Socializing your new dog is a very important part of bringing them into your family. Having a properly socialized dog is key to building their own confidence, and it can make your life much easier as well! When dogs know how to act with one another they can build real friendships, which really takes the load off of you. Playing with other dogs is a great way for them to exercise and get their “zoomies” out during the day. When dogs are comfortable around other animals and humans it makes vet visits much easier, allows you to travel without worrying about them 24/7, and leads to overall happier and healthier pets! Now here comes the dilemma, how do we socialize our pets during times of social distancing? We’ve scripted out a quick guide to help tip-toe the lie between staying safe and letting our dogs play!
Step 1: Pick a Trustworthy Walking Partner!
If you have a friend or two who also have a dog, become walking partners! If you and a friend are both confident in your health, bringing your dogs out on a walk together is a great way to socialize your pup! Practicing social distancing is still very important, but your dogs can still interact if you and your friend are 6 feet apart. That’s the beauty of having a long leash!
Step 2: Show Them The World!
Socializing your dog goes further than simply meeting other dogs and people. Getting accustomed to new sights, sounds, and smells is very important as well. Once your dog is comfortable in your neighborhood, take them somewhere new for a walk. Once our quarantine is over, I’m sure many of us will want to be out and about as often as possible. If your dog is not used to new experiences, it can be overwhelming to them to randomly be tossed into a new situation day after day. By showing them the outside world piece by piece, they will be much better prepared for all of their new experiences.
Step 3: Prepare Your Pet For The Vet!
Your pet’s first vet experience can be traumatizing for them. A person they don’t know takes them into a room they’ve never been, and brings out a bunch of scary tools! If your pet is well socialized with other humans and animals, this experience will go much more smoothly. It is also important to get them used to new procedures. By rewarding your dog for new experiences, they will become eager to explore the world even further! Find something metallic, like nail clippers, and touch them to your dog’s paws and nails. It may spook them a little bit at first, until you give them a treat! Once they realize that these metallic tools won’t hurt them, and often lead to snacks, they will stop fearing the process of trimming their nails. Repeat this process for baths, haircuts, and even shots! The more experiences your dog relates positively to, the better off they will be when it’s time to face the real world!
We hope everyone is staying safe and staying sane during these weird and unusual times. It may come as a surprise, but now is a great time to bring a new pet into your family. The amount of time we spend at home will likely never be this high again, allowing you to create an incredibly close bond with your pets. Obviously, socializing your dog is an incredibly important part of that as well. We hope this helps you all find the line between social distancing, and socializing your pets!
Sincerely,
The Lilly Brush Team
