a young dog is to enroll him in doggie daycare. Daycare can provide a wonderful opportunity to expand your dog’s horizons and allow them to learn from other dogs and people. If the doggie daycare has well-trained, experienced, and non-threatening staff, your dog could blossom in the positive environment. Aggressive dogs would not be allowed into daycare immediately; however, with proper training and desensitization, it could happen someday. Daycare can also be useful for the fearful or shy dog, too. Playing with other dogs and people during the say is a very functional way to help your dog come out of his shell. Socializing your dog is so easy and so much fun that a lot of people fail to take it seriously. However, without adequate socialization, your dog may become fearful and is likely to develop two of the most serious and hard-to-resolve problems, biting and fighting. A well-socialized dog may still chase, hump and argue. However, socialization ensures your dog has the requisite social savvy to enjoyably and confidently interact with unfamiliar dogs that he may meet and to resolve arguments with other dogs without doing damage. It is easiest to socialize your dog when he is young, but it is never too late to make him more dog friendly.