PDF Puppy Socialization Package for Pet Care Centers

PUPPY SOCIALIZATION PACKAGE FOR PET CARE CENTERS

By The Dog Gurus

This is a 5-session package you can offer to puppies under 4 months of age. The purpose of the puppy socialization package is to provide you with the best process for helping puppies during the critical period of socialization. If a puppy if under 4 months of age, attending daycare is not enough to help that puppy become better adjusted to the world. This program allows you to accept puppies in a way that helps the puppy, provides socialization avenues for the pet parent, and generates more revenue for your business.

Socialization is more than just introducing puppies to other dogs. That is certainly one aspect of socialization and it's the one aspect that you can easily provide in a dog daycare. But a puppy needs to get socialized to everything else in the world too: cars, bikes, other people, children, men with hats, people carrying bags, pushing carts, household sounds, different flooring textures, busses, etc...the list can go on and on. The critical socialization period for puppies ends at about 4 months of age. During this time, you can shape the puppy's view of his world at a stage in the puppy's life when he is receptive to learning. Positive experiences help him learn that new things are fun, and hopefully he'll remember the good association when he encounters them again later. It's important for pet parents to take advantage of the socialization period and provide their puppy with positive experiences in the world. Having a young puppy attend daycare is great socialization the first time the puppy shows up (assuming he has a good time)! After that, the puppy knows your staff, he knows the environment, and he has met some dogs. Things are no longer novel to him and this really no longer counts as socialization. After that first visit, you can provide him with a safe and healthy outlet for his energy, but he is missing out on his socialization. Even worse, if the puppy comes to daycare every day, he's also going to be too tired for any socialization at home or in his own neighborhood. So what should you do? If you have clients who want to bring their young puppy to your center, then you can help them. Create a program like the one outlined in this handout that benefits the puppy and helps the family get a well-adjusted adult dog!

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How It Works

The puppy package is based on 5 days at your facility. The days are completely flexible. The puppy can come 5 days in a row, twice a week, or whatever schedule best suits the owner. However, the program is designed to be completed by the time the puppy is 4 months old.

Who Can Run it

It's critical that your most experienced dog handlers be the staff doing the socialization exercises of this Package. Mistakes made with a puppy can last a lifetime so puppies need to be handled by those who understand canine body language, the development stages of puppies, and know how to keep things upbeat and fun for the puppy. They also need to know when a puppy is overwhelmed and might need help by a certified dog trainer. (See Information for the Instructor section below)

Pricing

Set the pricing amount at slightly higher than the cost for 5 days spent at your facility. The pricing should be based on the value you are providing to the owner which includes (as a minimum):

? Safe energy outlet for the puppy during it's critical period of socialization ? Providing fun and engaging environment to help socialize the puppy ? Partnering with the pet parent to provide recommendations based on the

puppy's unique temperament ? Providing follow on resources specifically geared toward the puppy to

continue to help the puppy start out on the right paw

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Optional Program Variations to Generate More Revenue

? The Puppy Package can be used to prepare a puppy for the AKC STAR Puppy class. If you have an AKC Star Puppy evaluator on staff, you may want to consider charging a small fee for the owner to take the test with their puppy.

? You can schedule more than one Puppy Package for any puppy. Increasing the program to 10 days or 15 days will only help the owner and pet parent. Depending on the age of the puppy when they start coming to your facility, consider longer packages (but remember that the program should be completed by the time the puppy is 4 months of age).

? If you have a dog trainer on staff, you can extend the time spent each day on socialization and increase the rate for more intensive socialization with the puppy. The value provided increases even more if the trainer has the ability to take the dog off-site to socialize the dog in town.

Prerequisites

Puppies for the Puppy Package should comply with your center's vaccination requirements. They should have been in their new home for at least 2 weeks. They should be under 4 months of age.

What Owners Should Bring (or purchase from you) for Their Puppy

Owners should bring their puppy on a 5-6 foot leash attached to a flat collar, head collar or front clip harness. They should also bring dog treats cut up in bite size pieces. (Alternatively, you can just provide these for the puppy yourself. Be sure to price accordingly if you use your own treats so you can cover the cost of material you use).

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What You Need to Have at Your Center

These are suggestions and will depend on the activities you choose. The goal is to have a wide variety of things that can be shown to the puppies. Provide costumes, hats, uniforms, plus different textures for the puppies to walk on. The list below is a sample:

? Chairs ? Rope, tape or traffic cones ? Variety of hats ? Variety of noise makers ? Items that roll or move (bike, skateboard, electronic motion toys) ? Bags or purses ? Tarp to walk on ? Costumes or uniforms ? Desensitization CD ? Canes/wheelchairs

Schedule

Puppies should alternate between play sessions with other puppies of a similar age and rest time in their lodging enclosure or crate. Young puppies need more rest than adult dogs and should be allowed more time to sleep during the day. Recommend at least 45% of the day allowing the puppy to be in a quiet enclosure. For the Puppy Package, you will schedule socialization time for the puppy as well. The socialization plan is designed to take approximately 30 minutes and can be done during the puppy's normal day at your facility. The 30 minute time can be divided into three 10-minute session or two 15-minitue session if that works better for your staffing. If you have more time available for socialization, you could also consider a higher charge for this Package and more time spent on socialization. This is especially worthwhile if you have a dog trainer on staff who can take the puppy offsite. (See Optional Program Variations to Generate More Revenue section above).

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