Pets Information


Introduce Your Puppy To New Situations And Ensure Good Behaviour For The Rest Of Her Life


They may seem to be bold explorers - sniffing at and mouthing just about anything - but all dogs have an instinctive fear of anything unfamiliar to them. Fear causes stress on the body, which affects long-term health. To help your dog avoid the negative health effects of stress, it is important to socialize her. Socialization is the process of exposing your dog to a wide variety of places, situations, objects and people. A well-socialized dog is a confident, healthy dog that you can take anywhere.

An unsocial dog will attack other dogs, children, vets, and even you.

The things that startle dogs often surprise their owners. Hats, balloons, garden statues, and other mundane things that seem to pose no threat. To your dog, however, it is an unknown. If you are a subdued person, your dog might show fear around a bubbly extrovert. Basically, any situation or object your dog is not accustomed to can create fear and stress in her.

Cornell University College of Vet Medicine suggests that the socialization period lasts up to about 12 weeks (3 months) of age.

So it is best if the socialization process begins when the dog is a puppy. This is a key learning time for dogs, so they become socialized more quickly. However, even older dogs that were not socialized as puppies can reach that confident, relaxed state. Socializing a dog that is more than one year old may take a little longer, but the results are rewarding.

Socializing a dog is a very simple process: take the dog to as many different places as you can. Your dog will pick up on your body language and follow your lead, so it is important for you to act confident and relaxed, especially when your dog hesitates. While you are walking about, stop every so often to pet your dog and talk to her in a happy voice. Naturally, feeding her a treat or two will give her a positive association with the environment.

Here are some quick ideas to try to give your puppy confidence.

  • Invite friends to meet her. This will help her get used to unfamiliar people.
  • Take her to the shopping mall, into the park, school play areas to experience new environments.
  • Introduce the puppy to anything you expect her to use daily - the yard, her leash, stairs.

Since your goal is to give your dog confidence, not traumatize her, never force your dog to accept a person or situation. Respect her feelings, and try again later.

While you are out and about, remember that you are your dog's guardian. Keep an eye out for excited children running towards your dog. A good way to handle this kind of situation is to stop the kids verbally about 10 feet from your dog. Explain to them that your dog is just getting used to new places and new people. Ask them to approach quietly and one at a time so that your dog learns that children are nothing to be afraid of. Letting the children feed your dog a treat is sure to help her learn to accept these high-energy, enthusiastic strangers.

Properly socializing your puppy will ensure the best traits come out in your new pet and you and your pet enjoy your life together.

Best Pet Health Information is a resource which will help you find infomation, hints and tips to keeping your dog happy and healthy. http://www.best-pet-health.info

Copyright © 2005 Best-Pet-Health.info. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.


MORE RESOURCES:

Care2.com

Pampered Pet Business Booms in US
Voice of America
February 07, 2012 Pampered Pet Business Booms in US Americans spent $50 billion on their animals in 2011 Deborah Block | Fairfax County, Virginia At “A Dog's Day Out” in Alexandria, Virginia, people bring in their dogs to stay either for the day or ...
Big Pets Get Bigger: Latest Survey Shows US Dog and Cat Obesity Epidemic ExpandingMarketWatch (press release)
Winterize Your Pet With the Royal TreatmentHuffington Post
Most American Pets are Too FatCare2.com

all 17 news articles »


Delta Society(R) Is Now Pet Partners(R)
MarketWatch (press release)
BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb 07, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Delta Society(R), one of the world's oldest and largest human-animal interaction organizations, is now Pet Partners(R). The renaming is part of the organization's new brand strategy to achieve greater ...
Delta Society® Is Now Pet Partners®Business Wire (press release)

all 4 news articles »


Pet Friendly Hotel of the Year Award Winner New York's Hotel Pennsylvania ...
MarketWatch (press release)
7, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- As the 2012 Pet Friendly Hotel of the Year award winner and host hotel for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, New York's Hotel Pennsylvania has become the only hotel to stay at for the Westminster Dog Show.
Purely Products to Sponsor VIP Pet Bags and Allergy-Free Home Makeovers at the ...Business Wire (press release)

all 10 news articles »


ChicagoNow (blog)

Pet Food Product Recalls, U.S. Senator Expresses Concerns
ChicagoNow (blog)
At a news conference on February 6 in Cleveland, Brown was joined by Kevin Thaxton, whose 10 year-old pug, Chancey, passed away unexpectedly after eating chicken jerky pet treats. But Thaxton didn't know why his dog died at that time and fed the same ...
Northeast Ohio pet owners want fast FDA action on pet treats from ChinaPlain Dealer
Concerns about potentially tainted pet treatsWTAM.com
Brown, Kucinich Seek FDA Action to Protect Dogs From 'Tainted' TreatsCleveland News - Fox 8

all 5 news articles »


French Tribune

A Bite as Healthy as Their Bark
Wall Street Journal
By LAURA JOHANNES Pet dental health, largely ignored by many owners, is moving into the spotlight. Many veterinarians are recommending you brush your pet's teeth, daily, just as you do your own. A wide array of "dental care kits" for cats and dogs are ...
Time to Brush Up! Petplan Pet Insurance Provides Toothy Tips Just in Time for ...San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
Pet Dental Health Under the Spotlight in the USACosmetic Dentistry Guide (press release)

all 63 news articles »


BBC News

Godmanchester pet charity celebrates rehoming 'first'
BBC News
The Paw 2 Door scheme allows owners to keep their pets at home until the charity finds them new, vetted owners. Wood Green ensures the animal has up-to-date vaccinations, is neutered, microchipped and has a month's worth of veterinary insurance.



Critter Cleaners, All Pet Pantry Open on State Street
Patch.com
The pet grooming business and feed store now share a space at 1120 State St. in the Chipain's Shopping Plaza. By Amanda Luevano Critter Cleaners, the pet grooming business formerly located in downtown Lemont, opened its doors at a new location on State ...

and more »


BellaDOG Magazine

National Pet Day - April 11th {Pet Day USA}
BellaDOG Magazine
National Pet Day was created by Celebrity Pet Lifestyle Expert & Animal Advocate Colleen Paige, who also founded National Dog Day and National Cat Day {among others} and sponsored by the Animal Miracle Network, to celebrate the joy pets bring to our ...
Shelter Exchange and Adopt-a-Pet.com Partner to Help Homeless AnimalsMarketWatch (press release)
Pets for adoption Feb. 5Greenville Daily Reflector
Homeless Pet ClubsPatch.com

all 11 news articles »


ESPN

Pillow Pets, sleep cams and bus rides
ESPN
Michelle Smith Pillow Pets make great traveling companions. Toni Kokenis (tiger), Nneka Ogwumike (bunny), Lindy La Rocque (panda) and Chiney Ogwumike (turtle) show off theirs. This season, espnW is spending time with the Stanford Cardinal and Hall of ...



ABC Action News

Detectives: Animal Control worker confesses to stealing money from homeless ...
ABC Action News
Authorities arrested an Animal Control officer on Monday for allegedly stealing money from a donation box for homeless pets and taking other items donated to Polk County Animal Control. For the past six months, Benjamin Derrick, 21, of Fort Meade has ...
Polk County Sheriff's Animal Control Officer Benjamin Derrick arrested for ...WTSP 10 News
Deputies: Animal control officer stole from homeless petsMyFox Tampa Bay
Animal Control Officer Accused of Stealing From Donation BoxThe Ledger
WKMG Orlando
all 11 news articles »

Google News

home | site map
© 2007