Socializing your puppy gives your puppy a lot of skills to help them become a great family pet and a joy to take out in public. Socialization will start with your puppy’s breeder handling them and getting them used to gentle human contact, but once your puppy comes home, it’s time for you to take the next steps to show them new skills!

Family and Friends

Once your puppy comes home, the first step is introducing him or her to the family. Your puppy will need to get used to being gently held, petted, groomed, and bathed. Remember that each time you introduce your puppy to something new, you are helping to teach them what to expect in the future. Teaching your puppy to let you gently handle and brush all parts of their body is going to make groomer and vet visits much easier for your puppy.

Take your time to slowly introduce them to both family members and friends. Because you are teaching them habits for the future, encourage your puppy not to jump on new people and discourage them from nipping. Remember that what may seem like a cute behavior in a little Labrador puppy, like jumping up for attention, is going to be much harder to deal with when that puppy is a fully grown 70-pound Labrador.

Other Pets

Depending on your household, you may have other pets to introduce to your puppy. A great way to do this is to put your puppy in a crate or playpen so that other family dogs or cats can introduce themselves at a comfortable pace. Remember that not all pets will get along immediately and that older pets may not have the energy to indulge your puppy in playtime. Taking both your puppy and your older dog out for walks together is also a great way for them to get to know each other. As an added benefit, a confident well-socialized older dog can provide a great example for your puppy on how to deal with new people and places.

New Situations and New Items

Both in your home and outside, try to introduce your puppy to new things. For example, try to walk on as many different surfaces as you can - gravel, concrete, tile, wood, sand, and grass so that your puppy is confident walking in different places. Also, introduce your puppy to things that can surprise them, like umbrellas, plastic bags, different types of clothing, and bikes. A good place to start is with what is in your home and yard and then looking for new experiences while out and about on walks.

Walking

Taking walks in your neighborhood is a great place to find new things and also to find some friendly new people to be introduced to your puppy. Keeping some treats in your pocket or a training pouch is a great way to help reinforce good behavior and create positive associations with all the new sights and sounds that you will be encountering. Make sure that you have a well-fitted collar or harness and leash to keep your puppy secure at all times.

Puppy Training Classes

A safe place to start socializing your puppy with other dogs would be Puppy Training Classes. The trainer can help teach you how to introduce your puppy to new dogs in the class to help set you up for successful dog park visits, as well as helping your puppy learn a lot of basic skills, like walking nicely on a leash sitting, and recall.

Parks and Dog Parks

Once your puppy is fully vaccinated, it is cleared to socialize more broadly with other dogs; parks and dog parks are a great next step. Your puppy will have more people to meet and also more dogs to greet and play with. Parks are also a great place to give your puppy exposure to people doing different activities, like skateboarding or playing ball. The more different experiences you can give your puppy, the more situations he or she will learn to be calm and confident in.

S.T.A.R. Puppy Test or AKC Canine Good Citizen

A great way to test your puppy’s socialization and training skills is to aim to take either the S.T.A.R. Puppy Test for a younger puppy or AKC Canine Good Citizen test if you would prefer to wait till your puppy has grown up more. Both of these tests, offered by the AKC, are a great way to see how your puppy is progressing in their training.

Socialization

While socializing your puppy can be a lot of work, you are setting your puppy up for a long life of positive interactions with the world around them. If you run into issues, Smoky Mtn Labradors offers training services for our Labrador puppies, including socialization training. Happy socializing!

Socialization Skills for Your English Labrador Puppy