With that in mind, I decided to bring Juniper and Mesquite to work with me. I work at a natural pet food store so there are plenty of chances for them to meet people and dogs.
The trick to good puppy socialization though is to make the experience a happy enjoyable one for the dog overall. If it's very unpleasant for them, you've just reinforced to the pup that the world is really scary.
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| Wrestling time in the play pen |
These two pups are pretty nervous so to start with I am just keeping them in a playpen behind the counter so they have lots of space and can see things from a distance without feeling threatened. They get lots of chances for new experiences while they chew on bully sticks, play with fun toys, and wrestle. I did try to introduce them to a large, sweet dog at one point and Mesquite was okay with it - just a bit nervous. But poor Juniper shrieked like she was about to die. Obviously she needs to work up to close up meetings of large dogs.
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| Snoozing after tons of play time |
After about an hour of all this excitement, the puppies were completely spent and crashed for the rest of my shift. It was a good start and I plan to keep bringing them to work with me.
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