The world is new for puppies. Everything is a first for them: the feel of grass on their paws, the sound of a vacuum cleaner, the smell of a friendly stranger. Each new encounter helps shape how they will respond in the future, so keeping the experiences positive is a crucial piece of the puzzle. The more puppies safely explore and try new things, the more likely they are to grow into confident adult dogs, better equipped to handle life’s challenges.
Puppy socialization (also called puppy enrichment) involves introducing the puppies to new sites, sounds, smells, and textures. There are many easy activities that can help puppies exercise their brains and natural instincts. Think: scent games, food puzzles, chew toys with different textures, and interactive play.
“The activities don’t need to be elaborate, puppies just need some variety.”
“By varying their environment, and exposing them to new textures, smells, people, and experiences, we help puppies become well-rounded individuals,” says Acadia Generelli, AFF’s Social Media and Office Facilities Manager. “The activities don’t need to be elaborate, puppies just need some variety.”
This article offers tips for providing enriching experiences in shelter settings (or anywhere), designed to match a puppy’s age and needs.
The Basics
“The Puppy’s Rule of 12”
How much enrichment should we aim for? The Puppy’s Rule of 12 is a helpful way to think about the experiences a puppy should have before reaching 8 weeks of age. But no matter how old a puppy is, it’s never too late to start.
With all enrichment, a key is to keep it positive using your voice, body language, and rewards. Be patient and encouraging. It’s brave to take on new things—just think about how it feels to walk in the door of a party full of unfamiliar people (and now imagine they’re ten times taller than you!).
Because all dogs are individuals, it’s also important to keep an eye on each puppy and how they react, adjusting the activity as needed.
Ideas for Early Puppyhood
Gentle enrichment activities can start early in a puppy’s life.
Change their Sleeping Blankets:
Rotate different blankets with different textures.
Introduce New Smells:
Puppies rely heavily on their noses. Calm scents like lavender or chamomile are great options.
People Power:
Have different people come and handle the puppies, exposing them to new smells, voices, and energies.
As Puppies Grow
Human Touch:
This may be the easiest one of all. Help puppies get used to being handled by gently playing with their feet, cleaning their ears, and brushing their fur. Keep it positive and always be aware of the puppies’ body language.
New Surfaces:
Regularly change the textures where they walk, using rugs, sand, dirt, grass, or even crumpled blankets to encourage exploration. You can buy snuffle mats online; it’s also just as easy to DIY them.
For example, at Animal Farm Foundation, we use a ball pit filled with varied textures (plastic balls, clean bottles, soft blankets, or rubber mats) to give puppies a chance to discover new sensations underfoot. Pro tip: Sprinkle some food or treats in the area to encourage bravery and exploration.
Noises and Objects:
Introduce puppies to common household items like vacuum cleaners, brooms, or pots and pans, hairdryers, balloons, bells, or even holiday decorations. Always do this at low levels at first. Startling the puppies may have the opposite effect of what we are hoping for.
Chillin’:
Another easy one is to introduce puppies to the sensory experience of cold objects: Snow if you’re living in a winter zone, or let them lick and bite a piece of ice or a toy stuffed with a frozen treat.
People:
Encourage puppies to meet lots of different people, dressed in a range of clothing and accessories. Hats, canes, walkers, big coats and work boots can be great for learning.
For example, our Animal Care and Training Coordinator Kirstyn Hoage brought her full firefighting gear in and wore it to greet the puppies. That was fun for everyone!
Animals:
If you have calm older dogs or cats that are comfortable with and enjoy being around puppies, allow them to safely meet. (Check out our post, Guide to Successfully Introducing Cats and Dogs in Animal Shelters.) Bonus points for farm animals.
Interactive Play:
Play tug-of-war and fetch as puppies are ready. Add toys like tunnels, tugs, soft toys, especially ones that crinkle, have smells or make noise.
For example, we used a cat crinkle tunnel for a recent group of 7+-week-old puppies. “At first, the puppies were unsure, but soon enough, they were unphased and even sleeping inside the tunnel!” says Generelli.
A box cut into a tunnel can work just as well! There are plenty of affordable or free DIY options to help you set up a puppy enrichment gym with tunnels, ramps, and things to climb or shimmy under. You can find creative inspo on Instagram and other networks.
Brain Games:
Providing appropriate outlets for instinctive behaviors like digging, chewing, and scavenging is a great way to encourage curiosity. Make a puppy “dig box” filled with safe dirt or crinkled paper, with hidden treats. There are puppy-friendly puzzle toys that have treats hidden in easy-to-open compartments. You can create a “scavenger hunt” by hiding favorite toys in a play area and having puppies find them as you cheer them on.
Your turn! We’d love to hear your ideas to help puppies learn about the world in a safe and fun way. Share your puppy socialization tips with us at info@animalfarmfoundation.org or on social.
Video Tips:
For more ideas, check out the Kennel Enrichment section of our site, where you’ll find video tips for DIY activities and a link to our Enrichment Toolkit
