| Aleron Dogs Raising A Social, Confident Dog |
Most people get a puppy with the thought that with good care and lots of love “Puppy” will grow into a
social, happy companion. However leaving a puppy’s future social behavior to chance may end badly
when Puppy grows up to be shy, unsocial or worse, fear aggressive. Raising a puppy requires a plan
and a bit of dog behavior know-how.
Is It In the Genes?
Often people want to believe a dog’s temperament is “all how they are raised”. However, this is not
true. Many aspects of temperament are actually inherited. Breeds of dogs were created to have not
only specific looks but also certain temperaments. Some breeds were selected for being outgoing,
some for being suspicious, some for guarding, some for fighting and so on. Hundreds of years of
selective breeding for certain traits can’t be changed with love and good care. However, individual
temperament must also be considered and there is often a lot of variation in temperaments even within
a purebred litter.
Early Beginnings Make a Difference
What happens to Puppy early in life is can be as important to his temperament as what is in his genes.
Puppies should be exposed to the world in a positive way (dog trainers call this “socialization”) from a
very early age. Knowledgeable breeders arrange for men, women and children to visit the litter to
encourage social behavior. They also provide plenty of different toys and introduce the litter to a variety
of surfaces and obstacles. Puppies should be raised in the home to expose them to normal household
activity. While puppies with genetically strong temperaments can often overcome lack of early
socialization, puppies with softer or more timid personalities may never be able to recover from a lack
of early socialization.
Choosing Wisely
When choosing a puppy from a litter regardless of who you are getting your puppy from, you must
choose wisely. If the person who has the litter is knowledgeable (such as a devoted breeder or
educated rescuer) ask their opinion of the individual puppies’ personalities and which may best suit
your lifestyle. Look for an outgoing puppy that readily approaches you and seems interested in people.
The Rest is Up to You
So you now have a happy puppy with a sound temperament. Raising a well-adjusted dog doesn’t stop
there! Over the next few months socialization and early training are imperative if you want to ensure
your puppy grows into a well-adjusted, social dog. This is even more important if you brought home a
puppy with unsocial parents and/or a less then ideal start. Enroll your puppy in a positive based puppy
training class and plan for lots of socializing between classes.
For ideal socialization, aim for around one hundred positive exposures by the time Puppy is five months
old. Depending on breed tendencies or individual temperament, some puppies may need extra focus
on certain aspects of socialization. This socialization task isn’t as overwhelming as it may sound. One
trip to a neighborhood park and your puppy may be exposed to men, women, children, baby strollers,
bikes, skateboards, playgrounds, strange surfaces, a car ride and a new environment. That’s at least
ten exposures in just one outing! When exposing Puppy to new situations or environments, treat him
often to encourage him to explore, to build positive associates and to reward brave behavior. If Puppy
has favorite toys, bring those along to further help him have a good time!
Don’t rule out socializing Puppy to things that won’t be part of his every day life. Socializing is more
about positive exposure to many different people, places and things than about specific behaviors. Your
goal should be teaching Puppy how to be confident in new places, be calm around strangers and be
comfortable even with things he thinks are strange. Simply put, socialization teaches dogs that there is
no need to panic when they come across something out of the ordinary.
Getting Started
Making a list will help keep you motivated since many times one trip will allow you to check off many
spots. You can check off people, places and things or add new ones until you reach your goal. Here are
over fifty socialization ideas to help get you started:
• General People: elderly, mailmen, UPS person, different ethnic groups, people with hats, with
umbrellas or other objects
• Men: with beards, tall, heavy, with coats, with glasses, bald
• Woman: tall, heavy, carrying babies, with dresses, glasses, wearing perfume
• Children: all ages, groups, alone, at play
• Places: parks, veterinarian’s office, grooming shop, stores, playgrounds, festivals, outdoor cafes,
bank, good puppy training class, friend’s houses (arrange a sleepover to teach him to be away from
home!), road trips
• Other Animals: friendly dogs, cats, farm animals and other small pets
• Surfaces: tile, metal, wooden, plastic, shiny, slippery, wet, muddy, shallow water
• Things: low agility obstacles, noises of all kinds, walks, sudden movements from people/objects such
as flapping plastic or fabric, children playing and pots being dropped in the kitchen.
Remember that certain puppies will need more socialization than others. For example, if Puppy has a
tendency towards shyness, he will need to get out around strangers on a near daily basis until his
confidence improves. Avoid taking Puppy any place where you will be unable to control interactions
such as dog parks or free for all type puppy classes where puppies are turned loose together and
expected to “work it out” amongst themselves. Most importantly, have fun with your puppy and take a
positive, upbeat approach to training and socialization.
social, happy companion. However leaving a puppy’s future social behavior to chance may end badly
when Puppy grows up to be shy, unsocial or worse, fear aggressive. Raising a puppy requires a plan
and a bit of dog behavior know-how.
Is It In the Genes?
