Socializing a Puppy
Regardless of your puppy’s age, his ability to stay calm and remember his manners around people will be determined by three variables: breed influences, socialization experience, and your example. Even though your puppy’s breed drives are predetermined, you can vastly shape the future through socialization and positive modeling.
Socializing a young puppy (6 to 14 weeks)
A brand-new puppy is easy to condition and socialize because he’s unsure of himself and how best to react to new situations. Most puppies look to their people to direct and translate new situations. How you greet and interact with people from all walks of life are his greatest examples.
When welcoming new visitors, allow your puppy to approach them on his own terms rather than thrusting him forward or lifting him up excitedly. If your puppy is unsure, let him hang back and encourage your visitors to wait for him to approach them.
As the weeks pass, your puppy will feel more a part of your household and be more interactive when new situations arise. If your puppy begins to jump or mouth you or your company, kneel down next to your puppy and brace him by clipping your thumb gently under his collar.
Hold your puppy in a sitting position whether you’re greeting him or someone is approaching you. Command “Say hello” as you or an admirer pats your puppy. With this command and positioning, you’re teaching your puppy to stay on all four paws when interacting with people!
Credit: Illustration by Barbara Frake
Bracing reassures your young puppy when meeting unfamiliar people.
If your puppy is fearful or tense, ask the person to shake a treat cup and treat him so that he shapes a new and more positive outlook. In addition, ask the person to approach your puppy from the side or to kneel down. A straight-on, head-to-head greeting can easily overwhelm a nervous puppy, who’ll interpret the approach as threatening.
Shaping up older puppies
Is your older pup out of control or poorly conditioned to greeting new people? He’s not a lost cause. He may become hyper when the doorbell rings, react defensively to men in uniform, or act warily around toddlers, but you can reshape his focus with patience, ingenuity, and calm consistency.
Condition your puppy to a leash and collar and keep these items on him when meeting new people. Use the leash to guide your puppy, as if you’re holding a young child’s hand. If your puppy is having an extreme reaction, bring him behind you and ask the people to ignore him. Wait a few minutes until your puppy calms down as you condition him to look to and reflect your reaction.
Regardless of your puppy’s pre-established habits, remember these points when introducing your puppy to new situations and people:
Whoever is in front is in charge.
A confident and calm body posture conveys authority and self-assurance.
A steady voice encourages your puppy to listen to your direction.
Your puppy will repeat anything that gets attention — he doesn’t care whether the interaction is negative or positive. Reactionary puppies need a human example of confidence. Convey it with clear direction and a calm, upright body posture.
Use the following training practices to recondition your pup to life’s everyday interactions:
Anytime your puppy gets overexcited, displace his enthusiasm by offering him a bone or toy and then calmly placing him on a leash.
If someone is entering or knocking at the door, bring your puppy behind you or secure him to something immovable until he’s calmed down. Make sure you’ve offered him a toy to hold or a bone to chew.
Ignore your puppy (and make sure everyone else ignores him) until he has fully calmed down. Though ignoring his initial vocalizations and spasms may be difficult, he’ll soon discover that a relaxed posture gets immediate attention.
If your puppy is defensive or fearful, put a head collar or no-pull harness on him. These collars automatically condition and relax your puppy as you handle him on a leash because they don’t strain or jerk at his neck.
Dogs Glossary
A-B-C assessment
Checking a dog’s airway, breathing, and circulation.
Dogs Glossary
animal shelter
1. An animal control agency run by local government to protect people from animals, take in strays, and manage animal issues and problems within the community. 2. A privately run shelter managed by individuals who want to protect, advocate for, and find homes for animals.
Dogs Glossary
BARF diet
A method of feeding dogs as closely as possible what they would eat in the wild: raw flesh and bones, along with vegetable matter from the stomachs of their prey. The acronym stands for either Bones and Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.
Dogs Glossary
blow out
A twice-yearly shedding of a dog’s undercoat.
Dogs Glossary
blue slip
An application to register a purebred puppy.
Dogs Glossary
breeder
A person who raises, sells, and often shows dogs of a specific breed. Reputable breeders screen parent dogs in an effort to produce healthy dogs that conform to breed standards.
Dogs Glossary
castrate
The removal of a male dog’s testicles to render him infertile.
Dogs Glossary
clicker
A small hand-held device that makes a sharp cracking sound when pressed. Paired with a food reward, an effective dog-training tool.
Dogs Glossary
cohesive bandage
A stretchy wrap that clings to itself used to cover and secure gauze bandages without tape.
