We want to socialize and expose our four legged furry friends to the elements of the world…
So we’ve talked about the idea that your dog (especially if you have a puppy) needs more, safe and gentle, exposure to the world they’ll be joining you in.
I want to tell you a story about why this is so important.
I had a client that had a fenced in yard and so their pup could run around the yard all day every day.
My client thought this was good because their pup was able to get fresh air, run and jump and be a dog, and not be cooped up inside the house all day while they were at the office.
BUT there was a problem brewing and they had no clue.
Their dog was growing up NOT being socialized and ended up developing some extremely bad habits.
Anytime someone would walk past their pup would bark like crazy. It sounded like the world was coming to an end.
If someone came over (a welcomed guest) they’d have to dodge the jumping and nipping crazy dog. (not a good way to make a first impression, mind you.)
And this behavior was getting worse with each passing day.
So…
We want to socialize and expose our four legged furry friends to the elements of the world.
Don’t worry if the visual above sounds like where your pup is at.
This is all too common and it can totally be fixed.
With a dog with behavior problems you start of by going backwards. They have to “unlearn” those behaviors first.
Once you have that “clean slate” then you start creating new, GOOD, behaviors for them to embrace.
Don’t worry, you’re not just going to throw him out into the world because he won’t be ready for it.
He’ll be too scared.
You want to ease him into it.
So you would do it slowly.
And it really depends on where you live and what you can do.
For example, if you live in a city and your dog is terrified of all that stuff (the traffic, the noise, the people, the sewer grates, etc.) you’re going to have to take more time and be a bit more patient.
Your pup has more things to contend with than if you live in a suburb/rural area with lots of open space, calm roads, quiet neighborhoods, etc.
So it becomes a little more challenging depending on your individual situation.
This is where having an experienced trainer (cough cough) comes in handy.
We address this kind of thing with each of our clients.
You’ll want to keep YOUR CALM and start out in your in front of your house where it’s quiet and then ease them into those noisy areas very very slowly.
Don’t try and rush things, stay really present with your pup and notice how their behavior changes. If they start to appear nervous or stressed or less calm, it’s OK to call it a day and take a break.
You can even do some of these things IN the safety of your house.
For example…
You can live play different types of sounds (cars, traffic, horns, people talking, etc.) or things that might set your dog off or trigger them and then slowly you basically you want to change all of those negative associations into positive ones.
This is exactly what we handle all the time for our clients. If you have any questions let us know.
Talk soon,
Stacy
Westchester K-9 Dog Training
914 393 2346
info@westchesterk-9.com
