Duchess is practicing her stays at the local feed store.  She is 3 months old.

Currently there is a little ‘challenge’ going around social media to do 30 days / 30 places with your dog.  I love this idea for new owners. Everyone knows they should socialize their puppy, but what exactly does that mean?  People who compete in sports understand it more than the average pet owner, which is where this challenge idea stemmed from.  I felt it was a great time to go over what I believe puppy socialization should be and how to add it into your routine.

Puppy socialization is exposure to everything a dog will experience in their lifetime, but handled in a safe manner.  You want your puppy to have only good experiences.  Do not limit your thoughts to people and animals.  It should include so much more. Here is my personal list of things to expose your puppy to once their second set of vaccinations have been  completed.

1.  Outside spaces:  Expose your new puppy to as many different outside places as you can.  Fields, streams, woods, lakes, parks, farms, hiking trails, suburban walks, urban areas, construction areas (safe ones!) so they can see large equipment, restaurants with outside seating, farmers markets, outdoor malls and shopping areas that are pet friendly are good options to start.  Visit as many of these places as you can both during the day and at night.  There is a vast differences in how your dog might behave walking in the parking lot at PetSmart during the day vs at night.  Different surfaces are also important.  Dirt, high grass, metal grating, swinging bridge, steps both open back and closed, sand, rocks, wood, debris, big pile of leaves or mulch, ditch, etc.

2.  Indoor spaces: Bring your new puppy to as many indoor spaces as you can will help them to learn getting out is more than trips to the groomer or vet.  Some good options that are generally pet friendly are: Home Depot, Lowes, feed stores, pet stores, Macy’s, Bass Pro, Cabelas, and local pet friendly hotels.  Hotels often have elevators, which is useful for exposing dogs to something they do not see every day.  Do a search for your city to see if there are other pet friendly places you can use.  Some cities are more pet friendly than others, so check your local stores.  You should also visit your local vet and groomers on days when the dog will not be seen.

3. Every day activities:  If you have something the puppy will be expected to do from time to time, exposing them to it daily during the first month will save your sanity.  Some handy things we train our dogs to do during the first month while waiting for that second vaccination are:

• Standing to get their paws wiped.  This is great for when it rains or if they play in the water during a hike
• Getting in the shower or tub.  Take treats and ask them to get in once a day.
• Laying on the grooming table or couch for brushing.  They need to know there are times when they should chill.
• Getting use to the blow dryer.  I toss my pups up on a chair or counter and just blow the dryer on their hair for a few seconds.  My dogs come running when the blow dryer comes on, they enjoy it so much.
• Not crossing a threshold without an invitation.  From day one my guys wait to go outside until I tell them to go.  Front door is a total NO GO.  If you start this from day one, you will never have a door bolter.
• Taking a nap in their crate without fussing.  They need to learn sometimes they get crated at the whim of the humans.
• Sitting or acting calm before meals.
• Trading me items for something more valuable. I don’t chase my dogs down when they get something they shouldn’t have.  I praise them for picking something up, then march them into the kitchen for a treat or better toy like a stuffed bone.  You will have a happy helper in NO TIME!
• Potty on leash.  Many people have a nice yard and never think to teach their dog to potty on a string.  If you end up having to travel with your dog someday, you will thank me later for this little suggestion.
• Full body check.  Open the mouth and check teeth, run fingers on teeth and between gums and cheek.  Check ears and wipe out.  Pull on tail and have the puppy put their tail up and down.  Mess with toes and nails without trimming.  Squeeze paws.  Move joints.  Lay dog on back and teach them to relax between your legs.
• Loud things.  Drills, saws, shop vac, vacuum cleaners, mixer, food processor, loud music, dropped pans, broom, lawn mower, weed eater, slammed door, etc.
• Funny clothing.  People wearing hats, mask, wigs, robes, dresses, etc.
• Child items like bikes, scooters, go carts, skate boards, etc.  If you are lucky, you purchased a puppy from a breeder with kids, so these things will be much loved by your new puppy already.

