loud noises – vacuums, fireworks, traffic, hair dryer, microwave, music, large crowds, etc.
Take your puppy to your friend's houses and invite friends to your house! Once your puppy has grown a little in confidence, try to take them everywhere with you if possible. If you live in a household without children, try and make sure that your puppy gets to meet a variety of sensible children of different ages.
The fact is, “when she's older” will be far too late. Scientifically, here's the reason why: puppies go through a critical socialization period from 6 to 16 weeks of age that will dramatically impact their behavior for the rest of their lives.
When you bring your puppy home, expose him or her to the world. So go ahead and take your pup out with you everywhere you go, and expose it to the sights and sounds of real life: kids playing, cars honking, people talking.
When you first arrive home, ignore your dog completely. This means you do not look at them, do not speak to them, do not pet them. For some pups, even telling them “no,” pushing them off, or asking for a Sit right away is rewarding for them, because they are still getting attention from you!
My preference is to allow your dog to sleep out of a crate around 4-5 months and to be free completely before a year. Your dog should be housetrained; which means you know how long your dog can hold his bladder and he knows how to ask to go outside to go.
According to the American Kennel Club, puppies younger than 10 weeks cannot be left alone for more than an hour. From 3-6 months, they should not be left longer than their age in months (for example, 3-month-old puppies cannot be alone for longer than 3 hours).
Puppies can begin socialization classes as early as 7 to 8 weeks. Veterinarians recommend at least one round of vaccines 7 days before socialization and the first round of deworming. After the first 12 to 14 weeks of your puppy's life, continued socialization and introduction to new environments is important.
Neonatal, Transition, Awareness, and Canine Socialisation: Puppies should be with their mother and littermates for at least seven weeks of age.
The best way to create calm behavior around strangers is to socialize your dog early by exposing him to lots of different people and situations. An older dog that becomes over excited or aggressive around strangers will need to have their behavior corrected and replaced with appropriate calm behaviors.
Onions. Salt. Tobacco products (including e-cigarettes and their refills) Xylitol (a sweetener found in products such as some sugar-free chewing gum, sugar-free candy, cough syrup, mouthwash, and toothpaste)
There is nothing wrong with cuddling and playing with your new puppy, but try to limit picking them up. Continually holding your dog can make them begin to feel as though they are human and can encourage behavior that causes dominance struggles within your home.
Different dog breeds have different energy levels and rates of growth; the growth plates in their joints close at different ages. But do schedule play and exercise time into your puppy's day: a walk around the neighborhood, playing with toys, and time spent bonding go a long way toward expending energy.
Stage 5: Adolescence (6 – 18 months) This can be the most difficult time during a puppy's development – adolescence. Your cute little puppy is becoming a teenager and will start producing hormones which may result in changes in behaviour.
The Critical Puppy Socialization Period (or 'Imprint Period') Dogs go through a critical socialization development period between the age of roughly 3 weeks to 16 weeks. What they learn during this time will imprint on their little brains and have a huge effect on their future behavior.
Socialize them early!
If you follow this advice you will be waiting until roughly sixteen weeks of age before socializing your puppy and this is too late! Puppies go through something called the Critical Socialization Period from six to sixteen weeks of age.
Having a pet sitter or someone you know, such as a friend or neighbour, spend time with your puppy when you're working is a great way to lower the risk of boredom or separation anxiety. If possible, have someone stop by every couple of hours while you're gone if your puppy is younger.
Generally, young puppies need about one-half cup of water every two hours. You'll want to monitor your puppy to make sure he's drinking enough . . . and not too much. Older puppies that have already been weaned generally need between one half ounce and one ounce of water per pound of body weight per day.
That said, for a general guideline, dogs should get a minimum of two hours of dedicated social time with humans or other dogs on a daily basis, which can be broken up into chunks of time over the course of the day.
Relaxed or Wiggly Body and Tail
When a dog is happy, their whole body and tail will look relaxed, and they quite often wiggle! A happy dog's whole body can wag along with their tail. A wriggling dog showing you their belly is likely to be a very happy and comfortable dog.
Using an exercise pen instead of a dog crate for a new puppy is not recommended. The two products are intended for different uses. Many pet parents find that when their puppy is properly crate trained, they enjoy going into their dog crate for naps and downtime.
Just put your puppy in his playpen five minutes before you leave and walk around for 5 minutes so he doesn't associate the playpen with being left alone and then just leave. You can slowly increase the period you leave your puppy in there gradually as he gets used to it.