Last Updated on November 5, 2025 by Denise Leo
Welcome to this essential guide on successfully socializing your puppy, brought to you by Denise Leo, a lifelong champion dog breeder with over 50 years of hands-on experience.
Through her celebrated kennel and years of raising show-quality Pomeranians, Denise has honed the art of early puppy development and socialisation—insights she now shares with you, whether your new companion is a happy-go-lucky Pomeranian or any other breed.
In this article, Denise draws on her own successes and challenges to provide you with structured, easy-to-follow steps for introducing your puppy to people, pets, environments, and everyday life.
With her guidance, you’ll learn how to build a well-balanced, confident dog from the very first interactions—informed by decades of experience in producing companion animals who are as comfortable in the home as they are in the show ring. Let’s get started on the journey to a socially-skilled, joyful puppy.
Why Socialising Your Puppy is Important?
Socialisation is essential, as it allows your puppy to acclimate to various sights, sounds, and smells. A well-socialized puppy is aware of different circumstances and doesn’t get aggressive in times of fear.
Socialising the puppy is undoubtedly the first and foremost thing you must learn after bringing a puppy into your family. The key makes your pups confident, content, and a great companion.
Different pet owners also notice that if you don’t socialize your puppy correctly, your pup faces several behavioral issues in the future, which can be life-threatening at times. Hence, socializing is very important for your puppy as it helps them learn to behave in certain conditions and situations.
Socializing a puppy is crucial to their development, ensuring they grow into confident and well-adjusted dogs. The best way to achieve this is through creating positive experiences and associations during their formative weeks.
A key aspect of the socialization process involves introducing your puppy to various scenarios in a positive manner. This includes meeting different people, encountering other animals, especially well-mannered older dogs, and experiencing multiple environments, such as car rides, parks, and busy streets.
Exposing your puppy to these new experiences should be done gradually and in a way that ensures positive interactions. For example, when introducing your puppy to older dogs, choose dogs known for their calm and friendly demeanor.
These positive associations with older dogs can significantly aid your puppy’s learning and social skills. Similarly, exposing them to different people ensures each interaction is controlled and pleasant. This helps build their confidence and teaches them to be comfortable around strangers.
A good time to start this process is as early as they begin exploring their surroundings. The good news is that puppies are naturally curious and open to new experiences, making it an ideal time to introduce them to various aspects of the world.
Start with short trips to fun destinations when taking them on car rides. This helps them become accustomed to traveling and associate car rides with positive outcomes.
Socializing a puppy, particularly in the first few weeks of age, is vital for their development into well-adjusted dogs. This early socialization period, typically between 8 and 16 weeks of age, is when young puppies are most receptive to learning and adapting to their environment. For new puppy owners, understanding the importance of this phase is crucial.
During these formative months of life, exposing your young puppy to a variety of experiences in a positive manner is key to preventing future behavioral problems. Observing your puppy’s body language during these interactions is essential, ensuring they remain comfortable and engaged.
Positive experiences during these early stages can significantly influence a puppy’s behavior, making a healthy, well-socialized dog less likely to develop fear or aggression. Whether meeting new people, encountering different animals, or exploring varied environments, each experience should be approached with care and sensitivity.
Early socialization, done right, sets the foundation for a puppy to grow into a friendly, confident, and well-adjusted dog.
Remember, socialisation helps your puppy develop into a well-rounded and confident dog. Always approach each new experience with patience and encouragement, rewarding them for their bravery and curiosity. With consistent and positive efforts, your puppy will develop into a friendly and adaptable companion.
Here, we have outlined key details that help you understand why puppy socialisation is important and how to socialise your puppy effectively.
