How to Socialize a Puppy

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border collie puppy socialization

Although this website is tailored towards border collies, much of the information is valuable for any breed of dog. Since teaching a puppy how to socialize is such an important topic, we decided to address this article towards all types of dogs. 

The lessons your puppy learns in the first few months of its life have a huge impact on its personality. This goes for bad habits as well. This is why training your dog to socialize at a young age is so important.

Up until recently, socialization of dogs wasn’t something people really cared about. If you got a pet, it was just assumed that it would naturally get accustomed to the environment that it would be living in. It wasn’t until people really began to study dog’s negative behaviors that we started to hear about it. They’ve learned that creating the right type of environments for puppies to socialize is key to avoiding bad habits later in their lives.

What Does it Mean to "Socialize a Puppy?"

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA), “Socialization is the process of preparing a dog or cat to enjoy interactions and be comfortable with other animals, people, places and activities.”

As we stated previously, for many animals, this may not seem like an issue. Often, in the correct environment, it can occur naturally with little outside help. If you have a family with children and other pets, socialization may happen more quickly. If you live in an urban environment, your dog may get used to experiencing different senses right away.

One important factor with border collie puppies and determining the socialization period for puppies in general, is that it needs to create good behavior. Just allowing your puppy to be around other people and dogs isn’t enough. Especially if they are playing too aggressively or exhibiting bad behavior. 

The main goal with puppy socialization is to develop positive habits (and have a little fun, of course). Allowing a dog to learn to socialize on its own will often have the desired effect. But there is also the strong possibility they will learn bad traits. The following guide will help with learning how to socialize a puppy, quickly and correctly. And we guarantee you’ll have fun while doing it!

 

10 Important Rules for Socializing a Puppy:

1. Start Early

As we stated earlier, first few months of a puppy’s life play a huge role in the dog they will become. When it comes to socializing a puppy, you should start almost immediately. 

Let’s assume that you brought your puppy home from their mother directly after weening. Meeting you was their one of their first experiences with socialization. In those first few weeks with you at their new home, get them started by meeting new people and other pets. Be sure to avoid overwhelming them, but don’t avoid new interactions.

 

Vet Recommendations for Socialization

New puppies are susceptible to a number of illnesses. Proper vet scheduling is extremely important. It’s imperative that you listen to your vet recommendations for when to socialize of your puppy. 

One thing that is extremely harmful to new puppies is Parvovirus or Parvo, for short. Parvo is a highly contagious disease that can easily kill a puppy. All dogs can get Parvo and proper shots are the only way to ensure that your border collie isn’t at risk.

Up until the last round of Parvo immunizations are given, it is imperative that puppies do not come in contact with non-immunized dogs. If you don’t know, don’t risk it. The effects of Parvo are very deadly, especially to puppies with their weaker immune systems.

2. Set a Regular Schedule

Once you’re sure that your new puppy is ready to be around other dogs, it’s time to get it out of the house! One of our favorite things to do is go on long walks with our border collie puppy. Socializing with other dogs and people along the way is a great bonus. 

Passing by new dogs, people, places and objects; stopping to sniff literally everything; these are important parts of a puppy’s development. Setting a schedule for socializing your puppy with strangers is a great way to give your dog a head start to a happy life. Experiencing new situations early helps puppies develop confidence. 

If you’re able to, a daily half hour walk in the evenings after work is great. This is generally when you’ll see the most people out in your neighborhood walking their dogs as well. If this is not possible, bringing your puppy around other people and dogs at least once a week is very important. 

Whatever it is, be sure and socialize your puppy regularly and often. This is especially important in the first few months of its life. And besides, taking a few extra walks per week will be good for its owner as well!

3. Mix Things Up

Ok, so your new puppy is right on track with its immunization schedule. You’ve been taking walks five nights a week for months. What else to I need to do to teach my puppy to socialize correctly?

Answer: try something new. 

Actually, try a bunch of new things.

When you socialize a puppy, it isn’t just about getting it used to being around people and animals. The more important factor is teaching your puppy to respond correctly to things it’s not used to.  This is achieved by getting it out of its comfort zone with new places and different types of people.

