Socialization Question

[Remy21]

Hi! I'm brand new here and am picking up my puppy in two weeks (extremely excited!). I was wondering if those of you who have had puppies could give me a little help.

I want to socialize her properly, but I don't know how to do that with all the restrictions i've heard about (Keeping her out of parks, places other dogs are, etc, until she has all her shots at 16 weeks). I'm young, live alone with no children, and moved to a new city just for a job (fresh out of college) so I can't just invite people over all the time to get her used to others as I dont know really anyone here yet. When I pick her up I'm taking her back to my parents house for five days (I have time off of work to spend with my family for Christmas, they live about four hours away). How much can I take her out and about would all you think? I really want her well socialized and it's important to me to make sure that happens when she's young, but how do i do that without comprimising her health?

This is my first dog, so I'm really nervous and excited! Some help or any advice/suggestion would be wonderful! Thank you!

[chelle]

Welcome, Remy, how exciting, your first pup!!!!!!!

Don't worry about dog socializing for now. Just bring the baby into your home, socialize with the humans and enjoy the bonding experience. Those first few days are soooo special!!!!! A brand new love affair.!

If you have an area that is safe and not normally a dog area (a soccer park, a baseball diamond, etc.) then take her there after a few days. Once your bond is established, she'll love, love, love having the freedom to run, but her owner there with her. This will set a precedent for the future, too.

Once you're situated, sign her up for a puppy class. Puppy classes are largely about pup socializing, so that'll be your start. A safe start. Don't take your baby to a dog park for a good time to come. If you have safe family members' dogs for your pup to be around, that's great. If not, don't sweat it, the pup classes will be a good start for that.

Enjoy your baby and post lots of pics, please!!!!!!!!!

[Wild Wolf]

You really want to focus on the bond for the first week or two. Play and build that bond. Socialize with dogs you KNOW are healthy and vaccinated, and make sure they won't be aggressive or dominant with your pup. You can carry your pup to new places and wipe his or her paws with wipes when you're done if you're trying to reduce risk of infection. Safe new places with safe people and animals - visit friends, visit family, car rides, etc. Just make sure you are in control of every aspect of socialization, especially at first.

EDIT; Also, welcome! Congrats on your new baby!

[blehmannwa]

It's a balancing act. I tend to take some risks socializing because it's so important but that means that I'm very aware. I don't take a tiny pup to a pet store or vet clinic and let them sniff around high traffic areas, but I might hold her and let her see the world. A puppy class that starts at 9 weeks and requires proof of vaccination is a fairly safe bet.

No dog parks, no heavily used leash areas or places where a lot of dogs eliminate. When I brought my 8 week old puppy home, I made sure to avoid the dog areas at rest stops. I just walked a bit further.

Enjoy!

[Cassidy's Mom]

There are lots of previous threads covering that topic here in the Development and Socialization forum, scan through the list of threads and you'll find lots of tips.

[4TheDawgies]

Socialize with what you have at home. Make shift obstacle courses, tubes to climb thru, child play sets, chainlink laid down, walking on a tarp, dropping loud things, climbing and going under and through things.

Get creative! Those will really help your pup out before they can see the world.

Even then, if your pup has two sets of shots go out there! Home depot, lowes, and bass pro shop allow dogs and don't get a lot of dog traffic. Perfect socializing opportunity without risking infections.

Get your pup to meet lots of friendly people and make positive experiences. This will help them in the long run to have a better understanding of non threatoning, neutral, friendly, threatoning, dangerous.

The German shepherd temperament of aloof will come at maturity so your dog won't act like a golden retriever as an adult.

[doggiedad]

i consider socializing as any interaction with the pup.
my pup cmae home at 9 weeks old. he was in a
puppy class at 10 or 11 weeks old. i use to stand
near the front doors of the Supermarket to socialize.
there's lots of movement and loys of people who want
to pet a puppy. i use to get together throughout the week
with people from the puppy class for play dates for the pups.
i took my pup to Vet 2 or 3 times a week for petting, treats
and mock exams. after my pup had his 2nd round of shots
we were out and about. good luck with the pup.

[VTcoach]

And I thought I was the ONLY one who stood out front of grocery stores with a pup. In a half hour probably 50 people would stop, say Hi, pet the dog, etc. Parks are great, even my bank allows dogs. It is also important to get the pup in the car for short trips to get them used to car rides.
Many adventures for you both to come.
Good luck.

Originally Posted by doggiedad

i consider socializing as any interaction with the pup.
my pup cmae home at 9 weeks old. he was in a
puppy class at 10 or 11 weeks old. i use to stand
near the front doors of the Supermarket to socialize.
there's lots of movement and loys of people who want
to pet a puppy. i use to get together throughout the week
with people from the puppy class for play dates for the pups.
i took my pup to Vet 2 or 3 times a week for petting, treats
and mock exams. after my pup had his 2nd round of shots
we were out and about. good luck with the pup.

[pyratemom]

The grocery store was also my favorite place to socialize a pup. We took our own treats and stood there over and over. People love puppies and you can pick who interacts with your puppy. It's a great place to start out. I also use the hardware store (Home Depot) where they let you bring dogs inside. You can put the pup in a cart and wheel all over the store. I also use it for training when the dog gets older and its a rainy day, practicing stay and down in the aisles.

[Remy21]

Thank you all for your kind words, suggestions and helpful tips!! They are much appreciated and I'm really looking forward to trying these out. I am so looking forward to having her and will post lots of pictures, i promise!!

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone!!