It’s the new year and you are getting a new little friend! Congrats!

This puppy will need a lot of love and fun but there are a few things that you will need to do to help them with training!

• By seven weeks old, your pup should have visited seven locations such as backyard, a friend’s yard, kitchen, bathroom, car, etc.
• Taken somewhere alone without the puppy’s mom or siblings at least seven times, this will help build independence.
• Be held or petted by seven different people, this allows the dog to get used to people.\
• Ridden in the car seven times, let them look out the window, this will help them get used to the cars and people outside the vehicle.
• Let your pet play with seven different toys, whether that is a chew toy, a rope, or even a stick outside.
• Give them at least seven different challenges such as climbing over a pillow, taking the stairs up and down, going through a tunnel, walking through a puddle.

There are a few more “rules” to follow when raising a puppy, the complete list is on the SPCA website about puppy socialization.