Socialization

Before puppies leave our home: 

They have gone for car rides in their kennels. They are played with daily and receive plenty of loving, human interaction.  Until pups receive their immunizations, they are at an increased risk level for exposure to outside elements such as parvovirus, other diseases, or illnesses that could potentially cause harm. As a precaution, we limit the amount of exposure to people and dogs from outside our kennel until pups receive their immunizations.  We allow certain adults and children to interact and socialize with the pups but we take the necessary precautions to ensure our puppies are raised in a safe and clean environment. 

It is essential to the pup's long-term development to stay with their mothers and siblings until they are 8 weeks of age. This allows for puppies to be well socialized with their littermate or "pack."  We take steps to ensure that all of our puppies develop and mature into well-adjusted dogs and the time we spend working with them sets them up for long-term success. 

It's critical that dogs are properly socialized and it is the key to a well-adjusted and amazing companion. A properly socialized dog will not be frightened or aggressive towards people or things encountered in normal daily occurrences. 

If a dog is not properly socialized, they are more likely to be untrustworthy. This frequently results in decreased loyalty and increased risk to the people and pets around them. It's possible for them to become "fear biters" and develop a tendency to fight with other dogs. They are increasingly difficult to train and struggle to adapt to new situations.  If you're concerned that you won't be able to properly provide a sufficient level of socialization and interaction for a dog, please consider a less social animal. 

The socialization process should start immediately

Make sure that the following experiences are enjoyable, pleasant, and the dog perceives the situation as non-threatening.  If a puppy's first experience or situational exposure to something causes pain or is traumatic, it will be counterproductive and could create a life-long phobia. Proceed slowly and take steps to ensure the puppy is comfortable with the situation and is enjoying the experience. 

• Entertain guests at your house and provide the opportunity for your pup to meet your family and friends!  The more exposure to a variety of diverse people and ages will increase the dogs comfort level with men, women, children, seniors, etc.

• Invite other dogs over for friendly play dates! Please make sure that the dogs invited into your home are friendly, healthy, and vaccinated.  Expose the new puppy to a variety of dogs of varying ages. Additionally, we recommend allowing your puppy to visit the homes of these pets, and even introduce them to cats that are dog-friendly. 

• While under the presence of our care, we take all of the puppies for short, frequent car rides. This helps to familiarize and increase their comfort level with this type of experience prior to the trip home. As pups continue to develop, it's important to incorporate car rides into regular routine. 

• Under the presence of your care, introduce your puppy to things it may encounter in day to day life. We expose all of the pups to things such as mirrors, bags, boxes, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, etc. We encourage families to allow their puppy to explore and investigate his/her new environment and become well acclimated. 

• Increase your puppy's comfort level to unfamiliar and common objects by creating your own. Flip clothes hampers upside down, lay chairs on their sides, plastic totes, etc. 

• Introduce your puppy to new and various sounds. Once the puppies are able to hear, we expose the puppies gradually increasing levels of noise. This increases their comfort level with noises and has been proven to reduce anxiety in dogs.  Please note that loud sounds are great for a puppy's development but these noises should be introduced from a distance and gradually brought closer. For example, when we are training our dogs not to be gunshy/scared of loud noises, we do this with the assistance of another trainer. While one person holds the pup and provides love, affection, and positive reinforcement. Another claps together wooden blocks while slowly walking towards the dog. The more exposure pups have to loud noises in controlled environments, the less likely they are to develop a fear of loud noises such as gunshots or fireworks.   

• Familiarize your puppy with being brushed, bathed, inspected, having its nails clipped, teeth and ears cleaned and all the routines of grooming and physical examination.

• Introduce your puppy to all sets of stairs in your home. We begin teaching the pups how to climb up and down small flights of steps around the age of 5-6 weeks. By the time pups are ready to go home, they are typically very comfortable with climbing and descending multiple steps. That being said, it's still critical to introduce your puppy to all sets of stairs in your home and increase their comfort level. (While the puppy is climbing the steps, please utilize a leash and collar to prevent injuries.) It's also essential to provide positive reinforcement while the pup ascends and descends the steps. Pups are very easily motivated by food and a few pieces of kibble makes an effective reward. 

Please bear in mind that young puppies require a significant amount of sleep. They tire quickly and it's necessary for them to have short, frequent breaks to recharge.  Golden's aim to please and are known to overwork themselves if their owner doesn't intervene.  Please don't overdo it and push pups past their limits. If your pup begins to show signs of fatigue, take breaks and allow them to regain their energy.  Pushing dogs too hard during training is known to be counterproductive.  To maximize the results from training/exposure sessions, increase the frequency and decrease the length of time these sessions last.  Time is much better spent working with the dog for 30 minutes daily rather than 3 and a half hours during a weekly session. 

Most importantly, allow your puppy to make progress at his/her own pace.  Don't pressure or rush your puppy to do things until it decides it is ready. Provide positive encouragement and reinforcement but let the puppy take things at his own pace!

I hope these few quick tips will help you with continuing to raise a happy, healthy, and well-socialized puppy!