.png)
Five Minute Dog by Personable Pets Dog Training
Quick, practical dog training tips in under 5 minutes—because training your dog shouldn’t take all day.
New episodes drop every Monday.
With over 20 years of family dog training experience, this podcast delivers real-life advice you can actually use. From simple tips and clear explanations to common behavior scenarios, we’ll help you understand why your dog does what he does—and what to do about it.
Training really can be easy. Let us show you how.
Five Minute Dog by Personable Pets Dog Training
#184 Socialization VS Exposure
Send us a message - we can't reply but we are listening
Ever wonder why your "socialized" puppy still panics at the sound of a shopping cart or freezes on unfamiliar surfaces? The truth is that traditional socialization only addresses half of what your puppy needs to thrive in our complex world.
🎙️ Have a topic you'd like us to cover?
Submit your suggestion at fiveminutedog.com using the contact form.
📚 Join our online training platform:
Dog training courses from Personable Pets
👩💻 Need one-on-one help?
Book a virtual session with a Family Dog expert: personablepets.com/virtual-sessions
📱Follow us for daily tips and updates:
TikTok | Facebook | Instagram
You know, everyone says that you have to socialize your puppy. But what does that actually mean and is socialization really enough? Today we're going to talk about the difference between socialization and exposure and why your puppy needs both, but especially the second one. So a friend told me once that her 12-week-old puppy was socialized because he had met her friends and her kids and her neighbor's golden retriever, and that's a good start. But then she took the puppy to a farmer's market and he froze up at the sound of a shopping cart and he refused to walk on the metal ramp. Well, that's where exposure comes in.
Speaker 1:Socialization is about who your puppy meets other people, dogs, animals, etc. But exposure is about what your puppy experiences Surfaces, sounds, environments, smells, motion, novelty. These are the things that prepare your dog for the real world. Socialization is learning that other people and other dogs are safe, but exposure is learning that other people and other dogs are safe. But exposure is learning that life is unpredictable but safe. And here's the twist. I think exposure training is even more important in the long run than socialization. Your dog will see and experience a lot more traffic cones and vacuums and thunder, car rides and toddlers running by than they will friendly off-leash dogs.
Speaker 1:So if you only focus on meeting people and dogs, you're missing a huge piece of the puzzle. Your puppy doesn't just need to like people and dogs, they need to feel comfortable in the puzzle. Your puppy doesn't just need to like people and dogs, they need to feel comfortable in the world and that means letting them walk on wood bridges and plastic tarps. You know different surfaces. Let them hear the vacuum or leaf blower or an ambulance at a safe distance, or a leaf blower or an ambulance at a safe distance, but you know experiencing different sounds. Let them watch skateboarders go by or balloons float overhead and let them sniff new locations and explore new environments.
Speaker 1:The goal is calm, positive introductions with lots of treats. The goal is calm, positive introductions with lots of treats. We're not trying to traumatize or overwhelm your puppy. We're just trying to expose him to all that life has to offer, one little step at a time, and that's how you raise a confident dog that can handle real life.