How to Properly Socialise a Puppy: Top Tips
- Socialising a puppy is an essential part of being a responsible pet owner. It helps the puppy adjust more easily to different environments, people, and other animals, while also teaching them how to behave in social situations. Here are some tips for how to properly socialize your puppy:
- Start early – Puppies should begin socializing as soon as possible, ideally before they are 16 weeks old. This is the best time for them to learn how to interact with other people, animals, and new environments. Ensure that all experiences are positive during this period to help them develop good habits and behaviors.
- Supervised introduction – When introducing your puppy to new people or animals, do it in a controlled environment with supervision. This allows you to watch how your puppy behaves and intervene if needed.
- Positive reinforcement – Always reward good behavior with treats or praise to encourage the behavior to be repeated. If your pup is anxious or scared, speak gently to them and offer lots of positive reinforcement when they show bravery and approach the new situation.
- No punishment – Punishment should always be avoided when socializing puppies, as it can harm their future interactions with others.
- Be patient – Puppies learn to be around other people and animals, so give them plenty of time and patience.
- Exposure – Expose your puppy to various people, animals, and environments calmly and gradually, at their own pace. Ensure they have brief but regular exposure to new things until they become comfortable with them.
- Watch how your puppy behaves – Pay attention to how it reacts in different situations and interacts with other animals and people. This will help you gauge how much socialization they need to become well-socialized.
What is the Right Age for Socializing Puppies?
If you are a new owner, you should know that the initial three months of your puppy’s life are the most critical period for socialization, as it’s the time that shapes the dog’s overall personality. During this period, the puppies learn how to deal with new experiences.
Newborn pups don’t see and hear entirely until they are 2 to 4 weeks old, and are born deaf with their eyelids closed. However, these puppies initially navigate by using their sense of smell for the first few weeks; it is their primary sense.
In the first two weeks, these canines sense through smell and touch, so you must handle your puppy immediately with gentleness so they can get comfortable with you.
Once your puppy develops his hearing and sight abilities, you should familiarize him with various sounds and noises, such as clanging pots and vacuum cleaners, as this significantly aids his neurological development.
Four to eight weeks is the time when puppies start growing stronger, seeking adventures, and developing coordination. It’s when they are up for new experiences, as they start playing with the things around them and investigating the objects in their environment.
Let them play with challenging obstacles, squeaky toys, and puppy pens to teach them to play alone during this period.
During the first 8 to 16 months, puppies learn that new people and animals are not dangerous. They initially become scared and fearful of strangers and unfamiliar faces, but gradually, through socialization, they learn how to deal with these conditions.
How to Properly Socialize Your Puppy?
Isn’t socialisation a lifelong process for everyone? However, with puppies, the early foundation is the most crucial aspect. The first three months of their lives shape their whole personality.
There are many processes involved in a puppy’s socialisation, from introducing them to new places to enrolling them in well-run classes. Here are a few things you can do to socialize your pup correctly.
Start with Your Home and Family:
As soon as you take your puppy, you should help him learn new things until he is three months old. For a newborn puppy, everything he encounters is new, unusual, and strange. Therefore, familiarize him with new sounds, faces, smells, voices, and views; this will help him learn about different textures, noises, and smells.
Your house is undoubtedly your pup’s best class; introduce him to mirrors, brooms, TV, water, balloons, and whatnot. We have different sounds, such as cars, lawnmowers, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, and music, to help him become familiar.
Let him deal with various textures, such as grass, carpets, puddles, sand, and tiles, to teach him about different textures. These things will help him learn new experiences every day.
To help your puppy experience new things, always bring them out of their comfort zone by introducing them to people and new faces. Involve your entire family in this socialisation process so that your puppy can get acclimated to all of them quickly.
Reward Them with Sweet Treats:
During this period, ensure that everything your puppy encounters is positive, so he doesn’t form a negative impression of the world around him. Always reward your puppy with a soft, chewable treat for his good behavior to encourage him to learn and adopt a positive attitude.
These treats and praises will help them associate positive feelings with their exposures and encounters. Dogs are very good at reading emotions, so never show nervousness when introducing your puppy to big dogs or other pets, as it will automatically make them fearful.
