When we bring our new puppies home they must learn new smells, friends and sounds. Our new puppies are often easily over stimulated. Remember, just like a small baby, they need several naps a day! We often find our puppies very inquisitive and fun as they learn their new surroundings at about 10 weeks of age. This is what we all expect in our new family member!

Then at about 16 weeks of age, things change for our puppies. In the wild, this is when a mother would begin to push her puppies away a bit and encourage them to be more independent. Puppies that remain curious and friendly wouldn’t survive for very long. By nature, after 16 weeks of age, our puppies begin to seek things with much more caution and suspicion. They often become fearful of what they have not encountered before. This means that we have a small window of opportunity to introduce our puppies to many new sights, smells and most importantly, sounds!

This process of introductions is known as Socialization. Some people think it only involves meeting other dogs. While that is a large part of socialization, it is only one part of the equation. Slowly introducing our puppies to the world we live in is vastly important. Even if you are providing your puppy with ample love and attention, he still needs to be introduced to new situations in a controlled fashion. It is IMPORTANT, when you introduce your puppy to new places and people, that you be CALM AND CONFIDENT. If you are worried about your puppies feelings, than he or she will be worried too. All dogs, even puppies, are exceptional at picking up on our feelings -- whether we’re nervous, anxious, worried or confident.

EXAMPLE: Suppose you are walking your dog down a street and a fire truck goes racing by with it’s sirens screaming. Your puppy becomes frightened barks frantically and pulls away. You lean over in a sweet, soft voice and tell your puppy “It’s ok, come here, I will carry you.” Or, “Poor baby, did that big mean truck scare you?” All the while you stroke his or her fur. While the puppy doesn’t understand your words, he does know you just showered him with love and affection and rewarded him for cowering and barking. Even though you didn’t mean to, you just taught your puppy to bark and cower at loud noises.

What if on the other hand you ignored his or her reaction, didn’t even look at him or her and just kept walking. He or she would only feel your confidence on the lead and assume “if my leader is confident, I will be too”. Remember later to give your puppy a treat or affection when he remains calm during a sound. Many of us don’t react or reward our puppies when they act calmly. Why is this? Remember to REWARD the behavior you want. This will give your dog confidence as he or she learns how you expect him or her to behave.

Please do not think you can just isolate your puppy from the world, as this will increase your puppies fears and anxiety which will eventually control his life.

Finally, knowing your dogs breed characteristics will help you better shape his behavior. For example, German Shepherds may be more protective, something you will want to be aware of and handle at an early age if necessary. Boarder Collies are sensitive to sounds and trained to respond to them. Shelties are great for letting you know when there is an intruder in the area, therefore barking is a part of their make-up. Each breed has unique personality traits, and it helps to understand them.

So introducing your puppy to many new environments with positive associations is key to having a happy and balanced dog! I hope you found this information helpful. And, don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. I’m here to help!