When you say socializing your pet, it clearly suggests teaching and training your pet to become well-behaved around other animals as well as humans. Socialization has been very effective and successful in helping pets be comfortable in new environments.
It also boosts their confidence whenever they are in new situations. Veterinarians have stated this number of times that the first three months for the puppy is very important for the overall development of the puppy. This is when the desire of the pets of being social outweighs their fear.
This post talks about some useful aspects of pet socialization that every responsible pet owner must know.
Benefits of Pet Socialization
Confidence Builder
If you socialize with your dog, you help them to develop new as well as good behaviors. Gradually, they also start learning how to become well-rounded puppies. With each and every interaction they do, they will boost their confidence and bring positive reinforcement and experiences.
The interactions can be anything – starting from a simple neighbor walking past the house to starting a lawnmower or crinkling a bottle of water. With time, all these will make the experiences like going to dog-friendly restaurants or having parties less stressful and way easier.
Helps in Smooth Transition into New Situations
Dogs with no prior experience of socialization are more fearful of the new situations and circumstances. It can be meeting new people or going to new places. This is probably one of the biggest reasons dogs tend to behave strangely by barking loud or through any other behavior that is not expected.
Socialization has been very effective in letting your dog have a smooth transition in new situations. Some experiences could be going to doggie day-care, visiting the dog parks, etc. All these will also help in alleviating anxiety.
Empower them to Find their BFFF
Socialization helps your pet to become healthy and lead a happy life overall. And when you see your pet happy, you also get the satisfaction of being a happy parent at the same time. When you take your puppy for socializing, of course, there will be more playtime opportunities to meet with BFFF friends (best furry friend forever) and do physical activities. This will certainly make your pet happy and relaxed.
You can arrange the sessions in your garden area or in the backyard. If you plan to do so, make sure to install a wireless electric dog fence to ensure that your pet and other BFFFs remain within the fenced area. The more time pets spend with each other, the better their lives and health will be.
Ensure Healthy Life
It is seen that pets spend more time interacting, exercising and playing with the dogs and other people; they tend to lead healthy and happy lives. You must have heard the popular saying – a tired pup is a good pup, and you can achieve the feat by socializing your dog. In case a dog is anxious or seems to be worried about an encounter, they will spend less time burning energy, having fun and most importantly, feeling stressed.
What Should You Follow While Socializing Your Pet?
Act Normal
In case your pet looks worried, it is important for you to provide reassurance. You can do this by getting down to the level of your dog. Of course, you can distract your pet, but it is better to act normal as much as you can.
Stay Calm
Socializing is one kind of training or teaching your pet. Thus, you need to teach your pet to be calm in case he sees something scary. You can do this by offering examples.
Reward
Always treat your pet when you get the desired behavior from his end. Never punish your pet for doing any wrong. This will ruin all your efforts made previously.
Be Patient
You have to be patient with your pet as you teach a new way of life for a better tomorrow. There will be times when your pet will stop cooperating with you, and things will not go right.
Teaching socializing skills is very important for a pet owner. This will make your pet friendly and teach them to behave correctly when they are in any new or unknown situation. Please share your own experience of how you manage to prepare your pet for the socialization skills below in the comment section.
Photo by Misael Díaz on Unsplash.