Who, Where, and What of Puppy Socializing

  • It’s important to make sure your puppy is alright being around a person they don’t recognize. Someone with a hat or sunglasses on can be startling for a dog if they’re not used to it. Being around people with different clothing or of different ethnicities at a young age is important for puppy socialization.
  • Try to get your puppy to be around other animals they might encounter someday. Cats, squirrels, and farm animals are like aliens to a dog. Socializing your puppy with other animals at a young age will make them seem less extraterrestrial. 
  • Getting accustomed to different sounds is very important. City noises like car horns and sirens are going to take some practice getting used to. Fireworks, on the other hand, will probably always be an issue with your dog. Also, the Fourth of July is the worst time of the year for losing dogs. Be sure your furry friend is in a safe place where they can’t escape when the fireworks go off.
  • Preparing your dog for objects that they may encounter is important as well. Skateboards and scooters are something that has taken our border collie a long time to get used to. She wasn’t around them when she was young because there was rarely an opportunity. Now, we live in downtown Austin so she sees both regularly. For the longest time, she would try to snap at every board or scooter that passed. I’m sure you can imagine the fearful reactions she caused jumping at a skateboarder.
  • Make sure to experience many different places. Forests, lakes, city environments, rain, and snow are all important. Our border collie was socializing in water with other dogs at a very young age. Before long, she was swimming like a pro. We’ve taken several road trips with our girl to the ocean, and whenever we go, it’s almost impossible to get her out of the water. 

4. Don't Let Them Learn Bad Habits

Growing up, I can hardly remember a time when there wasn’t a dog or five around. Some of my earliest memories are of wrestling around with a Rottweiler in the snow. We always played rough with our puppies, and when they got older, even rougher. We never thought anything of it. 

When I got our last dog, a border collie, I made a conscious effort to not play-fight with her. It was the first dog I’d ever completely avoided doing this with. It was the best training decision that I made. Since she never learned to do it, she’s never played rough with anyone, including playful biting. 

Bad lessons learned when dogs are puppies are extremely difficult to break later. The saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” isn’t just for stubborn adults. Be very conscious how you play with your dog and how it interacts with other dogs. Breaking bad habits early will save you a ton of headache later on. 

Another factor to remember is make sure that your pooch’s toys are actually toys. I remember my mother tying a knot in a sock for one of my childhood puppies to play with. We played tug for hours that day, and it became a permanent toy. Needless to say, the dog had a hard time understanding when we would get upset when it chewed up our other socks later on.

5. Find a Dog Park

It’s really hard to pick my border collie’s favorite place, but if I had to, I’d say the dog park. 

Which one?

Doesn’t matter, any dog park will do.

Any time we get into view of a grassy area with dogs playing off leash, my border collie kicks into high gear. She only weighs about 38 pounds, but when she sees a dog park, you would swear you had a Clydesdale by the reins.

If you have a dog park anywhere near you, I would advise frequenting it as often as possible. If not, you should definitely try to find one and go there at least a few times when your dog is young. Watching puppies run and play with older dogs is a great way for them to learn to properly interact. It’s also some of the most fun the both of you will have. 

As we mentioned previously, be aware of bad behavior. With any gathering of dogs (just like people), chances are there’s at least one in the group that doesn’t have the best manners. While it’s absolutely fine for your pup to run around and even play nip a little, be cautious of bad habits other dogs exhibit. If you see them occur, remove your puppy from the situation immediately.

6. Group Classes for Dogs

One of the advantages of living in a larger city like Austin is the variety of pet related groups. If you’re fortunate enough to live in a similar place, a simple Google search of “dog classes” will bring up several options.

Many of these group or obedience classes are geared towards dogs of similar ages. There are also multiple options for the type of training that you hope to accomplish with each particular group. Some will be geared towards advanced training, while others will be for housebreaking. 

Even in a smaller city, finding a group class geared towards puppies shouldn’t be too difficult. Many dog owners are very conscious of the importance of socializing a puppy. One of the easiest ways to jump start socialization is with puppy group classes.

7. Take Your Dog Shopping

Ok, so don’t take this next one too literally. If you start grocery shopping with your furry friend riding along in the cart, you’ll be asked to leave. But if you look around, there are several stores that do allow dogs.

Some of the chain stores that we’ve found that allow dogs are Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Academy Sports and Outdoor (In Texas only). You’ll often find that many small shop owners are dog friendly as well. One of the cutest things we’ve witnesses with our border collie has been taking her shopping. Allowing a puppy to socialize by taking them into a store will definitely take them out of their comfort zone. While this is pretty much setting your puppy up to make someone say “cleanup on isle 10,” there’s another option for the not-yet-potty-trained. Pet stores.

Any national chain pet supply store, and most local ones, are going to be more than happy if you bring your dog shopping with you. They know that accidents happen and have dog bags, paper towels, and cleaner placed throughout the stores. Pet stores area a great way to socialize your puppy because it will experience a ton of new sensations all in one place. Plus, it’s a great opportunity for you and your pup to pick out a new toy together!

