it's so important that you socialize your puppy safely we all know that the
risk of a dog catching a deadly infectious disease is worse when they
are puppies and have not completed their vaccinations did you know though that
behavioral problems are the number one cause of death in adolescent and young
adult dogs under 3 years of age socialization is key to ensuring your
dog grows up to be free from behavioral problems free from aggression issues and
is not scared of common situations safe socialization is vital for the health
and well-being of your dog stick around to learn more
Hi I'm Dr. Alex Avery from OurPetsHealth.com, helping you and your pet to them healthier happier lives
now it's well known that a young puppies brain is like a sponge they take
everything in they come across in the early weeks of life and file them away
in the normal category nothing to see here no reason to be afraid no need to
get defensive or aggressive this critical period takes place between
about 3 and 12 to 16 weeks of age after this time it becomes progressively
harder to get a pup or adult dog to accept new experiences new objects new
people noises and situations as normal and safe what this means is that a grown
dog that has not come across the situation before it's much more likely
to show signs of fear or aggression compared to a dog who experienced that
situation as a young puppy now the problem of getting your pup to
experience as many different people animals noises vehicles and environments
in this period is that a puppy's vaccination course will generally not be
completed until 16 weeks of age if we leave socialization until they're fully
protected from the likes of parvovirus it will be
too late the critical socialisation period will be over so how can we manage
this risk well in areas where parvovirus distemper hepatitis or rabies and
the like are common the recommendations made it for slightly so in every
instance you should be discussing socialization with your vet even before
your new puppy comes home they will have local knowledge on the opportunities
available to your pup I believe however that the following ten recommendations
will help ensure your dog grows into a well-rounded individual while at the
same time minimizing their risk of disease a number one let's start with
the rule to mix only with healthy dogs that are known to have been fully
vaccinated or healthy puppies that are going through their vaccination program
this will allow them to still meet and play with lots of different breeds and
sizes of dogs it's important than this playtime is supervised though so that
your puppy voice getting an injury from playing with an enthusiastic larger dog
okay so number two is to make sure that your pup meets all your friends and family
these are people who meet your dog regularly throughout their life an early
introduction will help prevent your dog from being scared or aggressive towards
them in the future young children especially can be very scary to an older
dog who has never had to come across them before also think about walking
sticks wheelchairs and any other props that people may need for daily life
these are all things that can scare dogs okay so at number three is to enroll in
puppy classes where all attendees will have been required to have had their
first vaccinations and be healthy well-run structured puppy classes are an
excellent opportunity to socialize with other people and even more puppies they
are also often run by your local vet clinic which really helps them except
going to the vets as a fun experience rather than one to be feared it's often
easy for us vets to know which dogs attended puppy classes even when they
reach old age they always remember where the treats are kept these classes are also a
great opportunity to discuss routine health care and basic training with the
vet team and even go through a basic clinical exam if you handle your dog
over their entire body then they are more likely to accept this being done by a
vet when they are feeling unwell there is little more frustrating as a vet than
being unable to properly provide care to a sick dog because they are just too aggressive
if they love their vet life is easy okay so next up is to explore enclosed
Gardens and properties that have no history of parvovirus this allows
your park to experience different environments and come across different
objects now because parvovirus can live in the soil for a year or more knowing
the history of the property is very important you will also need to consider
local risks as advised to you by your vet okay so number five is to get used
to traveling in different vehicles it can be very tedious having to battle
with your dog because they are scared of going in the car start off with very
short trips or even just sitting in the car with the engine running if you have
different vehicles then alternating between them and also help now driving
around also allows your pup to experience lots of different sights
sounds and smells all adding to the socialization experience experiencing
all the different sounds your dog will come across in daily life is our number
six now this may be loud traffic fireworks gunshots Thunder and crying
babies it can be tricky depending on the time of year to come across all of these
things but if you know that your pet will come across certain noises in the
future and even playing recordings of them will help them accept it doing it
this way also means that you can start off more quietly and slowly just
increase that volume to more realistic levels over a few weeks and this reduces
the chance of a fearful response ok so strategy number seven is while they are
small enough to carry your pup up and down busy streets introduce them to
everyone who shows an interest after all everyone loves making a fuss of a puppy
and so this will allow them to meet lots of different people of different genders
different ethnicities sizes age clothing and more puppies can also be pushed
around in a pram or buggy if they are unable to be carried just make sure that
they are well secured because you don't want them jumping or falling out and
hurting themselves number eight is one for you if you live by the sea walking
on the beach below the high tide line is generally considered safe any
contaminated material is likely to have been washed away by the tide it's also a
great fun place to play and your pup will love it keep an eye out though also
for fishing line and any hooks or baits or other debris that may have been
washed up you don't want your pup to eat something that they really should
avoid okay so my penultimate tip is to start training straight away most
puppies will go to their forever home at around eight weeks of age this
leaves only four weeks of the critical socialization period to work with
come up with a plan before you pick up your pup take some time off work
whatever it takes this is too important an issue to ignore start training the
basics like sit stay and recall early will cement them into your puppy
it will sow the seeds for future training as well as fast-track the
amazing bonds that we form in our pets and last but not least number 10 is to
keep up your socialization effort from the first year of life and beyond you
may not manage to include everything above in the first month together don't
stop learning is a lifelong process and the first year's still a great period to
target it's just not quite as easy as the first three months of our pups life
okay so those are my top tips for safe socialization as for what not to do and
where not to go all costs avoid popular dog exercise areas or places where other
unknown dogs are frequently walked these are hot spots for the spread of all
manner of infectious diseases finally for those of you with shy pups you
should really let them take things at their own pace avoid over stimulation or
forcing them into situations where they are clearly unsure uncomfortable or
afraid forcing them can actually make things worse
and end up with them being scared of these situations in the future instead
scheduled more frequent but shorter length exposure to these problem
situations and they'll soon get over any trepidation just be sure to work at
their pace rather than yours as a final thought if you get a pup later on or if
you're worried that they are developing any behavioral issues it's really
important you speak to a trained professional straightaway now this might
be your vet qualified trainer or a specific animal behaviorist ignoring the
problem it will only make it much harder to correct at a later date behavioral
issues are not something that simply goes away if ignored it will get worse
okay so I hope this video really kickstart you and your puppy's life
together they bring us such joy socialization really isn't too much to
ask if you have any questions if there are any socialization tips that you'd
like to share or topics you'd like covered in future videos
and please leave a comment down below I'd love to hear from you also consider
subscribing to this channel to make sure that you don't miss out on future
content and allow me to continue to help you and your pet to live
happier lives so until next time i'm Dr. Alex from OurPetsHealth.com
because they're family