Bringing home a new puppy can be one of the most exciting experiences but along with it comes a list of responsibilities.
One of the most important steps is the proper socialization of your puppy.
When you bring home a new puppy you are adding a new member to your family.
Like children, puppies have a lot of energy, bounce and are very happy creatures.
And, just like children, they need a lot of interaction with others to help them become friendly creatures.
Your puppy needs to learn to socialize from the moment you bring them home.
Socialization is the process of interacting your puppy with other dogs, animals and humans.
In addition to this, it allows them to get used to other sights, sounds and smells outside your home.
Socialization is the most important thing you can do for your puppy, along with vaccinating them.
Socialization is important as it reduces the amount of anxiety and behavioural problems they may experience if they are not introduced to others.
If you bring up your puppy to be well socialized then you reduce the possibility of them becoming angry and aggressive.
Even if your dog is not aggressive, a dog which experiences a lot of anxiety and fear means that they don't have a very good quality of life.
Therefore, it is essential that your puppy is socialized from a very young age.
As soon as your puppy has been given all their relevant vaccinations it is time to start socializing your puppy.
The best way to socialize your puppy is to introduce a few new sights, sounds and other dogs one at a time.
Take him for a walk down a different street, perhaps to a new high populated street, a different park etc.
Allow him to sniff and interact with other dogs he may meet along the way.
Do not be anxious yourself as your puppy will pick up on it and become frightened themselves.
Allow playtime between your puppy and a friend's dogs, but always supervise playtime and don't let it get out of hand.
Socializing your puppy is the greatest thing you can do for your puppy.
It is the gift of letting them be what they should be - the perfect, friendly, happy pet.
Thank you for reading and please remember, socialization can be one of the most important step in raising a healthy and well balanced dog.
You cannot afford to skip this step.