BINGO!
Puppy Bingo is a great way to have a fun learning experience with your pup. Scan the code for the bingo card developed by Believe in Dog Training and give it a try. You and your pup will enjoy the game!
PUPPY SOCIALIZATION DURING SOCIAL DISTANCING
By: Stephanie Bennett, CPDT-KSA | Believe In Dog Training | believeindogtraining.com
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ith so many puppies being brought into homes during COVID, which in turn implies some puppies may experience lack of socialization due to the lockdowns, what is your advice about how to safely socialize, acclimate, and expose new puppies while practicing social distancing protocols? Why is this important? Puppy training has never been more important. Socialization is one of the most crucial and time-sensitive aspects of raising a puppy and sadly, with social distancing protocols in place, it's not always possible to accomplish this task in the traditional manner. It's still possible to socialize and acclimatize your puppy safely, but puppy owners need to be extremely proactive and provide their pups with an ever-changing environment filled with novel objects, stimuli and experiences. The benefits of confidence built through providing your puppy with a myriad of positive experiences during their first 4 months, or critical socialization period, cannot be emphasized enough. Appropriate early socialization can mean the difference between a happy, well-balanced dog that can accompany you anywhere, and a dog that may
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be skittish and nervous almost everywhere outside their own bubble of safety. It’s an easy first step to begin the process at home. However, we do live in an urban jungle and you must begin to expose your puppy to the outside world as soon as possible! NOTE: The best and fastest way to make sure your puppy has great experiences is to include things he loves, like food or toys. Be careful not to overwhelm your puppy. We want to help him learn that the world may be loud or unpredictable, but it’s always safe and can be super fun! Go at your puppy’s speed and never force him to do anything. If he seems worried, or stops taking treats, you need to increase the distance between the stimuli and puppy, and/or decrease the intensity of the stimulus. » Introduce puppy to all kinds of household items like vacuums, brooms, hair dryers, balloons, umbrellas, toys that move and make sounds, etc. » Create a huggable puppy and hand feed him his dinner while gently touching all body parts from head to toe every day! » Sit out in the front of your house when it’s busy on your street (or take a car ride!) and help puppy enjoy passing trucks, bikes, strollers, children, or other dogs by offering
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tiny bits of chicken or cheese each time. Create unusual surfaces for puppy to walk on: bubble wrap, aluminum foil, yoga mat, cushion, wobbly cardboard box, etc. Have everybody in your household play dress up and act like a silly willy! Put on “strange” things: hats, masks, glasses, clumpy boots, helmets. etc. Play audio of babies crying, children playing, thunder, sirens, etc. Feed every meal in a food puzzle or unusual item: a box, rolled up towel, muffin tin, plastic Easter eggs, etc. Find a puppy class that practices safety protocols or seek out appropriate, one -onone playdates with other vaccinated dogs. Take a social distancing field trip to Home Depot!
At your facility, Believe In Dog, where you specialize in puppy training, what is something you are doing at the facility or advising parents to do that is a fun learning experience? We launched “puppy bingo” and it’s been a great success! The parents find the game easy to play and of course the pups love the attention. To view the “bingo card” and try it with your dog, scan the QR code above.