In the time of social distancing, bringing a puppy home has major advantages providing you extra time to bond, get acclimated to the household, and just love on your new puppy! But how do you socialize your puppy when you have to social distance? Take advantage of these helpful tips to prepare your pup for the world!
Social distancing has been rough on everyone. But our pups don’t understand what a “pandemic” is or what “stay-at-home order” means. To them, you’re always around and that’s awesome! Their world is the inside of your home, the yard, and you...but when it’s time to venture out into the rest of the world, you want to make sure your puppy is ready for those new, strange experiences.
Socializing your puppy doesn’t just mean meeting new people and dogs. It means safely exposing your puppy to a variety of new things they’d be exposed to on a regular basis. From 8-14 weeks this window is an important time in which you want your puppy to experience as many new sights, smells, sounds, people, and dogs in order to be well-adjusted adult dogs. Waiting too long or not socializing your puppy at all could lead to some behavioral issues down the road that can only be resolved through professional training. Luckily, there are easy and creative ways to socialize your puppy while staying at home!
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Tip 1: Get Creative!
Actually, being at home is a great time to socialize your puppy! There are a ton of creative ideas you can do to expose your puppy safely and without distraction. Think about where you live and what are some places you may take your puppy. Expose your puppy to different surfaces like hardwood, carpet, tile, asphalt, and gravel to name some surfaces that your pup will walk on around your home and in your neighborhood! Check out our “Over, Under, Through!” game we use at our school in Hermosa Beach to teach puppies to feel comfortable on different surfaces!
Sounds are super important to get your puppy used to and you can easily do it with your cellphone or computer! What are some sounds your puppy will hear throughout the day? Doorbells, car horns, loud music (all types of music too!), alarms, construction noise, laughter, other dogs barking -- the list could go on but playing these sounds for your puppy at home and giving them positive reinforcement will help your puppy feel calm and not react the next time they hear that sound out in the world!
Pro tip: YouTube has a lot of options to play long tracks of various noises like these puppy parents can play in the background on low settings to get their pup used to them (we use them at the school too!)
All puppies love to sniff and they are bound to make interesting discoveries while sniffing the world around them. Use this to your advantage by safely exposing your puppy to different smells. With your pup on a leash, have them explore the backyard or new areas of the neighborhood and the different smells. Make sure to watch your pup so that if they try to eat anything they shouldn't, you can guide them away with the help of the leash. Also when possible, amen sue the area they are sniffing is safe for them to be doing so.
Tip 2: Play Dress Up!
Every time you take your pup for a walk or a drive to a new place, your puppy is bound to encounter new people. But how do you socialize your puppy to new people while staying at home? That’s where the dress-up comes in. And in this dress-up scenario, it’s not your pup that gets to rock the outfits! Try sporting different things like hats, sunglasses, different jackets, noisy clothes like rubber boots, etc., to get them used to seeing different types of people. Get creative and throw in people in different scenarios like carrying grocery bags, using a walker or cane, riding a bike or skateboard-- even a Halloween costume, a face mask and gloves!
Tip 3: Socialize from a Distance!
While following the social distancing rules in place in your state, you can socialize your puppy at a distance by taking them for a walk or car ride. If your puppy still hasn’t experienced car rides or isn’t a fan, now is great time to get them used that! Check out our “How to Train Your Puppy for Car Rides!” blog for easy-to-follow tips on getting your puppy used to riding in your car. If your pup is up-to-date on all their vaccinations, let your puppy people and dog watch from a distance while you’re on a walk around town. (Even if your pup has not received all their required vaccinations, you can let them experience people walking by your home!) Give your puppy some positive reinforcement by telling them “Good!” and giving them a reward for being calm when they see new people walk past. This is a great time to practice your pup’s commands from a distance with the distractions of the other dogs and people too! You can have your puppy rest in a “Down & Stay” -- this is a great way to teach them to be calm around new exciting things. You can drive to a location where there are people walking around, like a grocery store parking lot for example, and let them sit in the car with you and watch passers-by!
Tip 4: Puppy Handling!
Part of getting your puppy used to different experiences involves being handled by different people and in different ways. Although some vet offices have limited visits, and groomers and daycares have been temporarily closed, you can simulate those experiences at home! Touch your puppy’s face, eyes, ears, open their mouth, touch their paws and tail, these are all things that would normally happen at a vets office or at a groomer. You can also start to introduce your puppy to regular upkeep such as nail cutting, teeth brushing, and fur brushing. Do these activities a few times a week for a few minutes at a time and reward your puppy in the process to help them develop a positive association!
And because your puppy isn’t meeting a lot of new people right now, it means they won’t know how to be handled by different people. Try to pet them in different ways: their chin, ears, tummy, chest...this way your puppy will understand that even if they are getting pet differently, it’s okay!
Tip 5: Create a Puppy Schedule!
If you are working from home, it means your schedule is probably a little out of whack. Throw a puppy into the mix and you’re probably running around looking after your pup more than working! And your pup is surely loving the attention but when you have to go back to work and a normal routine, you’ll want to make sure your puppy is adjusted. Sudden changes can cause behavior problems in pups but you can easily avoid that by creating a schedule for your puppy that resembles your normal day-to-day! Need help on figuring out how to set up a schedule that makes sense for you and your puppy? Check out our “Create a Daily Schedule for Your Puppy!” blog with tips on how and when to feed your pup, help fast-track potty training, introduce them to their crate, and more!
Tip 6: Online Puppy Training!
In-person puppy training may not be an option for you at the moment, but it’s definitely worth looking into online puppy training classes and get a jump start on basic obedience training. A professional puppy trainer will provide you guidance on socializing your puppy, at-home handling, techniques to curb some puppy behaviors like biting, potty training, and more. And the best part is, programs like our online puppy training classes provide you with LIVE and on-demand options so you can work on training your puppy at your convenience! This is the best time to put your puppy on the right track to becoming a well-adjusted and well-behaved adult dog!
Don’t let social distancing stop you from socializing your puppy! In fact, take advantage of the opportunity to start puppy training, building your bond with your puppy, working on some troublesome puppy behaviors, and really helping your puppy reach their best potential!
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