Whether your puppy is being
socialized at home
or staying five weeks for
our puppy preschool,
the activities listed on
this page
are very important if you
want to have
a well adjusted - well
socialized dog.
We will be concentrating
on the activities
shown on this list
while your puppy attends
puppy preschool.
It is important that you
continue
to socialize your puppy
when he or she comes home.
If your puppy is not attending
preschool ~
feel free to use this list
as your guideline.
Make sure all experiences
are safe and positive for
the puppy.
Each encounter should include treats and lots of praise.
Slow down and add distance if your puppy is scared!
During the socialization
stage
of seven to twelve weeks,
mental abilities are fully
formed
but puppies lack experience.
This is the optimum time
to teach new things
and is the period of fastest
learning.
Research has shown that
behaviours
can be shaped and modified
most easily
during times when learning
is occurring most quickly.
Training during this time
will actually increase
the capacity to learn
by increasing brain cells
in the appropriate
regions of the brain.
Many experts agree that
this socialization stage
is also the "fear imprint"
stage.
It is important that your
puppy
be introduced to new experiences
in a very positive way.
By the time your puppy is
12 weeks old,
he or she should have:
Experienced 12 different
surfaces:
wood, woodchips, carpet,
tile,
cement, linoleum, grass,
wet grass, dirt, mud,
puddles, deep pea gravel,
grates,
uneven surfaces, on a table,
on a chair, etc...
Played with 12 different
objects:
fuzzy toys, big & small
balls,
hard toys, funny sounding
toys,
wooden items, paper or
cardboard items,
milk jugs, metal items,
car keys, etc.
Experienced 12 different
locations:
front yard (daily), other
people’s homes,
school yard, lake, pond,
river, boat,
basement, elevator, car,
moving car, garage, laundry
room, kennel,
veterinarian hospital
(just to say hi & visit,
lots of cookies, no vaccinations),
grooming salon (just to
say hi), etc.
Met and played with 12 new
people (outside of family):
include children, adults
(mostly men),
elderly adults, people
in wheelchairs,
walkers, people with canes,
crutches, hats, sunglasses,
etc.
Exposed to 12 different
noises
Always remain positive
and watch puppy’s comfort level
garage door opening, doorbell,
children playing,
babies screaming, big trucks,
Harley motorcycles,
skateboards, washing machine,
shopping carts rolling,
power boat, clapping, loud
singing,
pan dropping, horses neighing,
vacuums, lawnmowers, birthday
party, etc.
Exposed to 12 fast moving
objects (don’t allow to chase):
skateboards, roller-skates,
bicycles, motorcycles,
cars,
people running, cats running,
scooters, vacuums, children
running,
children playing soccer,
squirrels, cats, horses
running, cows running, etc.
Experienced 12 different
challenges:
climb on, in, off and around
a box,
go through a tunnel,
climb up and down steps,
climb over obstacles,
play hide & seek,
go in and out a doorway
with a step up or down,
exposed to an electric
sliding door,
umbrella, balloons,
walk on a wobbly table
(plank of wood with a small rock underneath),
jump over a broom,
climb over a log, bathtub
(and bath) etc.
Handled by owner (&
family) - minimum 12 times a day:
hold under arm (like a
football),
hold to chest, hold on
floor near owner,
hold in-between owner’s
legs,
hold head, look in ears,
mouth, in-between toes,
hold and take temperature
(ask veterinarian),
hold like a baby,
trim toe nails, hold in
lap, etc.
Eaten from 12 different
shaped containers:
wobbly bowl, metal, cardboard
box,
paper, coffee cup, china,
pie plate, plastic, frying
pan,
Kong, Treatball, Bustercube,
spoon fed, paper bag, etc.
Eaten in 12 different locations:
back yard, front yard,
crate,
kitchen, basement, laundry
room,
bathroom, friend’s house,
car,
school yard, bathtub,
up high (on work bench
- supervised, of course),
under umbrella, etc.
Played with 12 different puppies (or safe adult dogs) as much as possible.
Left alone safely, away
from family & other animals
(5-45 minutes) 12 times
a week.
Experienced a leash and
collar
12 different times
in 12 different locations.
Positive Paws Dog Training ©2002 - Margaret Hughes
Adapted with permission from Pat Schaap's "RULE OF 7's" for 7 week old puppies
If your puppy is over 12
weeks old,
you can still begin to
socialize your puppy.
It's never too late.
As part of the
socialization curriculum
during puppy preschool,
your puppy will be
introduced to
the very entertaining
and mind stimulating
*Doggie Times Video*.
I highly recommend this
video
for dogs of all ages.
PLEASE
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
PLEASE
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRESCHOOL ENROLLMENT FORM
Return
To The Puppy Preschool Page
Return
To Cuddlespice Cockapoos