National Pet Week, Day 2: Socializing Your Pet
National Pet Week, Day 2: Socializing Your Pet
It is day 2 of National Pet Week, and the perfect time to talk about socialization! For a happy, healthy, and well-adjusted pet, socialization is a must. Fortunately, it is also fairly easy to accomplish. For best results, start early while your pet is still quite young, if possible. This is when your pet will be most malleable and receptive to new stimuli.
1. Friends and Family
If your pet is very skittish, the easiest place to start is by introducing your pet around people you know and trust. Keep the meetings low-stress at first, introducing just one or two new people at a time. This will provide positive reinforcement for future introductions to new people.
2. Kids and Others’ Pets
Another important step is to begin socializing your pet around kids and other animals, especially while your pet is young. The high energy that such encounters will bring may be too much for a shy and reserved pet, at first, so do not dive in too quickly with them. However, more gregarious pets will most likely love the company. For all pets, shy or not, start socializing them young and in happy contexts will ensure they continue to love and get along with kids and other animals throughout their lives.
3. Dog Parks and Day Cares
If you have a dog, dog parks and doggy daycares step up the socialization another notch. Once your dog has been sufficiently socialized around smaller, familiar groups according to your dog’s needs, it is time to introduce him or her to strangers. Dog parks and daycare both offer an unencumbered environment for romping, sniffing, and chasing around, teaching dogs how to coexist even among strangers.
Before you begin socializing your pet, make sure he or she is inoculated. We can provide the vaccines your pet needs at any of our three Hawaii locations, so call and schedule an appointment today and get ready to have fun parading your new pet around!
Waipahu Waikele
Kailua
Pet Specialists of Hawaii
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