The Season for Socializing

Get your pup ready for summer by improving their social skills

Whether you have a new puppy or an older pet, socialization is an important part of a dog’s overall lifestyle. With summer approaching, pet owners can get a jump on the seasonal festivities ahead by ensuring your dog is socialized! Friendly fur babies make it easy to travel as a pack, and It’s A Dog’s World is here to help guide you on your socialization journey. Keep reading to find out quick tips on socializing a puppy, reminding an older dog how to have fun in a group, and what to do if you have a pet that’s displaying aggressive behavior.

Puppy Time
If you’re gearing up for summer with a new puppy, now is the time to begin their social training! Prior to any socialization, be sure to have a conversation with your vet about the appropriate age to start setting paws-ativley fun playdates. Once you have the Doc’s green light (usually around 16 – 18 weeks), it’s time to start socializing your puppy. Obedience training is the first step to successful socialization, and while your dog is putting in time to learn basic commands you can also take them on planned trips or invite friends over to your home. Talk to loved ones with good-natured dogs and arrange for visits where the puppy can practice basic commands while around older, wiser pups. This will help when eventually taking your puppy to public parks, family gatherings, and beach days! Check out It’s A Dog’s World’s Basic Obedience classes to get them started off on the right paw.

Reintroducing Your Older Pet
Adult and older dogs with good social skills can often handle group settings after a span of time spent mostly at home or on nearby sidewalks. Keeping that in mind, why not set them up for success? Before heading to the family reunion, head to the park. Keep your pup on leash and remind them of good behaviors such as politely saying hello to passersby and employing good obedience skills. Even the best of dogs sometimes need a chance to re-acclimate to large groups so be sure to ease them in with a few preparatory visits to parks and friends’ homes.

Aggressive Pups
Dogs with aggressive behavior need specialized attention. Do not try to socialize an aggressive dog without consulting a professional trainer. Results vary on a dog-by-dog basis when it comes to helping an aggressive pup, so never put them in a situation that could be a danger to the dog or someone else. With time, perseverance, and consistency, an aggressive dog can make improvements.

Pro Tips:

• Never attempt to start socializing a dog at a dog park. Instead, try the aforementioned suggestions of friend’s home or neighborhood parks (always on leash).
• Before taking your dog to a new place, make sure that dogs are allowed.
• If your dog starts displaying nervous, fearful or aggressive behavior, remove them from the situation immediately.
• Socialization is a way of life! If you want a well socialized, well behaved pup it’s important to keep them engaged year-round.

For more information on basic obedience and Yappy Hour social groups, visit www.ItsADogsWorld.biz.