Articles

How To Make Your Puppy Feel 'At Home'!

Owner
Matthew
Coming out of the snuggled and protected environment of a mother's womb to face the world denotes a magnanimous transformation in a puppy's environment. Helping these truly adorable creatures socialize with the rest of the world is a crucial step in finding a place for them amongst people and other dogs. You do want your puppy to grow up to be confident and comfortable in it's surroundings - able to meet strangers without cowering, be playful and interactive with new dogs and never aggressive while encountering unfamiliar situations.

Your puppy and new people

Your puppy is going to grow up in a world full of people. Interaction is a natural part of that world. Whether it's the kids next door peeking over the fence, or the UPS deliveryman standing in the front doorway, or friends who have come to visit, you want your puppy to enjoy these encounters and take them all in it's stride. A puppy should be exposed to as many different people as possible while he's still between the ages of 6 - 12 weeks as this would lay the foundational stone for further socializing. Invite friends or neighbors over to meet your new puppy. Make sure they don't use any sudden movements that might startle or frighten your little one.

Make sure your puppy receives praise for accepting any snack that your guests offer. This will help discourage shyness and fear. Take your puppy for walks to the park or to the pet store nearby or about the neighborhood, where it can meet new people. If strangers ask to pet it, make sure you praise your puppy for its impeccable behavior and for remaining calm. Take the puppy to obedience classes, where it'll be around other dogs and people. If your puppy appears to panic in the midst of all the activities, don't force the issue. You can always try again later.

Basically, take advantage of every opportunity to expose your puppy to new people. Each new experience will contribute to its growing and learning process.

Your puppy and other dogs

A puppy very naturally learns to socialize with its siblings first. This interaction helps him learn how to suppress it's craving for biting and develops self-control. It also helps your puppy to playfully canalize all that puppy energy, making it much less hyperactive and destructive around the house.

So what can you do to help your eye-candy after it's left the litter? Puppy kindergarten and puppy training are both fabulous ways to initiate and build it's interaction with other dogs. A local puppy socialization class could also be a good choice. You might also try heading down to your nearest dog park, which is always a great place for your puppy to exercise, while it meets other dogs. Please ensure that all of these outings are full of are fun. After all it's just a tiny little thing that can only take in that much! If none of these seem to work for your puppy or you, try and find a doggy day-care service in your area. You can drop your puppy off on your way to work and let it spend the day playing and interacting with other dogs until you pick it up on your way back home.

Of course you will not have to worry at all if you already have an older dog in the house. Often he'll provide all the recreation and guidance that your new puppy needs.

Your puppy and new situations

The modern world is full of stimuli and unpredictable situations for a puppy. There are car trips, televisions, vacuum cleaners, doorbells, crying babies, fireworks and trips to the vet, music and hundreds of other new experiences for the cute little angel. The more such situations your puppy is exposed to, the better. However, don't throw it into these experiences. Let it deal with them at a pace that is comfortable for it. Also remember not to give it the wrong message by comforting it, when it reacts with fear. This will make it more difficult for your puppy to deal with other new situations.

Socializing your puppy should be a fun-filled process, both for your puppy and yourself. Strive towards your goal with firm conviction and very soon you'll have a calm, confident and friendly companion in your family.

Login Form






Lost Password?
No account yet? Register

Popular Authors

Alexandra
 Jennifer
 Dylan
 Samuel

Popular Articles

Sponsored Links