The time to socialize your new puppy is now. Puppy socialization is time sensitive and critical to your puppy’s ability to adapt to different, people, places, noises, smells and sights through out his life. The best time to socialize puppies is between age 4 to 14 weeks. Puppies are more prepared to accept new experiences than any other time in their life. Socialization is critical to their normal development and sets the behavioral blueprint for life.
Even before his vaccinations are finished, your puppy can be socialized when reasonable precautions are taken. Take the puppy to friends, family, or a co-workers home that have healthy dogs, cats, horses, cattle and/or birds that have been vaccinated according to their vets advise. Puppies should learn to ride in cars or trucks. Short rides around the block or picking up children from school can help to avoid travel fear in puppies. Making travel fun helps avoid the fear that they are on the way to the vet every time they go in the car. Whatever the puppy will be exposed to as he or she goes through life needs to be introduced during the socialization period.
Behavioral reasons are the leading cause of pets being turned over to shelters. Help your puppy become a good family member by socializing early. Chances of developing a life threatening disease is less likely than the risk of developing behavioral problems later in life.
Give Bullard-Marks a call at 432-0887 to schedule your puppy’s vaccinations.