Think Puppy Party!

A puppy socialization class is about providing your puppy with safe exposure to a variety of novel people, sounds, other animals and experiences in a controlled manner in such a way that the puppy has a positive emotional experience with novel things.

During puppy class, puppies will be give the opportunity to interact with unfamiliar people and other healthy, vaccinated puppies in a  safe environment.

Puppy parents will be taught the most current information regarding how to keep their new puppy healthy and safe.

Puppies will be introduced to basic training cues such as “sit” and will also be exposed to handling procedures that they will need to be comfortable with in order to receive health care throughout their life.

The primary window of opportunity for a puppy to experience socialization is during the first 3 months of life. This is the time when fear is usually outweighed by curiosity and it is the time when puppies are most equipped mentally to learn about relationships with other people and other animals. After three months of age, socialization is still possible but can become increasingly difficult.

The course consists of 5 weekly classes. The first class is for puppy parents only. During this class, a brief introduction to basic dog behavior and training will be presented and pet parents will be given information regarding what to bring to the next 4 sessions. Any questions they may have about the class can be answered at that time.

At the conclusion of the 5 classes, all puppies will receive a graduation certificate.

Incomplete socialization during these first critical months has been proven to result in a higher likelihood of behavior problems later in life. Incompletely socialized dogs are more likely to be fearful of new people, places and things and less able to cope with novel situations they encounter.

Puppies can start socialization classes as early as 7-8 weeks of age as long as they have had at least one set of vaccinations 7 days prior to the beginning of class and at least one dose of dewormer. They must be kept up to date on their vaccination schedule throughout the class. All puppies attending class will receive a brief physical exam at the beginning of class and any puppy that appears to be ill, will not be able to stay for that night’s class.

Every member of the family is welcome and encouraged to attend the puppy class. The more novel people each puppy meets, the better! Children attendees should be at least 6 years of age in order to participate. Younger children are welcome as long as there is at least one adult to attend to the child and another one to attend to the puppy. This is a great opportunity for children to learn how to safely interact with all dogs!

Behavioral problems are the leading cause of relinquishment to shelters and it has been estimated that more dogs die from behavior problems than infectious disease. A safely managed puppy socialization class is less risky than not socializing your puppy properly.

Puppies should never be taken to dog parks or other off leash areas where unvaccinated dogs may have walked and they should not be introduced to unfamiliar adult dogs whose vaccination status may be unknown.

Socialization can and must be done safely. Veterinary behavior specialists recommend all puppies attend a puppy class prior to three months of age. Puppy socialization classes are a safe and effective way to expose young puppies to a variety of stimuli that they may encounter later in life. They can help make training easier, build a stronger bond between the pet parent and their dog, and decrease the chance of many behavior problems.