Since the holidays seem to be a time when people tend to give puppies as a gift to a child or to an adult, it is necessary for the individual to realize how important it is to socialize the puppy.
The most important time in a puppy's life is the period between 4 weeks to 16 weeks of age.
During this period of sensitivity, puppies are more open to forming social relationships than in any other period of their lives.
For a puppy during this period, people who are unfamiliar can become friends within a short period of time with friendly interaction.
They are more apt to make friends not only with people, but also with other dogs and animals.
Without this interaction many dogs become shy and unresponsive to meeting new people and other animals.
My neighbor has a wonderful puppy that is part poodle and part Yorkshire Terrier.
He is adorable, but due to the fact he has only known his two pet parents and has had no interaction with others until he was about 8 months old he is extremely shy and reserved around other people.
As the puppy matures, social relationships become harder and sometimes a dog will not relate to anyone (dogs and people included.
) The lack of socialization and genetics can make it impossible for a dog to relate to anyone that is not familiar.
Why is this a problem?Well, in the real dog world, there comes a time when a dog has to go into unfamiliar surroundings.
For example, seeing the veterinarian or the dog groomer, these are people who need to handle the dog in certain ways.
You maybe able to hug and pet your dog, look at its ears and even open its mouth, but what about a stranger trying to do that?Many vets have told pet owners not to bring their dogs back because the dog was so unfamiliar with someone else handling it, it became aggressive.
It is important that your puppy grows into a dog that allows itself to be handled not only by its vet, but the groomer, boarding kennel staff or any day care givers you may need in the future.
So how do you go about doing this? The socialization experience should include not only people holding your precious charge, but they should be allowed to touch their feet, put a collar and leash on them, look into their ears, open their mouths, pet them on their heads and give them hugs.
Starting out at an early age will familiarize the puppy with the experience and help mold your precious bundle of fur into a dog that will not only be easy to handle, but will become much more socially acceptable.
How many people will it take to achieve this?It depends on the dog, for some being around ten people will be more than enough, for some it may take 20 or more it depends a lot on genetic tendencies and the breed.
Rough handling and an attitude that a puppy must tolerate this or that in handling can do more harm than good.
In the sensitive period of 4 weeks to 16 weeks, where most of the lessons in life are learned by a puppy, you too must be sensitive to your puppy's needs.
In raising a child, you, as an adult realize it takes patience to teach good manners to your child as it grows.
Well, in raising a puppy to become a good dog, your patience is also required along with taking the puppy out to meet new experiences.
The time you spend in this crucial period with your puppy, teaching it the ways of the world, will return to you many times over by having a dog that is comfortable in its world and socially acceptable.