Dog Training and Behavior Consulting serving the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago
Puppy Socials
Set Your Puppy Up for Social Success!
Trainer led puppy socials are the best way to socialize your puppy with a variety of playmates early on!
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When it comes to socialization your young puppy, DON'T WAIT. Waiting until 16 weeks of age, when your puppy is fully vaccinated, means waiting until your puppy is past their critical window of socialization, which is THE BEST time to expose your puppy in a positive manner to other puppies, new people, and new places.
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Don't just take my word for it, check out the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's position statement on the critical importance of early socialization!​
Is it safe to bring my young puppy to these puppy socials if they aren't fully vaccinated yet?
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Most puppies are not fully vaccinated (including their rabies vaccine) until they are at least 16 weeks/4 months old. But their critical window of socialization, when they most need to get out of the house and experience social interactions with new people and other members of their species, ends at or before 16 weeks of age! So proper socialization is a balancing act of getting the puppy out into safe situations so that they are not under socialized as adult dogs! Think of proper socialization as a behavioral vaccine: it prevents the likelihood of fear and aggression based behavior problems in the future, just like a vaccine prevents the likelihood of your puppy contracting an illness!
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Happy Hound University uses Rescue veterinary disinfectant for our floors before our socials and puppy 1 classes to eliminate the potential for parasites, viruses, and bacteria. We also require all dogs who come through our classes to provide proof of vaccination before their first day of class, which minimizes any potential illness even entering the building! Your puppy is more likely to run into a sick dog at a vet's office or the pet store than they are at our off leash socials!
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In short: bringing your puppy to our puppy socials is one of the best ways for you to socialize your puppy before they are fully vaccinated.
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​We do ask that you provide proof of your puppy's most recent vaccination at sign up. You can scan in your records, or email a copy of them to info@happyhounduniversity.com before signing up!
How soon should we sign up for these socials?
You can get signed up as soon as your puppy has been cleared by your vet, had at least one round of shots, and been dewormed ! Again, puppies have a critical window of socialization that starts to close around 12-14 weeks of age, so the sooner you can get started the better!
Worried your puppy may be too small or shy? We have lots of pens and gates at our location so that shy pups that need more time to come around can hang out in their "privacy suite" and take it all in if they're not ready to play yet!
Where and when are these puppy socials held?
Should I sign up for a puppy class too?
Puppy Socials are held in the basement of St Martin's Episcopal Church at 1095 E Thacker St, Des Plaines, IL. Puppy Socials are held Monday evenings; the time of each social alternates, so please make sure to pay attention to the time you sign up for!
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While we want our puppies to be great players off leash (which these socials focus on), we also need them to learn how to train and focus when on leash with us! As such, we recommend you sign your puppy up for a puppy class in addition to these socials. In fact, puppies who sign up for our puppy classes get a special discount code for our socials that drastically reduce their cost so that students who are interested can attend both options!
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If you are currently enrolled in our group classes and did not receive the coupon code for your discount please email info@happyhounduniversity.com!
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What is the cost of these socials, and how many should we attend?
Each social costs $30 a session, but if you are enrolled in our group classes each social costs $15 with your discount code!​ (Email info@happyhounduniversity.com if you did not receive your discount code!)
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We have two social options: one for puppies under 25 lbs and under 18 weeks, and one for puppies/adolescents over 25 lbs and over 18 weeks! Once your puppy ages out of the younger group they will transition to the older group and can stay in that group until 8 months of age!
Very small puppies may stay in the younger puppy group exclusively, and if you have a very shy larger dog they may be able to stay in the younger group for longer. These decisions will be made on a case by case basis and should be discussed with our trainer, Mary.
Please note: these socials are ONLY for puppies and teen dogs who do not have a history of aggressive behavior towards other dogs or people. If your puppy is showing signs of fear or aggression towards other dogs you must sign up for our training services and not our socials.
