Bringing out the best in your pet

Most people get a puppy with the thought that with good care and lots of love “Puppy” will grow into a social, happy companion.  However leaving a puppy’s future social behavior to chance may end badly when Puppy grows up to be shy, unsocial or worse fear aggressive.  When it comes to raising a puppy an owner needs some knowledge of behavior and a good plan.

Is It In the Genes?

Often people want to believe a dog’s temperament is “all how they are raised”.  However, this is not true.  Much of your dog’s temperament is inherited.  Breeds of dogs were created to have not only specific looks but certain temperaments.  Some breeds were selected for being outgoing, some for being suspicious, some for guarding, some for fighting and so on.  Hundreds of years of selective breeding for certain traits can’t be changed with love and good care.

Puppy’s parents also factor in. If the breed is usually outgoing but one or both of the parents is shy, chances are the puppies will be more like the parents then the norm for their breed.

Early Beginnings Count Too!

What happens to your dog early in life is nearly as important to his temperament as what is in his genes. Puppies should  be exposed to the world in a positive way (dog trainers call this “socialization”). Knowledgable breeders arrange for both adult and children to visit their puppies, provide their puppies with plenty of different toys, introduce their puppies to a variety of surfaces and obstacles and expose them to normal household activity.  New owners are then instructed on continuing socialization. While puppies with genetically strong temperaments can often overcome lack of early socialization, puppies with softer or more timid personalities may never recover from a lack of early socialization.

Choosing Wisely

When choosing a puppy from a litter regardless of who you are getting your puppy from, you must choose wisely.  If the person who has the puppy is knowledgable (such as a devoted breeder or educated rescuer) ask their opinion of the individual puppies’ personalities.  Look for an outgoing puppy who readily approaches you and seems interested in people.  Puppies of all breeds should be happy to see people, confident and fun loving.

The Rest is Up to You

So you now have a happy puppy with a sound temperament.  Raising a well adjusted dog doesn’t stop there!  Over the next few months socialization and early training are imperative if you want to ensure your puppy grows into a well adjusted, social dog. This is even more important if you brought home a puppy with unsocial parents and/or a less then great start.  Enroll your puppy in a positive based puppy training class and plan for lots of socializing between classes.

For ideal  socialization, depending on your puppy’s breed and temperament, aim for between seventy and one hundred positive exposures by the time your puppy is 5 months old. This isn’t as overwhelming as it may sound. One trip to a neighborhood park and your puppy may be exposed to men, women, children , baby strollers, bikes, skateboards, playgrounds, strange surfaces, a car ride and a new environment. That’s at least ten exposures in just one place on one outing!  When exposing him to new situations or environments, treat him often to encourage him to explore or reward brave behavior.  Ask people to offer puppy a treat when he greets them. Treating often keeps the exposure positive.

Don’t rule out socializing your dog to certain things because it won’t be part of his adult life.  Socializing is more about exposing your dog in a positive way to many different people, places and things.  In doing this you are teaching him how to be confident in new places, be calm around strangers and be comfortable even with things he thinks are strange.  Simply put, socialization teaches your dog that there is no need to panic when he comes across something “out of the ordinary”.  For health reasons avoid taking your very young puppy places where lots of strange dogs of unknown health may be.  Also avoid taking your puppy any place where you will be unable to control interactions.

Getting Started

Making a list will help keep you motivated since many times one trip will allow you to check off many spots. You can check off people, places, things or add new ones until you reach your goal.  Here are fifty socialization  ideas to help get you started:

• General People: elderly, mailmen, UPS person, different ethnic groups, people with hats, with umbrellas or other objects
• Men: with beards, tall, heavy, with coats, with glasses, bald
• Woman: tall, heavy, carrying babies, with dresses, glasses, wearing perfume
• Children: all ages, groups, alone, at play
• Places: parks, vet, groomer, stores, playgrounds, festivals, outdoor cafe, bank, puppy training class, friend’s house (arrange a sleepover to teach him to be away from home!)
• Other Animals: puppies, friendly dogs, livestock, cats and other small pets
• Surfaces: tile, metal, wooden, plastic
• Things: agility obstacles, noises of all kinds, walks, sudden movements from people/objects such as flapping plastic or fabric, kids playing and pots being dropped in the kitchen.