Over the past 10 years training dogs at Alpine Dog Ranch I have seen many severe cases of dogs suffering from antisocial behavior. This behavior gets worse as pups mature and can lead to very grumpy and aggressive older dogs. It is easily avoided if dogs are socialized in their first six months of life. Even better in their first 3 months. Firstly puppies need to stay with their mom and their litter mates at least 6-8 weeks. They learn vital social behavior in those first few weeks. Secondly, pups need to be exposed to as many people, situations, places, other dogs and social gatherings as safely possible before 3 months old. Dog parks are not however an option at this early age, as pups need to be fully vaccinated before they are exposed to dogs that may not be healthy or vaccinated. It’s best to arrange parties and play dates for a new pup. They need to meet lots of new kids, people and other pups! Have friends help train the new pup by forcing the pup to sit for treats, attention and love! Life with a social well balanced pup is more pleasant and rewarding than life dealing with a fearful, skittish aggressive dog. It’s a hard and expensive task getting dogs socialized later on when the pup is mature and when it should be fun to take it to the park or beach or around town but instead it is scared and aggressively dealing with strange dogs or new environments. Socialize! Socialize! Socialize! Combined with Exercise! Exercise! Exercise ! 2 keys to a happy dog and a happy dog owner !
