Socializing Your Puppy


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Socializing your puppy

There's a certain period during a dog's mental development when he discovers the world around him. During this time, called socialization, he learns who his social companions are. These early impressions are important because they affect how your dog will behave as an adult toward unfamiliar people, animals, and events.
REMEMBER!
Yorkies don't get the last of their immuniztion shots until around 15 or 16 weeks, which means you need to be careful how far out into the wild world you take your new puppy. Until she receives her final immunization, make sure that she meets lots of new people at home and plan outings to safe places like your neighbor's fenced backyard.

Meeting and greeting other people

When you socialize your Yorkie, don't limit her introductions just to the people in your family. You want her to meet and encounter as many other people as possible, and you want the interaction to be safe and pleasant. Here are some suggestions to braoden your pup's exposure:
1)Invite your friends over for a visit.
2)Take your puppy with you when you visit extended family or friends.
3)Go shopping at a pet market that allows dogs(after your puppy is properly vaccinated and wormed, of course).
4)Take a walk around your neighborhood during a time when you're bound to pass other walkers, bicyclists, and children playing.
5)Go to the park.

AS you socialize your puppy, keep these pointers in mind:
1)Expose her to people of different ethnicities, shapes, sizes, ages, and physical characteristics. A dog who's never seen a man with a beard, for example, may react in fear to a man with a beard.
Dogs often react to an unusual or eye-catching feature rather than the person: A friend wearing a big, floppy hat may seem threatening, while the same person without the hat on would seem friendly.
2)If your puppy reacts with fear, don't try to soothe her("Don't be scared. It's just a nice man" in a cooing baby voice, for example) and don't pet her. In fact don't react obviously to the dog at all. Any sort of reaction(even scolding) is attention that simply heightens her initial impression. A firm but calm "no" and a trip to the crate, if necessary, for a short timeout are better responses. If your puppy responds appropriately when around other people, praise her or give her a treat so that she associates strangers with good things.
REMEMBER:
Ideally, you want your puppy to be curious and friendly. You don't want her to show aggression or fear, especially when it's not warranted.

Dealing with strange animals

You don't want your dog to have a hissy fit everytime he see a strange animal. So in your socialization efforts, you need to make sure that your puppy meets other animals that he's likely to encounter in day-to-day life.

To expose your pup to other animals, you can:
1) Invite your friends to your house with their dogs.
2) Take a walk through a park.
3) Enroll your Yorkie in a puppy or dog socialization class.
Rember: Until your puppy has all his immunizations, be careful not to expose him to dogs who haven't been immunized. Postpone the trips to the dog park and pet markets until you get your vet's okay.

Common Puppy Fears

Fearful puppies who don't get the necessary help they need to grow into fearful adults who are more likely to snap and bite. The key is to help your Yorkie overcome whatever fears he has while he's still a puppy so that he can grow into a well-adjusted, confident dog.

Noise -Noise -Noise

A normal, busy household offers an assortment of noises, from the soothing to the hair-raising. All these sounds are ones that your dog's going to have to either get used to or accept. You can help her by doing the following:
1) Don't turn down the volume. But, remember, dogs in general and Yorkies in particular have very acute hearing. Sounds that are loud to you sound very loud to them, and sounds that you don't hear at all may be crystal clear to your pooch. Keep this info in mind when your dog reacts to certain sounds; she may be reacting out of pain rather than fear.
2) Don't reinforce your puppy's reaction.
3) Figure out what noises cause problems and work to desensitize your dog to them.

Very Scary Things

VACUUMS
If your dog does have a negative reaction, don't try to soothe or calm her out of it. Instead try desensitizing her to the sound and movement:
1)Leave the vacuum out(and unplugged) where the puppy can see it and get used to it.
2)After she's used to the vacuum itself, work on getting her accustomed to the ound without the movement. Turn the vacuum on but don't actually vacuum. Then turn it off before she has a chance to react to it. Slowly increase the amount of time.
3)When she's used to the sound-that is, she's not reacting to it anymore--add the movement. Vacuum a small area initially and gradually increase the area. Be sure to praise your puppy after each successful run.
The trick is to take all these steps slowly--so slowly in fact, that your puppy can't help but succeed.
WARNING!
Never ever, ever chase a puppy with a vacuum or a vacuum cleaner attachment. A puppy who runs for her life and then turns to attack isn't cute--she's terrified!

Blow Dryers
As a Yorkie owner, your blow dryer is probably the one appliance you need your dog to make friends with. Given the care requirements of the Yorkie coat. Even if you don't plan to do the grooming yourself, teaching your dog to tolerate a blow dryer makes the professional grooming go more smoothly, and it could save you money because many groomers tack on an extra fee for difficult- to -groom dogs. So you have to help your Yorkie get used to it, and the best time to start is when he's a puppy.
Before you turn the blow dryer on your dog, simply keep him in the bathroom with you while you dry your own hair. This will get him used to the noise then:
1)Give your puppy a chance to get used to the dryer being close to him, let him sniff it but don't turn it on.
2)When you first turn it on, keep it on low and the nozzel turned away from him.
3)Blow the area around your puppy's shoulders and back first, just a few seconds. Then call the session done, turn off the dryer, and give your pup a treat. Over the next few days, increase the time and area you blow dry, abd always follow each session with a treat.
4)Don't blow the air directly into his face(no one likes to be blasted in the kisser) or around his tail. Those areas can come later when youhave a little more finesse and he's more accustomed to the whole experience.