Training

5 Reasons Why Puppy Socialization is Important for You and Your Dog

Emma, Albert and Stanley’s main “job” is to provide companionship. Once a week, they work as models and pose for photographs. Dogs serve a variety of functions to benefit their owners, such as hunting, livestock guarding, alerting to the presence of intruders, and herding. In modern western societies, often dogs’ principal “responsibility” is merely to provide companionship to their owners. As you may know, dogs are fantastic at this role and have performed it extremely well for centuries.

The ability of a dog to successfully perform a role of a companion pet is profoundly dependent on the development of a successful dog–owner relationship. Appropriate preparation for this important role starts with early socialization. Puppy socialization not only is essential in the development of well-adjusted adult dogs but can facilitate a positive lifelong relationship with a devoted owner.

Puppy socialization is the process of safely exposing a puppy to many of the types of experiences, people, and objects that the dog will likely encounter over the course of its life while ensuring that the puppy finds these experiences pleasant. Socialization must begin early in the dog’s life within a few days of birth and should extend well into adulthood. It needs to occur in a controlled setting to help the puppy associate these new encounters with positive experiences. If socialization is performed appropriately, the new experiences will help reduce the likelihood of the dog developing a problematic behavior in the future. However, if socialization is not well controlled, it could result in undesirable adult behavior.  To learn more about socialization, I would start by asking your veterinarian about proper socialization practices.

Dogs that are appropriately socialized as puppies:

🐾   are less likely to display behavioral problems as adults

🐾   are more likely to engage in positive social behaviors with people

🐾   can learn how to play games with people better than dogs without proper socialization

🐾   can establish a positive lifelong relationship with their owner

🐾   have a strong foundation for a long, healthy life with a devoted owner

The scientific research indicates that socialization is crucial to ensure a well-behaved adult dog that is well-suited to living with humans in modern day society.

You Might Also Like

No Comments

    Leave a Reply