You hear trainers and dog people talking all the time about “socialization” and how it is important for the well-being of your dog. But what exactly is socialization, how does it work, and why is it so necessary for your puppy or older dog? 

“Socialization” is the term used for the process of training your dog to be properly behaved around other people and animals, toward strange objects, and in different places other than your home or yard without fear or aggression. It is the fundamental learning process by which all puppies and older dogs learn the rules and regulations of the family and community in which they live. 

Typically, a new puppy comes into your family between 8 to 12 weeks of age. At this point in his development, your puppy is going through what animal behaviorists call the “fear” imprinting stage. This means that any puppy is especially vulnerable at this time to finding certain stimuli particularly alarming, and will ingrain that fear into his personality unless you – as his pet parent – do something to alleviate the problem. 

A good example of this is the puppy that gets swatted with a rolled-up newspaper when he has a potty training accident in the house. From this point on, that puppy might see the newspaper and the person who swats him as something frightening – even though the newspaper is not physically painful, it can be loud and scary to a little puppy. 

A more dominant puppy might grow up to aggress against that particular stimulus – tearing up the newspaper at every opportunity, and never really bonding with the person who smacked him with it. Your more passive dog might resort to cowering in a corner or submissive urination. 

Additionally, your puppy that is never exposed to other dogs or people won’t really learn the rules of long-established canine behavior. He might jump on any strange person in an attempt to get attention, or be so repressed he won’t be able to handle anyone else touching him. Your puppy might not understand that the dog in the dog park doesn’t really want to share his food – and so be open to attack and injury. 

Puppies with issues like this can grow into fearful, aggressive dogs that attack anyone who comes in the yard, or who won’t let the veterinarian touch them for the annual exam. They can become the dogs with separation anxiety so bad that they tear up the house when you leave them alone. 

Your job as a pet parent is to introduce your new puppy to different experiences, people, and animals. Just like the mother dog teaches her litter in a controlled environment, you need to be able to protect your puppy from anything that frightens him and slowly allow him to do more and more on his own. 

With the right kind of training and proper socialization, your puppy can grow in confidence as he grows in size, and mature into the beautiful, friendly, happy dog you want him to be. 

Many times when addressing issues with your dog, you need to learn to look at the situation as they do. Confront negative behavior with your pets as if you are confronting a toddler. We do not expect a toddler to act like an adult, and we can easily understand some behavior because it has been encouraged by the parent. The same is true with your dog. Your dog is smart and quick, your dog has learned many behaviors simply in response to things that you have done or enforced. The area of begging is one of those areas.

Your dog is begging, and you want him to stop. The first thing that you need to realize and admit is that the only reason that they are begging is because it has brought them success in the past. This dog has learned this habit and learned to use it to their benefit. If you have inherited this dog with this habit, then you’re off the hook, but everyone else… this is a habit that you helped to develop.

It is truly admirable and commendable that your dog is a big part of your life. It is understandable that you enjoy his company and distractions when you are eating. But you and your dog need to realize that this is not the time to feed your dog snacks. By allowing your dog to beg during mealtime, and by rewarding this behavior, you are encouraging a habit that you will soon realize is not something that you want them to do all of the time.

A good way to address the issue with your dog is not to loudly and brashly protest his begging, but rather, save your dogs feeding time for your mealtime. They have already learned to equate your mealtime with snack time or food time for them. Take this time, then to reschedule their mealtime with your mealtime. Save their food on the counter or a table nearby until you sit at the table. When they come to beg, you can place their food on the floor in the same place where you always place it. As you stop rewarding the begging behavior and give them their own food, they will soon learn not to beg. Decide on habits that are easy to maintain. To properly communicate to your dog that begging is not successful, you have to predetermine not to allow it to be successful – ever.

If this seems too much to ask, and you still have a problem, then determine not to eat in front of your dog. If the temptation to offer a little snack is too great, then decide to put the dog outside, or in another room while you are eating, then the begging is not allowed to happen.

The key to treating this type of behavior is consistency. Realizing how much your dog will benefit from learning to restrain himself, will make them a more well-adjusted and calmer dog.

You are just beginning to train you dog, or if you have a dog with already developed habits; it is never too early (or too late) to begin training your dog. As much as it is best to begin training a younger dog, the saying is not true, because you can teach an old dog new tricks!

In the case of addressing your dog and their barking habit, realize first that God created them to bark. Barking is their only way to orally communicate. Dogs are designed to identify their territory by barking, and to communicate with other dogs by barking. They warn of danger by barking, and show exuberance and excitement. Barking is just something that they naturally do, and as much as you may want control when they bark and what they bark at. Try first, however, to put yourself into your dog’s shoes and see why or what is making your dog bark.

There have been two techniques that I would recommend that have immediate and positive effects. There are products on the market that are designed to address the issue of your dog barking, that need to be considered when other methods are not an option.

