Socialization

About Socialization

Well-socialized puppies grow into confident, balanced, and happy dogs.  They are better prepared to adapt to their world, develop trust, and are simply better pets.   Poorly socialized dogs can develop into fearful and aggressive dogs.   The critical time for socialization to occur is from 7-16 weeks of age. 

Socialization starts early.  From the time they are born, our puppies experience people, places, sounds, smells, and things to get them on their way in the socialization process. They have mentally stimulating and challenging toys and activities to help promote confidence, intelligence and learn trust.  Our adventure walks outdoors to expose them to different surfaces such as concrete, gravel, mulch, grass, and stone.  They go out in the rain, heat, and occasional snow too.  We create opportunities for our puppies to visit with children and adults frequently.   We expect our puppy families to continue socialization with planned activities during the critical period to further develop their puppy into a confident and well-balanced dog.  It is important to plan the activities and not overwhelm a puppy. 

We encourage and expect our puppy families to 

• Attend training classes, including puppy kindergartens 
• Invite friends over to meet the puppy
• Visit with other dogs that are fully vaccinated
• Take frequent car rides for quick errands
• Visit the veterinarian to say hello (your vet and staff like treats too)
• Our Rule of Thumb is visit 25 places in 25 days.  (shopping centers, gas stations, libraries, churches, or areas without high dog traffic like parks)

While it is important to get out and about with a puppy, it is also necessary to exercise caution before the puppy is fully vaccinated.  Visit places that do not have heavy dog traffic such as dog parks or big box stores.  Try to visit areas with concrete and not grass.