Giving your pup 100 positive experiences in his first 100 days with you is not as daunting as it may sound. The most important thing to keep in mind is to control the circumstances so that the experience remains positive for your puppy. When introducing your pup to children, for example, put your body between your pup and any overeager, rambunctious kids until you have a chance to tell the kids how they must behave if they want to meet the puppy. Don’t let a baby clamp his hand onto any part of the puppy’s anatomy, or hand the puppy to anyone who is in danger of dropping her.

It’s also best to bring an ample supply of extra-tasty treats anywhere you take the pup. When someone sees your puppy and starts making the inevitable "Oh what a cute puppy!" approach, hand the person a couple of treats and ask if he would feed them to the pup as they pet her. Or bring along your puppy’s favorite stuffed toy and give it to the person so he can offer it to your puppy. Keep an eye on your puppy’s response; she should be happy, confident, and obviously pleased to see any and every new person approaching. If she appears frightened or overwhelmed, think about how you can make the interactions more rewarding for her.

You’ll find many opportunities in your own neighborhood to start your list of 100. You’ll also want to get into the habit of taking your pup with you to as many safe places as possible, to enhance his socialization, and to start him on his path to being your well-behaved companion, welcome wherever you go.

We suggest you keep an actual written list of your pup’s socialization exposures, with a goal of a minimum of one new exposure per day until you’ve reached the 100 mark. If you put a little effort into it, we’re betting you’ll get there well before your 100 days are up- more likely in half that time! Here are some suggestions to start you off:

1.Your mail carrier. Snag him on his daily rounds and ask him to feed your pup a tidbit or two. Start an early positive association with this daily visitor to your home. 2. Your UPS or FedEx person. Add a little extra power to the positive association with uniformed visitors to avoid trouble later. 3. Your neighbors. Actually, this can count toward many of the exposures on your list if you live in a diverse neighborhood. If your neighborhood is homogenous, try a park or the bench in front of your local library. Look for tall men, 4. short men, 5. tall women, 6. short women, 7. skinny men and 8. skinny women, 9 portly men, 10. portly women, 11. babes-in-arms or babies in backpacks or slings, 12. babies in strollers, 13, women pushing babies in strollers, 14. toddlers, 15, older children, 16. tweens and 17, teens, 18, men with beards, 19. people with hats, 20. people with backpacks, 21 people with umbrellas, 22. people in wheelchairs, 23. people using walkers and crutches, 24. kids on bikes, 25. kids on scooters. 26. kids on skateboards, 27. kids playing basketball… and all of the above in various ethnic groups.

Then add locations to your list, including your 28. bank, 29. vet’s office, 30. pet supply store, 31. copy center, 32. hardware store, 33. puppy kindergarten class, 34. outdoor café, or 35. any place of business that doesn’t have a "No Dogs" sign on the door.

Okay, you’re one-third of the way there. You get the idea, and get to think up the rest. Be creative, and remember to control each interaction to keep it positive for your pup.

Places NOT to take your pup

While socialization is a wonderful thing, it’s important to avoid places that pose a risk to your pup’s physical and mental health and safety. Here are places that are important to avoid:

1.Off leash dog parks until he is fully immunized against the most common puppy diseases, or any places with accumulations of feces from unknown dogs. 2. Any place where he is likely to encounter stray or sick dogs. 3. Any place where he is likely to encounter aggressive dogs. 4. Any place he is not welcome. 5. Any place where he would have to be left unattended or in a hot car (no tying up outside the café or ice cream store, even if you need to run in "just for a minute!") 6. Any place where he will be uncomfortable (sitting in the full sun while you watch your son’s Little League game). 7. Any place where he is likely to encounter aggressive, rowdy, drunk or otherwise inappropriate humans (this includes street fairs and festivals, parades, marches and other public events). 8. Any place where you won’t be able to devote enough attention to him to ensure his safely, security and well being.

Copyright 2004 Whole Dog Journal. Reprinted with permission, Belvoir Media
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