Socialization is More Than Mere Exposure
Anyone who has acquired a puppy is likely to have heard that they must socialize extensively during the first year of life. “Bring your puppy with you on outings,” owners are told, “to the park, on city streets, through neighborhoods. Introduce your puppy to cars and bikes and kids and cats and skateboards and wheelchairs and cows and…” Whew! Sounds like these first-year pups have an awfully busy schedule ahead of them! While it is absolutely important for puppies to be exposed to a variety of stimuli while they are young, proper socialization involves more than simply putting puppies into situations where they encounter these things. Owners should utilize a few strategies to ensure that socialization accomplishes its goals, which are to teach a developing dog to be calm, relaxed, and well-behaved in public situations and to reduce the likelihood of fearful or aggressive responses to common stimuli that the dog may encounter throughout its life.
Maxwell, M. (2017). Socialization is more than mere exposure. AVSAB.org. Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://avsab.org/socialization-mere-exposure/
Photo: iStock.com/KristinaKibler
View Resource
Topic(s): Behavior, Breeder Resource, Socialization