How to train Your Puppy to Accept, Like, Tolerate EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY!

Training your puppy to like everything… people, big and little, old and young and all manner of things…bikes, skateboards, vacuum cleaners, big trucks, coffee grinders, mixers, hats, big bags, masks, big dogs, tiny dogs, umbrellas, hats is not really ‘training’. It is exposure.
It’s super important that you begin immediately – as soon as you bring your puppy home.
The learning window in puppies that is wide open at birth is slowly sliding shut. At 16 weeks (4 months), the new puppy’s natural curiosity is being replaced by wariness. Furthermore, his total focus on you is being replaced by more interest in his own kind. If you want to have a well-socialized well-mannered dog who is welcome anywhere, begin the exposure process immediately.
Don’t keep your puppy a secret!
Invite your family friends and neighbours to come and meet the new family member. Invite them in groups if you like. Encourage them to drop in. have a party. Haven’t you been meaning to? A new puppy is a great reason. Ask your kids or grand kids to bring their friends over – just one or two at a time is best with kids. Do supervise the children!
Training your puppy to accept, even like all manner of people, places, things and other dogs does not involve training sessions. Simply have your new puppy with you during as much of your daily activity as possible and be aware of his reaction to new things. Remember, he’s new on this planet. It’s ALL strange to him!
If something appears to upset her (yes, I just changed from him to her) – not too likely if she’s very young – do not ooze sympathy. Keep your tone of voice calm and matter-of-fact when you tell her it’s OK.
Think of the sounds in our homes… mixers, dishwashers, vacuums, coffee grinders, loud TV’s, radio or music, slamming doors. Some of these can be quite startling. If your puppy appears anything more than briefly startled, you will want to slowly and gradually increase her exposure to that thing until she no longer pays attention to it.
Let’s take the vacuum as an example: A sudden loud noise that doesn’t stop right away and the noise moves. Your puppy runs away, cowers under a chair and looks fearful. Maybe she barks. This kind of behavior is unusual in very young puppies and far more likely at the onset of adolescence… sometime after 16 weeks of age.
If your puppy is exhibiting signs of fear, turn off the vacuum.
Sometime later on the same day, with puppy in another room, turn the vacuum on for 10 seconds. Turn it off. Turn it on again, this time for 20 seconds.
Do this several times throughout the day gradually increasing the time you have the vacuum on. Ideally, there are tow people, one for the vacuum and one to focus puppy on either treats or a toy while the noise is audible.
Continue to repeat this throughout the day moving both vacuum and puppy to different locations. As puppy becomes more tolerant of the noise, you can move the vacuum first to in sight and subsequently closer to puppy. No need to come any closer than 3 feet away. If any move closer results in puppy’s fear, go back to the previously tolerated distance.
By now, puppy will most likely not show much interest in the vacuum and you can carry on with the cleaning you set out to do in the first place.
Yes, I know it takes time, patience and repetition. The payoff though, is huge!
Wide and varied exposure to people, places and things is called puppy socialization.
You can use the same focus training with your puppy out in the world too.
Kids on skateboards, garbage trucks, busses, wheelchairs, anything that is loud and/or unusual…
Here’s how:
1) As you hear or see the strange thing approaching say
2) “Puppy, sit” (assuming you’ve taught her to ‘sit’ and if not, why haven’t you?)
3) Praise her, give her tiny treats and keep talking to her to keep her focus on you
4) If she turns toward the “strange’ thing, take one step and start again
5) When the thing has passed, say
6) “Good puppy, let’s go,” and continue on your walk
Begin exposing your puppy to everything as soon as you bring her home. Continue to expose your puppy to new people, place and things throughout its life. Her calm and accepting behavior throughout her life is YOUR reward for a job well done.