Introduce Your Puppy to Public Places:
Once you notice that your puppy has become comfortable with the household, it’s time to introduce him to more significant and newer experiences.
Take them on puppy playdates with your friend’s canine so that they adapt to new situations. You can also take them to dog parks to expose them to other canines and conditions.
Public places are full of new experiences and lessons; make sure your puppy learns positive lessons from them to be considered a well-trained pup.
Never Rush for Results:
As we said, it’s a long process. Take your time introducing your puppy to new experiences and people daily. Try getting him used to family members first, and then gradually let him face strangers.
Similarly, don’t plan new things every other day, but let him get comfortable with the household sounds and things, and then move him for different experiences; this will keep him calm and relaxed. An overwhelming introduction to places and people can yield poor results, so never rush for immediate results.
Take your Pup to Puppy classes:
If you want your puppy to learn commands and obedience skills, consider enrolling them in puppy classes. You can enroll your puppy in the classes once you have introduced your puppy to the first vaccines.
These classes play a significant role in your puppy’s socialization, teaching them obedience skills and providing a great opportunity to socialize with other puppies. The best thing about these classes is that your puppy is exposed to other canines and new people, which helps reduce your pup’s fear of meeting strangers.
Some skilled trainers train the puppies to learn new skills and experiences that benefit their development.
What Happens If Your Puppy Isn’t Socialised Properly?
Puppies that don’t receive proper socialization often develop fears that can escalate into aggression, ultimately harming them. When they reach adulthood, these puppies often develop behavioral issues that can become hazardous to their lives.
They develop fearful behavior toward strangers, which causes them to bark excessively, lunge, snarl, and snap. The unsocialized puppies also become extremely frightened and stressed by the presence of other dogs and start hiding and yawning to avoid contact.
Your puppy may develop a few things if you don’t socialise with him at the right age.
- Your puppy would get frightened of meeting new people and experiences and develop anxiety while approaching new conditions.
- Your pup would become reactive and would turn his fear into aggression. Under-socialized pups are unaware of stressful conditions and cannot often react appropriately to such scenarios.
- If a puppy isn’t introduced to socialization, it becomes hard to handle, and you would find it difficult to groom it. These puppies find brushing, teeth cleaning, and nail clipping as torturous devices.
- Under-socialized puppies become unadventurous; they find life outside their comfort zone frightening and are scared of adventures.
- If a puppy is not exposed to dogs of different sizes and breeds early on, it becomes anxious and uneasy around other dogs.
How to Socialise Your Puppy Before Vaccination?
Socialising your puppy is as important as veterinary care. Dogs’ owners usually get skeptical about whether it’s safe for their puppies to go out before they are fully vaccinated.
You can introduce your puppy to socialisation classes at 7 to 8 weeks, as this is also the time to start their vaccines. Puppies get the final round of their Vaccination when they are 16 weeks old; until then, they are at risk of contracting various infectious diseases.
However, it would be beneficial if you didn’t stop them from socializing, as it’s certainly the right age for them to learn new experiences and how to react comfortably in unfamiliar situations. Therefore, it’s recommended that you avoid introducing them to places you know are hazardous for puppies.
Generally, veterinarians recommend getting the first round of vaccines and deworming of your puppy a week before you start socializing to decrease the risk of exposure to various infections. The first vaccine puppies receive DHLPP (distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, and parvo).
The vaccine will reduce the chances of infections and prevent the spread of contagious diseases to others. Avoid places like dog parks before your puppy has completed its vaccinations. A dog park is not one of the safest places for small dogs.
Ways to Socialise a Puppy Before Vaccination:
Start with your house; let your pup play in the backyard with other pets you know so that he can get familiar with them. You can also take your puppy to visit a friend, meet other dogs, go shopping, and even see your workplace; this will help him become familiar with different environments and situations.
