Building Your Puppy's Confidence

"Introduce your puppy to new environments, people, and everyday sounds in ways that feel safe and rewarding. Pair each new encounter with treats, play, and praise so your puppy learns to expect good things when facing novelty. Even ordinary activities, such as watching a vacuum run, hearing a doorbell, or meeting a friendly neighbor, can become confidence-building opportunities when the pace is gentle and the experience stays positive. The goal is exposure that feels manageable, predictable, and interesting to your puppy."

"Allow your young puppy to explore and investigate at their own pace. Curiosity is a natural part of development, and giving them time to examine new smells, sounds, and sights helps them build independence. Daily walks that allow plenty of sniffing time are especially helpful; sniffing is your puppy's way of "reading the newspaper," to become familiar with the neighborhood."

Building confidence through secure, patient socialization prepares puppies for therapy work. Small, positive exposures and avoiding forced interactions help puppies approach novelty without overwhelm. Pairing new environments, people, and everyday sounds with treats, play, and praise teaches puppies to expect rewards during novel experiences. Allowing exploration at the puppy's pace and offering retreat-and-reapproach options reinforces independence and safety. Daily sniffing-rich walks support information-gathering and neighborhood familiarization. Routine and gradual desensitization enable rapid recovery from uncertainty and calm greetings of strangers. Reading and respecting stress signals prevents rushing and helps maintain regulation and responsiveness in busy, unfamiliar settings.

Read at Psychology Today