Twelve years ago, I fell in love with a quiet, meek yellow fraidy-dog who had, ironically, been named by his previous owner, “Argonaut” after the bold sailor Jason. I was a volunteer groomer at an animal shelter, and every week when I saw his name was on the bath list, I eagerly sought him out. At first, he had to be carried into the room, because he was too scared to walk….
One area of socialization that deserves more comprehensive attention is what we call body handling: that is, touching and manipulating various body parts for veterinary, grooming, or social purposes. Puppies are not born with an innate love of being touched on every hair of their body. In fact, they may often respond to being handled or picked up by quickly turning their mouth toward the handler’s hand….
If you’ve just brought a puppy home, chances are you’re being bombarded with advice on socialization, housetraining, and other important must-know’s about puppies. Bringing home a puppy can be downright overwhelming, between trying to make sure your new best friend doesn’t leave little unwanted surprises everywhere, or chew everything in sight. In the chaos to rearrange your life and keep up with your puppy’s shenanigans, carving out the time to provide your puppy with socialization experiences might fall by the wayside….