One thing that I have found to be successful is to remind the dog of the annoyance that their barking causes. Dogs have not always lived inside, and are not designed to understand using their “inside voices” like a child might. A quick reminder to them, and on their level that their barking is loud, and uncalled for, can quickly teach them not to bark inside.

We already know and understand that dogs have excellent hearing. Using this premise, save out a soda can and put 3-5 pennies inside of it and then tape the top shut. Keep this can near you, and when the dog begins to bark, if you’ll just loudly shake the can, the sound will be uncomfortable to your dog. They will soon learn to correlate this uncomfortable sound with their barking. With consistent use, this technique is quite successful and has a satisfactory effect in the home.

There is another technique that I stumbled upon quite by accident. Our dog absolutely hates getting wet! We keep a water gun in the house, and when he barks, we quickly squirt him with the water. He doesn’t seem to be able to understand where this water comes from, but he already equates the water with his barking. Now, when he thinks he needs to bark at something, he’ll look at me instead. I’ll quickly reassure him that everything’s o.k. and then he’ll be fine! Sometimes I’ll think he needs to see for himself, so I’ll take him outside. Sometimes a dog barks out of boredom. Just like a child will sometimes cry for no apparent reason. Give your dog some distraction and something interesting to do, often they merely want interaction.

Both of these techniques I have personally seen work before. I would not recommend them otherwise. But please, try to remember, that barking is natural for your dog, and there are times that you will welcome their barking. So keep up consistently training your dog. You’ll be so happy in a very short time, and you’ll have a well-adjusted dog that will be a companion for years to come!

Room Wizard® Indoor Pet Containment System

Pet Stop’s Room Wizard® Indoor Pet Containment System was developed to keep your pets safe and problem-free while they’re in your home. Knowing that your much-loved furry companion can’t eat something he shouldn’t, or climb on something that can topple over on her, saves you hours of worry when you can’t be home to supervise.

With our Gentlesteps™ Training method, we can confine your pets, both canine and feline, to certain areas of your house when you’re not at home.

We’ll keep the cats off your counter tops and tables, and ensure that the dogs don’t get into the trash, grab food off the table, or sit in your favorite chair. We’ll stop your dogs from rummaging in the cat litter box, and make sure kitty stays out of the baby’s nursery.

When its time to potty train your dog, we can make sure he stays in one room of your house until he is conditioned to go outside to do his “business.” And if you have a cat with inappropriate elimination issues, keeping her in the same room with her litter box is a breeze with our indoor containment system.

Our technicians are trained to install either a wired or wireless containment system in your home. If you need the wired system, we can hide the wires under your carpet and/or along your baseboards so that the necessary technology doesn’t mar the beauty of your home.

For a free in-home estimate of our Room Wizard® Indoor Containment System, call us at 714-878-2696, or send us your questions on our Contact Us  page.    

Anytime your new dog or puppy is in your house and not in your yard behind an invisible fence system, she needs to be house trained for your family’s sanitation needs. Crate training your pet provides the quickest – and cleanest – way to make that possible.

Make sure and purchase a crate that is large enough for your puppy or dog to stand up, turn around, and sleep in comfortably. Particularly with younger, more active dogs, the ability to move around during crate time keeps their minds alert and developing muscles tuned. Note that a crate that is too large for your dog allows her to eliminate in the kennel away from her bedding and water and contradicts the entire purpose of crate training.

 You will want to line the crate with old newspapers to absorb any “accidents.” Use only the black newsprint – not the slick ad pages – because newsprint absorbs water, while colored print pages do not.

Give your pet a doggy bed or a pile of old blankets or towels to lie on while she’s in the kennel. You might also want to throw in some of her favorite toys to keep her occupied while she’s there.

If she’s only going to be in the crate a short time – maybe an hour or two – you don’t need to leave her any water. A longer stay requires that she have a full water bowl to keep from getting dehydrated. Placing several ice cubes in the bowl so that she can lick them as they melt helps in preventing spills.

Knowing the approximate age of your dog tells you how long you can leave her in the crate. The American Animal Hospital Association states that puppies should only be kenneled for one hour per month of life. That means a 2-month-old dog should only be crated for two hours at a stretch. Adult dogs that have already been house-trained can stay up to 8 hours comfortably, providing they have adequate water.

Take your dog or puppy outside immediately before she goes in the crate and immediately after she gets out. Praise and pet her when she eliminates outside both times. Consistently doing this teaches her not to “potty” in the house, and to wait until she’s outside to “go.” If you allow her to walk around the house after she gets out of the crate, you need to expect accidents.

Remember, accidents will happen regardless of crate training. Don’t spank your pet with a newspaper or “rub her nose in it.” This only serves to make her fearful and possibly aggressive. Being kind and consistent with any training method teaches her good manners and makes her your loving companion for life.

Need a crate?  Click here to visit our online store – we offer several sizes and styles.