The importance of puppy socialization with Meyer’s Tails Up Farm

BELVIDERE, Ill. (WIFR) - You got a new puppy for Christmas, now what?

Meyer’s Tails Up Farm says properly socializing your puppy will shape its future positively.

The ideal time for puppy socialization is between 7 - 24 weeks. Socialization is all about teaching your puppy that the world is a safe place where other dogs and new people are friendly and new experiences don’t have to be scary.

During the first few months of life, it takes a small amount of experience to imprint on your dog and affect your puppy’s behavior in later years.

That’s why it is so important that you socialize your puppy in a safe way and with experienced handlers who know how to ensure a positive experience. If you try to do it on your own or just wing it, you may inadvertently do more harm than good. But you have a short window of opportunity, as socialization gets harder as your puppy ages.

Gwen Meyer (Owner of Meyer's Tails Up Farm and Meyer's Canine Colony)

Socialization for puppies is a critical component of new dog care. Under-socialized puppies often grow up to be fearful, reactive and generally harder to live with. Under-socialization tends to cause behavioral problems, even aggression, and this is the most common reason people abandon their dogs at a shelter, according to Meyer’s Tails Up Farm.

Learn the why, when and how to correctly socialize your new four-legged family member with Meyer’s Tails Up Farm’s Puppy Social Time classes.

Classes for puppies aged 8 - 16 weeks are at 12:30 p.m.

Classes for puppies aged 17 - 23 weeks are at 1:15 p.m.

These classes are held every Saturday in January - March at Meyer’s Tails Up Farm, 5390 Irene Road, Belvidere.

No reservations are required, classes are drop-in only and cost $20 cash per puppy per class.

For more information, please call Meyer’s Tails Up Farm at 815-547-5778.

Socializing your puppy is easy and can be fun! There are a handful of different ways you can expose your puppy to new people and experiences in a positive way:

• Take them for walks in different neighborhoods to meet new people (be sure to keep them on a leash first).
• Invite friends over often so they can get used to having new people in their space (make sure everyone is calm and gentle with your pup).
• Enroll them in a puppy class to learn basic obedience commands while meeting other puppies (look for courses that use positive reinforcement methods)
• Take them on trips to different places like the park or pet store (again, keep them on a leash at first).
• Expose them to different types of textures by letting them play with different toys (plush toys, squeaky toys, rope toys, etc.).

By: Forest Nelson

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