unnamed (4)
6 month old goldendoodle and 3 month old Freddy!

Freddy has been going to Puppy Play time on Wednesday nights from 7:30-8:30 at his vet’s office! Last night, he was out of his mind excited and ran straight into the glass door before I could open it!

He is even excited when we go for his shots because he remembers it being a “happy place”- how genius of the staff to organize this puppy program at the animal hospital.

So as he is approaching his last play time (it ends when the puppy is 16 weeks- as they begin to play differently), have I noticed a difference from his first class to now?  Well what actually is puppy socialization?

Socialization is very important when your dog is between 8-16 weeks old. This is when they learn important skills that they will remember as they get older.

Here is a clip of the hand out from one of his first classes:

 What Is Puppy Socialization?

Socialization is the learning process through which a puppy becomes accustomed to being near various people, animals, and environments. By exposing puppies to different stimuli in a positive or neutral way, before they can develop a fear of these things, owners can reduce the likelihood of behavior problems in the future and help build a stronger bond between pets and the rest of the family. The critical time to socialize a puppy is during the first 3 to 4 months of its life.

Why Is Puppy Socialization Important?

Unfortunately, behavior problems remain the top reason that pets are relinquished to animal shelters. Proper socialization will help make puppies more tolerant of changes in their environment and help prevent common behavior problems in the future.

A quick breakdown of his progress:

Play 1: Freddy hiding from the Wheaten Terrier puppy – He was very scared, defensive, in a way,  aggressive. He played “OK” with the other puppies -had a few time outs as the Wheaten and him did not get along! I guess it meant they both were very unsure of who would be the more dominant one. Also, the pups did not look like his litter mates! I was a little discouraged and was worried that I might traumatize him around other dogs! I was a scared mommma :/

Play 2/Take 2: He seemed more comfortable, but still had 1 or 2 time outs when play got too aggressive. The nurses that monitored the play were great! so encouraging and informative and helped the puppies get adjusted to one another.

Yesterday (Play 6): like I said above, out of his mind excited to go inside! Some new puppies were there and Freddy made an attempt to play with them although they were at “play 1 phase”. He would bring toys over and slowly nudge them to the younger puppies. Him and the Wheaten would cross paths and play a little but decided to avoid each other for the most part- He played with Hunter, his German Shepard brother from another mother! Those 2 are inseparable and its so cute to watch them play – so cute that I had to take a video:

 

 

BONUS!!: He sleeps all the way home because he is so tired out – a win win!

So, is puppy socialization necessary?  YES, I recommend to all new puppy moms and dads. I can’t talk long term yet – but I have noticed such a difference in Freddy’s behavior even when we play at home. His biting has tamed down and he will only playfully bite lightly. Every dog he meets, he will attempt to play and is gentle, observant and excited!

unnamed (2)