4. Meeting lots of people.  Males, females, kids, toddlers, elderly, people with beards, no hair, different skin pigmentation, tattoos, mannerisms, etc.   This is important.  Visiting all the places listed above should help with this.  The one thing most people miss is having visitors come to their home.  A dog might be perfectly fine out in public, but really uncomfortable when new people come into their home.  Asking friends and family to stop in for a visit is a great way to combat this inborn protective trait.  Leash the puppy and do not allow them to run roughshod over the visitors.  Give the visitors some yummy treats and ask them to have the puppy sit for the treat, then give love.  Once the new has worn off let them play with the puppy and interact, but again let the puppy drag their leash so you can control the situation.

5.  Lastly, doggy socialization.  You do not need much of this and what you give is extremely important.  You can give your puppy play dates with other dogs, but it is best to limit those play dates to adult dogs who are mentally sound and good at teaching manners.  Taking your puppy over to your friends home who has an extremely tolerant adult dog that allows your puppy to be obnoxious is NOT good socialization.  Taking your puppy to play with another puppy where they escalate play to almost aggression doesn’t help them learn manners.  You are better off letting them play a bit, but putting them in time out when they rough.  Switch to training the puppy in those situations.  Doggy daycares are good IF you have a daycare that supervises their dog play and has a clue about dog behavior.  If the play area is run by a bunch of teenagers, walk away.  Dog parks are not something I ever suggest.  I take my dogs to a dog park if no one is there, so they can sniff and run around, but not interact with other dogs.  The thing you need to understand is your dog loves you and your family.  He doesn’t need a bunch of doggy friends.  Most dogs will have very little contact with other dogs in their life.  What they need to learn is:

• Other dogs are not out to eat them.  The best way to teach this is to not allow them to be eaten by another dog.  One bad experience as a puppy will destroy their confidence and make them feel all other dogs are dangerous. You insure they have only good experiences by seriously limiting their dog / dog interaction.
• You are always there to help and protect them.  If a dog is running towards your dog, place your body between them and the other dog.  Yell and stomp to stop the other dog.  Never allow another dog to bully your dog, and do not allow your dog to be a bully.  I have to manage River to this day.  I had to manage Merlot his entire life.  Some dogs just have that personality.  If you end up with a dog like River or Merlot, just know that dog will never be a safe playmate for other dogs and that is OK!  They are not bad dogs, they are simply not doggy socialites and have a large personal space bubble.  If your dog is a social butterfly, you need to understand many other dogs are not!

Now, you might look at this list and feel it is unattainable with your current lifestyle.  It can be much harder to complete during the hot summers, where temperatures make it unsafe for dogs to travel around town, but during the winter, there is no real limitations.  Sample day.

1. Wake up and take puppy outside.  Grab the leash on top of the crate and put it on them for this quick potty trip.  They need to go bad, so there won’t be any hesitation about having the leash on for potty time.
2. Wipe pups paws before entering house.
3. Go prepare puppy’s breakfast.  Let the baby run around for a minute.  If puppy is watching you, ask puppy to do a behavior and give them a small bite.  Take the puppy to the shower and ask them to go in.  Give them a couple bites for being so smart.
4. Let them eat breakfast while you shower, but ask them to sit before putting the bowl down.
5. While you are blow drying your hair, you can scoop up the puppy and have them get a little blow dry fun too!  Make it a game.
6.  Take the puppy outside for a second potty trip.  This time ask them to sit before going outside and crossing the threshold.  Take a toy to play a minute with them after they potty.  Give them the “poop” word when they eliminate.  This teaching them the different between pee and poop.  Poodles can do either on command most of the time with a little training.  The key is pairing the word with the action.  Don’t ask them to do it, just say the word while they are doing it for a month or two.  They will learn what it means.  Get Busy, Do your Business, Hurry up, Potty Time, etc are good choices.
7. Put the puppy in his pen / crate while you finish up morning duties and cannot watch him.  Give him a chewy to keep him busy.
8. If you have school age kids, toss the puppy in the car for drop off time.  Put a crate in the car and make them use it while they are little.  Take the puppy while you go grocery shopping and have him wait in the car.  Take the puppy when you go buy pet food.  If over 12 weeks, take the puppy inside with you.  Same with hardware stores, coffee shops, farmers markets.  If you can reasonably take the puppy on an errand, do it!

I covered 8 things in one short hour of a morning.  Stop and think how can you use a task you need to do already to teach your puppy something is fun.  You don’t need to do everything on this list every day, but if you set aside 5 minutes a day to train, plus add the puppy into daily routine and errands, your dog will be super easy to live with in no time flat and be able to handle any situation life my toss at them!

~Becky