Puppy Socialization
One of the most important parts of training your puppy is to properly socialize them so that they are both confident and able to interact with people and other animals.Socializing your puppy should start as early as possible. Understand the vaccinations required so that your puppy can safely go out in public. In the mean time you can get started with socializing your puppy with people and any other pets you may have around your home. Let different people come into your home so that your puppy gets used to people other than family members. Some people don't like dogs, and it's good for your puppy to learn this also, so that they don't automatically think they can approach everybody. Another important scenario is exposing your puppy to new situations. The more exposure to new experiences that your puppy can have the better, puppies are naturally resilient to different situations, and if you can introduce them to a range of situations when they are young, they are less likely to become distressed or frightened when they are older. Try taking your puppy to a town event, somewhere that has crowds and can give off a good bit Of noise.You can start by carrying your puppy is they seem a little scared, but as they get used to the strange situation and their confidence builds, you should put them down on their leash and then work to walking around.
Another important part of socializing your puppy, is letting them meet other animals. Many puppies have no interaction with other dogs once they leave their litter, and this leaves them with a huge gap in understanding how to respond when they meet another animal. You should spend time taking your puppy to a local obedience class, where they can be in a controlled environment so that they can socialize with dogs of all ages and sizes and maintain the correct way to behave around other dogs. Dog parks are not a got to training environment as you cannot rely on the fact that the other owners have properly trained their dogs and this can lead to an unwanted accident. Denying your dog this experience can lead to aggressive behavior. You don't want to have to cross the street every time you see another dog coming and socializing is the best way to deal with this. One very important thing to remember is whether you are socializing your puppy with people or other animals that you do so in a controlled environment. Never just assume everything will be okay by not taking the time to supervise the interactions your puppy is receiving. It only takes one bad experience to change your puppys out look on life.