Often people want to believe a dog’s temperament is “all how they are raised”. However, this is not
true. Many aspects of temperament are actually inherited. Breeds of dogs were created to have not
only specific looks but also certain temperaments. Some breeds were selected for being outgoing,
some for being suspicious, some for guarding, some for fighting and so on. Hundreds of years of
selective breeding for certain traits can’t be changed with love and good care. However, individual
temperament must also be considered and there is often a lot of variation in temperaments even within
a purebred litter.
Early Beginnings Make a Difference
What happens to Puppy early in life is can be as important to his temperament as what is in his genes.
Puppies should be exposed to the world in a positive way (dog trainers call this “socialization”) from a
very early age. Knowledgeable breeders arrange for men, women and children to visit the litter to
encourage social behavior. They also provide plenty of different toys and introduce the litter to a variety
of surfaces and obstacles. Puppies should be raised in the home to expose them to normal household
activity. While puppies with genetically strong temperaments can often overcome lack of early
socialization, puppies with softer or more timid personalities may never be able to recover from a lack
of early socialization.
Choosing Wisely
When choosing a puppy from a litter regardless of who you are getting your puppy from, you must
choose wisely. If the person who has the litter is knowledgeable (such as a devoted breeder or
educated rescuer) ask their opinion of the individual puppies’ personalities and which may best suit
your lifestyle. Look for an outgoing puppy that readily approaches you and seems interested in people.
The Rest is Up to You
So you now have a happy puppy with a sound temperament. Raising a well-adjusted dog doesn’t stop
there! Over the next few months socialization and early training are imperative if you want to ensure
your puppy grows into a well-adjusted, social dog. This is even more important if you brought home a
puppy with unsocial parents and/or a less then ideal start. Enroll your puppy in a positive based puppy
training class and plan for lots of socializing between classes.
For ideal socialization, aim for around one hundred positive exposures by the time Puppy is five months
old. Depending on breed tendencies or individual temperament, some puppies may need extra focus
on certain aspects of socialization. This socialization task isn’t as overwhelming as it may sound. One
trip to a neighborhood park and your puppy may be exposed to men, women, children, baby strollers,
bikes, skateboards, playgrounds, strange surfaces, a car ride and a new environment. That’s at least
ten exposures in just one outing! When exposing Puppy to new situations or environments, treat him
often to encourage him to explore, to build positive associates and to reward brave behavior. If Puppy
has favorite toys, bring those along to further help him have a good time!
Don’t rule out socializing Puppy to things that won’t be part of his every day life. Socializing is more
about positive exposure to many different people, places and things than about specific behaviors. Your
goal should be teaching Puppy how to be confident in new places, be calm around strangers and be
comfortable even with things he thinks are strange. Simply put, socialization teaches dogs that there is
no need to panic when they come across something out of the ordinary.
Getting Started
Making a list will help keep you motivated since many times one trip will allow you to check off many
spots. You can check off people, places and things or add new ones until you reach your goal. Here are
over fifty socialization ideas to help get you started:
• General People: elderly, mailmen, UPS person, different ethnic groups, people with hats, with
umbrellas or other objects
• Men: with beards, tall, heavy, with coats, with glasses, bald
• Woman: tall, heavy, carrying babies, with dresses, glasses, wearing perfume
• Children: all ages, groups, alone, at play
• Places: parks, veterinarian’s office, grooming shop, stores, playgrounds, festivals, outdoor cafes,
bank, good puppy training class, friend’s houses (arrange a sleepover to teach him to be away from
home!), road trips
• Other Animals: friendly dogs, cats, farm animals and other small pets
• Surfaces: tile, metal, wooden, plastic, shiny, slippery, wet, muddy, shallow water
• Things: low agility obstacles, noises of all kinds, walks, sudden movements from people/objects such
as flapping plastic or fabric, children playing and pots being dropped in the kitchen.
Remember that certain puppies will need more socialization than others. For example, if Puppy has a
tendency towards shyness, he will need to get out around strangers on a near daily basis until his
confidence improves. Avoid taking Puppy any place where you will be unable to control interactions
such as dog parks or free for all type puppy classes where puppies are turned loose together and
expected to “work it out” amongst themselves. Most importantly, have fun with your puppy and take a
positive, upbeat approach to training and socialization.
Unless otherwise indicated all text is copyright 2010 by Nikki Puccini/www.alerondogs.com -
All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced in any form or distributed by any
method, whether for profit or not, without the express written permission of Nikki Puccni.
No portion of the above is intended to prevent or discourage the use of links to Aleron Dog
pages, only the unauthorized distribution of the text . Please feel free to post links to these
articles on message boards, email lists, Facebook, Myspace and other online social networks or
to save or print a copy for a dog owning friend. Please email to request permission to reprint an
article on your website, in a newsletter or for your training classes: AgileGSD@aol.com
All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced in any form or distributed by any
method, whether for profit or not, without the express written permission of Nikki Puccni.
No portion of the above is intended to prevent or discourage the use of links to Aleron Dog
pages, only the unauthorized distribution of the text . Please feel free to post links to these
articles on message boards, email lists, Facebook, Myspace and other online social networks or
to save or print a copy for a dog owning friend. Please email to request permission to reprint an
article on your website, in a newsletter or for your training classes: AgileGSD@aol.com