Monadnock Humane Society, located in Swanzey NH, is happy to announce their new Puppy Play School program. Puppy Play School could be the solution to your puppy socialization worries. Puppies enrolled in MHS’s Puppy Play School will get to do a lot more than just play with other puppies all day. Puppy Play School is a structured program and curriculum modeled after the one created by The Dog Gurus (a membership site committed to keeping dogs safe by helping to provide tools and resources to pet care businesses and their staff.).
Perhaps you’ve recently brought a new puppy into your family. There are so many things to consider when bringing a puppy home! There’s having a veterinarian lined up, selecting the right food, toys to keep those puppy shark teeth busy, potty training, and so much more.
Sometimes, we get so caught up in all of the physical “stuff” of raising a puppy, that we forget about arguably one of the most important things we should be doing from day one of bringing a puppy home. A huge responsibility in raising a puppy is proper socialization. A well-socialized puppy will grow into a confident, happy adult. A dog you can bring out into public without the worry of him becoming overly scared or reactive to new sights and novel environments.
What do you do though, when you work full time? Maybe your kids have after school activities? It can sometimes be a challenge to find the time to properly socialize your puppy. Remember too, that a puppy’s socialization window closes at around fourteen weeks. After that age, it isn’t that you cannot continue to expose your pup to new things, but the window where they are receptive to new sights, sounds and experiences has started to close and it will take far more effort to ensure they are having positive interactions with these things.
At MHS Puppy Play School, at any given time during the day you will find puppies playing in the ball pit, building courage to go through the tunnel, listening to novel sounds like thunderstorms and fireworks, learning to sit politely to greet people, learning to potty outside and so much more. Puppies benefit from a dog trainer on staff to help teach them good manners and to positively introduce them to new sights, sounds, people and objects.
What does this mean for your puppy? Puppies that have good experiences with sounds like thunder are less likely to develop noise phobias later in life. Introducing them slowly and with positive reinforcement to things like nail trims and body handling will make trips to the groomer and vet a lot easier on both you and your dog. A well socialized puppy will make a better companion for your family and just as important, will help create a happier dog.
Puppies can be brought to MHS Puppy Play School 2-3 days a week (ideally for a minimum of one month to complete the program). Puppies in the program range from 8 weeks to 4 months, and then they graduate to our Dog Day Care program.
To enroll your new puppy in Monadnock Humane Society’s Puppy Play School, please call (603)352-9011 extension 105 or email boarding@humanecommunity
NOTE: MHS is adding another new program – Puppy Day Boarding – a safe, fun place for your puppy to stay when you have to be away from home on a particular day for an extended period of time. Contact our office for more information on scheduling and pricing.
