Once you've gotten past this fear stage, your puppy's socialization should continue throughout the first year of his life. This is very important and every effort must be made to expose your puppy to new things. The best rule of thumb here is the more, the better. Expose them to as many different people and animals as possible by taking them to the store, the bank, the park, wherever you possibly can. This is a great time for obedience classes, not just for the training but for the socialization too. Just remember, anything that you want your dog to be okay with as an adult -- children, other dogs, cats, people, etc. -- must be introduced to and thoroughly experienced by your puppy early on. Again, it cannot be stressed enough how important thorough socialization is.

If the importance of socialization isn't yet apparent, just consider what can occur with a lack of socialization. There are many problems that can develop if a dog isn't well socialized or is isolated during the first year of his life. Many dogs end up overly shy or timid, cowering when encountering strangers, shying away from children or other animals, shaking and panting excessively in new situations. This can often lead to fear biting. Worse, some dogs react, not with shyness or timidity, but with aggression. These behaviors are very difficult to change later in life.

Back to previous section on dog socialization.