How Important is Socializing your Pet?

Socializing your pup is extremely important. We tend to overlook socializing when we are raising our pal, or we think we should only socialize with other puppy friends. This is wrong. Below we have answered some basic questions regarding socializing your pet; such as how, when, and with what?

Why is socializing important?

The BIGGEST reason socializing is important is because it helps our pal build confidence and know that he/she is okay when meeting other people or doggy friends. It also, doesn’t add fear to them so they don’t develop fear aggression, which can be a HUGE issue later on in life.

What if I don’t have a puppy, and I have an adult dog?

When it comes to socializing, it is never too late! Now, we’re not saying it will be easy to socialize an adult dog, mostly because they are already set in their ways, but nonetheless it is still possible.

How do I properly socialize my pal?

When socializing any dog you should do slow interactions, never throw your pal into something all at once because this will cause issues as well. You want to look for behavior and social cues of your furry friend. If you don’t know what behavioral or social cues to look for, check out our blog post on Doggie Language . Just as humans, animals especially canines give many signs of how they are feeling. These signs are what you are looking for when interacting and socializing your pet. Also just as when teaching your dog a new trick, you want to use positive reinforcement when introducing new interactions. So this means, lots and lots of treats and praise. Another thing to remember is: even if your dog has a terrible interaction with something the first time, it doesn’t mean this interaction is completely out of the question. PATIENCE is key when training and socializing your pet. So always remain calm, and be patient with your pal, because dogs do feed off your energy; so if you are frustrated and impatient your dog will be too. However, if you have tried countless times to socialize your pet with something and you were patient, and used positive reinforcement and your pet is still not making progress, DO NOT FORCE IT. Just as humans, animals have likes and dislikes, and fears. So we don’t want to push them and make them loose trust with you. It may be a let down to you, but trust and comfort is key in building a relationship with your pet and it is not worth the loss. Lastly, as cliche as it is, practice makes perfect. Continue to make interactions with your pal, even if you feel they are confident they should still be interacting/socializing with different things. It’ll help normalize these interactions and make it more apart of their lifestyle.

Who should my dog have interactions with? Where do I socialize my pal? Is it with more than just animals?

You should socialize your pet with as many things ( animals, people, places, events, etc) as possible. Now, it is not necessary to socialize your pet with a million and one things if your goal for your dog is to stay home in the backyard and just protect your house. However, if you plan for your pup to be a service animal, companion animal or be out in public with you daily then you will want to continue reading to check out our Doggy Socializing Checklist.

Stay at home dog Socializing— Even if your pet is not taken out in public daily, you can still make sure he/she is socialized with children of all ages, men, other dogs. You may even want to consider other animals such as cats, squirrels, or even birds IF you don’t want unnecessary barking throughout your house. You can still check out the socializing checklist because being a stay at home or less outgoing dog doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be socialized at all.

Active/outgoing dog Socializing— Since there are NUMEROUS things you can socialize your pet with we have created a list organized by category. Feel free, to go through and write down or copy the ones you feel is needed for your furry friend. Not all subjects on this list may be needed for your pet but we are trying to cover as many things as possible for two reasons: 1) to give you an idea of what your pet should be socialized with and how broad the spectrum is and 2) give you some examples of socializing and interaction categories.


DOGGY SOCIALIZING CHECKLIST

We have added a picture of the same socializing checklist below in case you would like to download it and print it out.

note: some of these may seem a little ridiculous or absurd, but nonetheless any little thing can cause a dog to be fearful, have anxiety, or worse; be aggressive. Again your pet may not need to be socialized with each and every one of these things but we just wanted to give you an idea.

Surfaces

  • Dirt

  • Grass

  • Gravel, loose and packed

  • Sand

  • Tile

  • Concrete

  • Granite/Marble

  • Slippery surfaces

  • Puddles, water, fountains

  • Carpet

  • Metal

  • Grates (where the dog can see through and may be fearful of falling)

Animals

  • Small animals

  • Birds

  • Cats

  • Farm animals

  • Cows

  • Horses

  • Reptiles

  • Massive dogs

  • Large dogs

  • Little dogs

Equipment

  • Collar

  • Leash

  • Crate (wire, metal, plastic)

  • Harness

  • Vest

  • Boots

  • Cooling Coat

  • Sweater

  • Head Halter

  • Basket Muzzle

Smells

  • Pizza

  • BBQ/Grilling

  • Food courts

  • Exhaust (Bus/Truck.Car)

  • Gas fumes

  • Paint

  • Rubbing alcohol

  • Dog food besides your own

  • Something rotting

  • Scents commonly encountered at job

Things

  • Bouncy houses/ Blow-up displays

  • Full-wall mirrors

  • Nerf/Water guns

  • Vacuum

  • Roomba/Robots

  • Balloons

  • Umbrellas

  • Hula Hoops

  • PT/ Gym Equipment

  • Soda/ Vending Machine (money in, heavy thing falling)

People

  • Babies

  • Toddlers

  • Pre-teens

  • Teens

  • Young adults

  • Men of all sizes

  • Women of all sizes

  • People of all races

  • People wearing hats

  • Police officers

  • EMTs

  • Fireman

  • People with odd gait

  • People in wheelchair

  • People with medical equipment

  • People with varying disabilities

  • People of varying ages

  • People with varying hair lengths

  • People with head scarfs/face covering

  • People in costumes

Events

  • Sporting events

  • Birthday parties

  • Holiday celebrations

  • Church get-togethers

  • School events

  • Seminars

  • Street fairs

  • Country Fairs/ Rodeo

  • Grooming

  • Physical Exams

  • Car rides

Places

  • Dog shows

  • Vet office

  • Zoo

  • Bowling alley

  • Skating rink

  • Movie Theater

  • Farms

  • Woods

  • Boats

  • Buses

Sounds

  • Thunder

  • Fireworks

  • Gun shots

  • Barking dogs

  • Diesel engines

  • Music

  • Burning wood

  • Music

  • Crying babies

  • Engines starting

  • Hunting calls

  • Banging on pots/pans


Training, SocializingAdrianna Rositassocializing, pet, socializing pets, buzzfeeddogs, buzzfeedpets, buzzfeedanimals