You know how certain things are nostalgic just because they’re part of your experience at specific stages of life? You catch a scent that brings you back to a family trip. You see a commercial from the 90s that suddenly jolts you back to Saturday morning cartoons. This is all association. There’s a reason why certain associations hit harder than others. It’s not all about the intensity, good or bad. Most of it comes from what we were going through at the time. Sometimes it’s trauma. Sometimes it’s very exciting events. Sometimes it’s just growth.
We are more susceptible to embedding strong emotional connections to stimuli during different stages of our own development. It will affect how we grow from there. It will establish strategies to cope (whether healthy or not). It will always happen.
Dogs experience this too. During certain stages of their life, they are very receptive to learning new things. What we might not realize is that they will learn and build associations whether we intend to teach them or not. As they grow into adulthood, those early experiences become the foundation for everything they learn after that. They can still learn new things; they can even develop positive associations with things they’ve struggled with in the past. I can learn to like new songs. But nothing hits quite like Michael Bolton. The irony is, I don’t even like Michael Bolton. But the association I have comes from special memories with my mom in our childhood home. In this way, nothing hits quite like those early associations.
What Can You Do About This?
That’s simple: train early! I can’t emphasize this enough. Waiting until a dog is a few months old before beginning socialization, exposure to new stimuli, and training will set them back in life and can cause you all kinds of grief. Remember, they will learn something, whether you teach them or not. If you don’t teach them, then what they learn will be up to chance.
Safety and health are, of course, priorities. We would never recommend taking an unvaccinated puppy into an unsanitized area and hoping for the best. But there are ways to do it safely!
Puppy Classes
These classes are specifically designed to accommodate safety and health while providing puppies with a chance to socialize with other puppies, get exposed to things they’re likely to see in the real world, and learn basic manners. I’m a professional dog trainer. Even I would find it challenging to raise a puppy without some kind of socialization opportunity like a puppy class.
The Internet
Dogs don’t know what brushes or umbrellas are for. They don’t know that fireworks won’t hurt them. They don’t understand why a man with a beard looks different, but they sure notice! Vacuum cleaners, garbage trucks—anything they might encounter can trigger either a fear response or one you want to cultivate. This starts by exposing puppies to stimuli in a way they can handle, meaning low intensity, low duration, and enough distance for them to feel safe.
For example, here’s a step-by-step guide to desensitizing a puppy to fireworks:
- Look up desensitization videos for fireworks sounds. These videos give you control over the volume and duration.
- Start by turning the volume way down, press play, and before the dog reacts, give them treats.
- Play the clip for only a few seconds before turning it off, then remove access to treats.
- If your dog barks or reacts to the sound, adjust the volume down, shorten the duration, or create more distance.
- Repeat this gradually, increasing exposure time or volume only when the dog shows no signs of fear.
The goal is to teach your dog that the presence of these potentially spooky things means something good is coming from you. This approach helps your dog look forward to the stimulus. You aren’t waiting for a reaction, and you’re not distracting them. The formula is simple: dog sees or hears the thing, treats happen. Dog sees or hears it go away, treats go away. This is something you can do from the safety of your home.
Private Training
Having a certified trainer come to your home for these exercises can give you a lot of bang for your buck. Everything covered will be something you can continue practicing for the dog’s entire life, and it doesn’t take long. It’s all about consistency.
Things I DO NOT Advise for Puppies:
Dog Parks / Beaches: This one’s tough because, ideally, you want your dog to practice social behavior by interacting with other dogs. However, the problem with dog parks is that you don’t know who else will be there. Other people have different ideas of what’s acceptable. Other dogs may be there for their first time. Puppies are so sensitive that even a minor disagreement with another dog can lead to lasting fear, reactivity, or aggression toward dogs that look similar. I’ve had dogs who are wonderful with all dogs—EXCEPT a certain breed. Often, it’s because they had a negative experience with that breed at a crucial socialization stage.
What you can do instead: Find a couple of close friends for your dog. I am a mildly social person, but there is no version of myself that wants to go to a party every day filled with a bunch of strangers. I would rather hang out with a couple of buddies. You dog is likely more inclined for that as well. They will learn more positive social skills from a small group than a large one. And remember, just because they might be able to handle a little drama during socialization does not mean they should have to. Give them opportunities to practice success. Not recovery from failure.
Aversive Tools: This topic can be divisive. Some people are very passionate about their right to apply pain and discomfort. The proven, indisputable fact is that positive reinforcement works. When aversive methods are used, they are used instead of more humane methods. I needed to mention this, especially with dogs in their puppy or adolescent stages. I’ll admit that the subject of aversive tools is nuanced. Any tool, even a leash, CAN be used aversively. But tools intended to cause pain and discomfort, such as e-collars, prong collars, and choke chains, should not be used. They work in the moment, but they cause lasting emotional and behavioral damage that could easily be avoided by using more appropriate methods.
Board and Train (proceed with caution) : I include this not because it should be avoided entirely. But this service should used only with diligent research of the training center you choose. It's rare to find a board and train center that does not using aversive tools and methods. The reason for this is that dogs don’t generalize as well as we do. I could take your dog and train it all day. I could probably teach them quite a bit, but after that, I’d need to hand the leash back to you. If you don’t know how to reinforce what I did, then the training won’t be maintained. Unfortunately, some trainers take a shortcut by handing you a tool and telling you when to press a button.
I’m not saying Board and Train is inherently bad. But if you choose any “puppy boot camp” service, do extensive research on their methods.
- Check their reviews and look for choke chains, prong collars, or shock collars. Some training centers hide these from review page photos with cute bandanas.
- Ask for their credentials and certifications. If they can only point to "how many dogs they've trained" or "how long they've been in business", consider that a red flag. It's possible to do something for twenty years wrong.
- Look for testimonials from other clients.
- If you’re unsure, reach out to me, and I can advise you on their methods.
What you can do instead: There are plenty of resources for training the right way. One day care center that I would recommend is Love Dogs Camp. They specialize in training through enrichment. The dogs they serve thrive on their holistic approach.
You could also look into hiring a Certified Professional Dog Trainer who offers in-person or Day Training services such as myself or Handle with Care Dog Training whose decades of experience and incredibly patient dedication toward positive technique is so refreshing.
These services allow for consistent training without requiring overnight kenneling, and give you the skills to continue their training consistently.
Patience Is Key
Be patient. Remember, these puppies have only been here for a few months. And dogs inherently don’t know “right from wrong.” They only know what works for them and what doesn’t. But don’t wait—puppies need support early in life. It can make all the difference for their future behavior and emotional stability.