The best places for socialization are public parks and your neighborhood. You can take your puppy on a stroller to parks and nearby areas to introduce them to new sights and sounds. Through a stroller, you can also avoid getting infections.
You can also arrange a welcome party, so your puppy meets all your friends and family in a safe and familiar environment, such as your own home. All you need to do is never let them be unattended before the final vaccination, so they don’t come into contact with germs and viruses.
How Can You Plan Socialisation Outings?
Short trips to shopping or grocery stores open a wide range of interactions your puppy doesn’t get to see in his personal space. Try to socialise your puppy in various outing spaces so that he develops a positive attitude towards things he doesn’t see at home.
- You can take them to home improvement stores for a long walk.
- Take them for lunch at a café to help them get into the mood.
- Take them to the shopping mall and stroll through the automatic doors to make him learn.
- Take them to farms so your puppy can smell the odors of other animals.
- Our houses are usually calm and silent; take your pup to a noisy street to show him the hustle and bustle.
- Take him to a nearby train station to introduce him to this transportation.
How do you properly socialise your puppy with other dogs?
Puppyhood is when your puppy needs proper socialisation; if you don’t socialize during this stage, then chances are that it will always lunge, bark, or cringe when seeing a stranger or new dog.
Proper socialization in the initial three months of your puppy’s life is crucial; if you teach them properly, they will know how to prevent aggression and fear while around other dogs. The best approach is to introduce your puppy to another canine when they are as young as 6 to 7 weeks old, allowing them to associate with other dogs and avoid stress around them.
Once your puppy has received its first vaccines, start socializing it with other healthy and vaccinated dogs in the family and among friends. It would be best to have discerning eyes to make sound judgments about whom your puppy should meet.
Your puppy is in the early learning stage when he is learning manners and etiquette, so make sure he meets other beneficial dogs and doesn’t engage in rough play. It would help to consider a few things when socializing your puppy with other dogs.
- Initially, introduce your dogs to those canines that are well-mannered, obedient, friendly, and well-trained so that your puppy enjoys their company and adopts good habits from them.
- If you know a well-behaved dog, take your puppy for a ride with that dog so that you can instill good behavior in your puppy when he is around that dog.
- You can also schedule playdates with other dog owners twice or three times a week; more opportunities with another canine will help your puppy socialize better.
- Always allow your puppy to play with other dogs under your supervision, as dogs sometimes get annoyed with little pups, which can scare your puppy.
- Please ensure the first dog your puppy meets enjoys his energy and excitement; this will help him build a good rapport with other dogs.
- Don’t approach any random dog for your puppy’s meet-up once you know his personality, as it can be alarming for your pup’s safety.
Conclusion
When you bring a puppy home, it’s essential to start early—because those first experiences shape a lifetime of behaviour. Proper socialisation makes it easier to teach your puppy new things, reduces anxiety, and builds confidence for every stage of life.
As Denise Leo, an internationally recognised champion breeder with over 50 years of experience, explains, socialisation is one of the most rewarding parts of raising a well-balanced dog. It’s not just about introducing your puppy to new sights and sounds—it’s about nurturing trust, curiosity, and resilience.
Take small, positive steps. No one knows your puppy better than you do—his likes, limits, and learning pace. Be patient and gentle; progress will come gradually. Watch closely during new adventures, and if your puppy shows signs of stress or fear, calmly redirect his attention and offer reassurance.
Denise’s lifelong dedication to the Pomeranian breed and her deep understanding of canine behaviour inspire this guide. She hopes it helps you confidently guide your puppy toward becoming a well-adjusted, happy, and affectionate companion—one who will bring joy to your family for years to come.
Copyright Pomeranians Australia. All Rights Reserved.
References and Further Reading:
[1] Denise Leo: The Pomeranian Handbook.
[2] Pomeranian Headquarters.
[3] Reputable Pomeranian Breeders Australia.
[4] Dochlaggie Pomeranian Australia.