8. Find Places With Children

Every kid likes to pet a cute, fluffy puppy, right? In the first few months of socializing a new puppy, take advantage of this. 

While it may not always be easy to find a dog park or other area for your puppy to socialize, places with children shouldn’t be that difficult. Any park in a residential area on a nice day is likely to have some children running around. And if your pooch is as adorable as my border collie puppy socializing should come easy! 

Bringing your dog around children when it’s young will help it learn different forms of petting also. Kids don’t always know the proper ways to pet a puppy, so they may be a little rougher than you would. This is a really great way to get your new pooch accustomed to different people touching them strangely.

When our border collie was young, she was an irresistible little fluff-ball. It was almost impossible to keep people away from her. Since she experienced that overwhelming amount of attention early, she got used to it very early. Now, whenever she meets a new person, she automatically assumes they’re a new best friend. It’s amazing having a friendly dog that lovingly approaches new acquaintances with a wiggly tail and a shower of kisses!

9. Travel With Your Dog

The last time I flew in a plane was shortly before we got our border collie, Baby. Since then, every trip we’ve taken has been in a car with our dog in the backseat. Enough so that we named this website after our travels.

My wife and I don’t have children, but the joy we get out of experiencing new places with our border collie has been equally rewarding. We started very early and often, and have no plans to let up any time soon. 

Traveling is one of the best ways to teach a puppy how to socialize. Car rides with the windows down are like an explosion of new sights, sounds, and smells. Plus, exposing your puppy to new and different environments is a great way to fast track socialization. 

Traveling with your dog can be a number of different things; plane and boat rides, long trips in a car, or a drive to a park in the next town. Whichever form of travel you intend to have your pet accompany you on, starting early is very important. If you do plan to take your dog on road trips, it’s important to plan ahead and start small. 

Here are a few ideas for short trips to help your dog get used to riding in a car:

Go jump in a lake

Whether it’s the ocean, a river, a pond, or a mud puddle, almost every dog loves water. Finding a body of water nearby is a great way to socialize your puppy. While most puppies are a bit fearful at first, I promise it won’t be long before they’re swimming around like a little minnow!

Get lost in the woods

In the United States, there aren’t many places where a state or national park are too far to drive to. The National Parks Service website is a great resource for finding some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. 

Your state will likely have a similar website with state parks mapped out. Here in Texas, we purchase the yearly Parks Pass for $70. This provides us all with free admission to any park in the state, as well as discounted camping.

Eric & Baby in South Fork, Colorado

Any mountains around?

Our border collie wasn’t in love with being at a higher elevation her first time. But once she’d gotten used to it, it became a non-issue. Her first time was in Sequoia National Park in California, which is the second fastest increase in elevation in the US. Once we got to the top, she experienced something that made her forget any discomfort; snow.

Being from Austin, she’d never experienced snow before. She absolutely loved it! It was one of the funniest sights, watching our border collie run frantically, tail wagging, trying to bite as many snow drifts as possible. 

Baby in the Colorado snow

Friendly fairs and festivals

This one can be a little tricky, just for the simple fact that not all outdoor events allow dogs. Usually, most every festival, fair, or other event these days will have a website. A quick search will generally have a section on rules or what’s permitted. 

One weekend a few years back, we decided to take a random trip to Corpus Christi. It was around my birthday and we though a weekend getaway to the beach a few hours away would be fun.

Well, we didn’t know it until we arrived at our hotel, but we came during Corpus Christi Pride Weekend. Our border collie was only about 6 months old at the time and she absolutely loved it. She experienced countless people dressed much differently than she was used to. Our collie got so much attention that when the parade was going on, you’d swear she thought she was a part of it.

Baby on the streets in Fredricksburg, Texas

10. Don't Get Discouraged

Teaching a puppy to socialize correctly is a process that can be very fun and rewarding. But socialization is a part of training that needs to be taken seriously. Meeting new friends and experiencing new places should be structured to keep things positive. You always want to be sure to avoid letting your puppy learn bad habits.

So what happens if you have a pet that just can’t seem to learn? Don’t give up! Some dogs are not going to pick up on correct behaviors as quickly. Some will take forever to housebreak. Some will chew up shoes for months before you can teach them differently. 

No matter what, continue to be diligent and stay positive. Keep your socialization schedule and try new training methods. Maybe incorporate a professional trainer if necessary. Eventually, your pooch will learn how to behave correctly. When that happens, you’ll be rewarded with a best friend that you appreciate more and more every day!

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Eric is the owner of Border West, a digital marketing company based in Austin, Texas. He spends his time managing client accounts, creating website content, being outside with his wife and border collie, and traveling.

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