Dogs Glossary
come into season
The advent of a female dog’s term of fertility.
Dogs Glossary
dead ring
The stationary ring on a training collar that pulls on the collar, not the dog’s neck.
Dogs Glossary
double coat
Two layers of fur — a top coat of stiff guard hairs and an undercoat that serves as insulation.
Dogs Glossary
dropped ears
The term for hanging or drooping dog ears.
Dogs Glossary
Elizabethan collar
A wide, cone-shaped plastic or cardboard collar that prevents a dog from being able to scratch her head. Used to prevent further injury or hasten healing.
Dogs Glossary
euthanize; put to sleep
To kill an animal to relieve suffering.
Dogs Glossary
fall
Hair that extends over a dog’s eyes.
Dogs Glossary
feathering
Long hair that runs from armpit to paw on the backs of a dog’s legs.
Dogs Glossary
free-feeding
Keeping a constant supply of dog food available so that the dog can decide when and how much to eat. It works best in single-dog households where there’s no competition for food.
Dogs Glossary
heartworms
Parasites that live in dogs’ hearts and cause heart failure. They’re transferred through mosquito bites.
Dogs Glossary
heat
The period when a female dog is fertile.
Dogs Glossary
heel
A command and position in which a dog walks at your left side staying with you as you change direction or pace.
Dogs Glossary
hip dysplasia
A painful malformation of a dog’s hip socket. Some breeds are genetically predisposed to the condition.
Dogs Glossary
hot spot
A localized area of skin infection. It’s usually round, red, and warm to the touch.
Dogs Glossary
live ring
The floating ring of a training collar. Attach a leash to this ring for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
neuter
A general term to describe either spaying or castrating a dog to render it infertile. Neutering and castrating are often used interchangeably.
Dogs Glossary
pantaloons
The tufts of hair on the backs of a long-haired dogs legs that make him look like he’s wearing bloomers.
Dogs Glossary
pedigree
A diagram of a dog’s ancestors for three or more generations that lists the registered names of the dogs and the titles they earned.
Dogs Glossary
pinch collar
A training collar with interlocking prongs that pinch a dog’s neck when tugged on. Some veterinarians recommend them above all other collars for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
praise
A verbal reward for a dog , such as an enthusiastic “good dog!”
Dogs Glossary
prong collar
A training collar with interlocking prongs that pinch a dog’s neck when tugged on. Some veterinarians recommend them above all other collars for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
pulse
Normal dog pulse is between 70 and 120 beats per minute. The pulse of a puppy ranges from 120 to 160 beats per minute.
Dogs Glossary
puppy mill
A place that supplies puppies to pet stores, usually without screening for possible genetic defects or properly socializing the puppies.
Dogs Glossary
registration certificate
The paper certifying a dog’s registration with an accredited organization.
Dogs Glossary
registration slip
An application to register a purebred puppy.
Dogs Glossary
release word
A word that lets a dog know that she is free to move.
Dogs Glossary
rescue group
A network of animal lovers who rescue and find new homes for their favorite breeds or animals.
Dogs Glossary
reward
To give a dog a treat for a correct response while he’s still in the desired position.
Dogs Glossary
ruff
The long, thick fur around a dog’s chest, shoulders, and neck.
Dogs Glossary
separation anxiety
A condition in which your dog becomes anxious and stressed when you leave him.
Dogs Glossary
shed
A twice-yearly process of casting off the undercoat in a double-coated dog.
Dogs Glossary
single coat
A single layer of hairs that comprises a dog’s fur.
Dogs Glossary
spay
To remove of both the uterus and the ovaries of a dog to render her infertile.
Dogs Glossary
stripping
Plucking the dead hairs from a dog’s coat.
Dogs Glossary
titer tests
Tests that check a dog’s immunity levels to determine exactly which vaccinations are needed.
Dogs Glossary
top coat
The top layer of a double-coated dog composed of stiff guard hairs that tend to be naturally water-repellant. The top coat protects the dog’s skin and undercoat.
Dogs Glossary
training collar
A collar that enables you to guide your dog and to check her as necessary — a brief, sharp tug tightens the collar around the dog’s neck.
Dogs Glossary
treat cup
A plastic container filled with small treats or dog food. Shake it and give treats from it as a reward as you train a dog.
Dogs Glossary
undercoat
Fleecy or downy fur shorter than the top layer of a double-coated dog. The undercoat serves as insulation.
