Did you acquire a very young dog, or did you freshly adopt a dog right as the Corona pandemic started and you have not done as much public work, obedience training, or socialized your dog properly because of the pandemic restrictions? You are not alone!
It is time to play catch-up!! It is never too late to expose your dog, young or old, to novel experiences as much as you can tolerate. This includes simple phenomena such as loud or strange noises, facial masks, rubber gloves, children screaming and moving about, doors slamming, steep staircases, elevators, storm drain grids, umbrellas popping open and closed, meeting tall men with sunglasses or hoodies, etc.
Find a motivator that will really make your dog remain “glued” on you and expose your dog as much as possible. Even if you just do a little Living room obedience will go a long way in putting the dog’s mind at task and mentally stimulating it.
Ideally, we pitch the famous 16 week window. We suggest the dog should see everything and all up until 16 weeks of age. If your dog is now seven or eight months and has grown into their adult size, it may make some exposure more difficult to handle because the dog is harder to handle, but it is not too late and in fact extremely valuable to still socialize and obedience train your dog.
How are you playing catch up with your dog’s needs in this pandemic? I’m about to obedience train my dog Hexe just like this - to change it up for her.
