Introduction to Puppy Socialization - Part 2

Surfaces
You will want to expose puppy to as many different types of surfaces as you possibly can. This is to avoid having issues with things like if you decide to change the tiled floor to hardwood and your dog decides she doesn’t want to walk across it because she’s afraid of it. Or something as simple as a trip to the beach and your dog refuses to walk on sand. Look for different types of flooring to expose puppy to such as carpet, tile, hardwood, stone and linoleum. Look for different types of outdoor surfaces such as tall grass, dirt, mud, sand, gravel, pavement and asphalt.

Weather
Try to expose your puppy to as many different types of weather as you get in your area. Take puppy for walks in the rain, so she gets used to being out in it. This will help avoid the dog who really needs to go to the bathroom in the middle of a rainstorm, but won’t because she doesn’t like the rain. If you can safely be outside during a thunderstorm, do so to de-sensitize puppy to the flashing light and noise.

Dogs that hide in storms are a very common thing. The year we got Izzy was not only a bad year for snowstorms, but also for thunderstorms. We took the opportunity to go outside during the thunderstorms and just hung out on the porch. We’d also hang out with our neighbors in their garage while the storms were going on. Remain calm and act as though there is nothing going on around you. Don’t react to the noise or the flashing light. Because we had that opportunity, thunderstorms don’t phase her in the slightest.

Noise
Expose puppy to all kinds of household noises such as the vacuum, alarm clocks, smoke detectors, blenders, mixers and any other noisy appliance that you can think of. This will save you from incessant barking when you use these things or from having to coax a scared animal out from a hiding spot. Also don’t forget about outside noise as well. Lawnmowers, screaming kids, crowds at neighborhood sporting events such as baseball games, football games, soccer etc. This will get puppy used to people moving, running, kicking things, hitting things, screaming and cheering.

Animals
You should expose your puppy to as many different types of animals as possible with different types of temperaments as possible. Calm dogs, hyper dogs, active dogs, lazy dogs. Cats and other pets as well. Depending on your situation, farm animals – horses, cows, sheep, pigs etc. may be a good idea too.

Do Not Comfort a Dog that is Afraid
It is important to remember that if puppy shows any fear with any new situation, do not coddle her and no cooing. This can’t be stressed enough. Do not speak to her sympathetically and pet her. This has the opposite effect of what you are intending and actually reinforces in her mind that there actually is something to be worried about or afraid of. Do not react to her fear. Dogs go along with their pack leader, which is you. Pack leaders are calm, confident and do not show fear, unless they feel there is something to be worried about. Your puppy will think that there really is something to worry about if you react to her fear. Do not speak to your puppy at this time and do not comfort her. Comfort in a sign of weakness in a dog’s mind. Continue doing what you are doing calmly and confidently as though there is nothing wrong and as though your puppy has not reacted to the situation. Ignore your puppy’s reaction. You puppy will take her cues from you and will learn to trust the feelings that you are projecting. Calmness and confidence is what indicates to a dog that there is nothing to be worried about.

Puppies are a blank slate and it is your job to fill that slate with as many different (positive) experiences as possible to produce a well-adjusted dog. Exposing puppy to everything you possibly can will reduce fear reactions which can cause problems in the future.