Is there one thing that you can do that will help your puppy to be a friendly, more stable, easier to train dog? Is there just one thing that you can do that will reduce the chances of your puppy becoming aggressive to other dogs, or people, including kids? Is there just one thing that you can do with your puppy that will make him much happier and less fearful?

Yes.

What is that one thing?

Socialization. Socialization is the absolute best thing you can do with your young puppy. Puppies have a socialization period where they are like little sponges. They are taking in a lot of information into their young brains and becoming familiar with their world. The socialization period that all puppies go through is a window of opportunity for you to expose your puppy to a lot of different sights, sounds, smells, and people. Expose your puppy to as many different things as you possibly can.

Puppies that are not properly socialized sometimes become fearful and aggressive. The best time to socialize your pup is from eight weeks to four months old. During that time I always advise puppy owners to bring their pups into the woods hiking, into the city for a walk around some busy streets. Take a trip to the beach or a lake. Bring your pup for a friendly visit to the vet’s office and the groomers.

It is also a great time to start obedience training. The younger the puppy starts training the easier it is to train the dog. Waiting until the puppy is six months old is a terrible myth. If your pup is brought home at eight weeks old and you wait until the sixth month you have lost four valuable months of training time. There is also a good chance that in those four months your dog will have developed some behavior problems like jumping that could have been avoided if training had started earlier.

Start socializing your puppy today. You and your puppy will be much happier.