Dog Socialization Tips

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No man is an island and the same can be said for dogs so here are some dog socialization tips to help you keep your pet happy. This is something that you should think about from the first few months of a dog’s life because this will challenge him to adapt to new situations.

Is Socialization Needed?

According to recent studies the lack of socialization in pets will lead to some serious behavioral issues such as aggression toward unknown individuals. If they become fixated on a single person for their entire life then that pet will probably have anxieties, phobias and a bad temperament when interacting with someone new.

 When to Socialize

Between three weeks of age and three months is a crucial period for a puppy to interact with as many new individuals and places as possible. This will certainly keep him interested and excited, but what is more important is that your pet will start learning how to behave.

Until the age of three months a dog is really open to new things and that is when he learns about different noises, places, body language and that is when they should start bonding with different persons or dogs.

A Dog’s socializing Needs

Try to put your dog in the presence of many types of animals and see how they react. Watch what they do when they interact with children. See if they react differently to elderly people, men with beards or deep voices and to people with dark skin.

If you observe the body language of your pet carefully you should realize when something is making him uncomfortable so don’t force your dog to interact when he doesn’t want to. Make sure the dogs they see are vaccinated and well behaved before taking your pet to them.

If the dog interacts with children make sure they are friendly to one another, because children can be unpredictable and might scare your pet into doing rash things. Your dog should get used to being touched from an early age so that you can take care of his teeth, hair and ears, so this activity should begin from an early age.

Each time you see him reacting favorably to a situation make sure you praise him and give him treats, while if the reactions are bad (play-biting, barking or jumping up) then you should ignore him during that time because that is the best way for him to learn that what he’s doing isn’t appreciated.

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