Free Puppy Play

Spot On Training and Metro Mutts have come together to officially bring you The Puppy Spot @ Mutts. We now have two FREE monthly opportunities for puppy play to help socialize your puppy.

As a puppy owner, your number one focus should be providing your puppy proper socialization outlets. Socialization is exposing your dog to novel things in a positive manner so that he can develop into a well-balanced dog. This process should begin the moment you bring your puppy home, which is contrary to the advice that many veterinarians provide.

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior has a strong position on this subject and believes it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive socialization before they are fully vaccinated. Early socialization and positive training can go a long way towards preventing behavior problems and improving bonding between humans and dogs.

Dogs go through critical stages in their behavioral development. One of those critical stages is the socialization period. Generally, this period takes place between 3 to 12 weeks and this is when puppies learn:

• interaction etiquette with other dogs and people
• which animals are friends versus foes
• if they have plenty of positive interactions with unfamiliar dogs, they learn dogs in general are friendly and fun to be around
• basics of interacting in a social group
• play solicitation behaviors and playing too rough or using your mouth too hard makes all the fun go away

If puppies miss out on this socialization period they often become:

• fearful of unfamiliar dogs and people
• lack proper dog-dog communication skills
• have poor dog greeting skills
• become bullies that push other dogs around

Schedule:

NE Puppy Spot @ Mutts

    When: First Saturday of every month from 3-4pm

    Where: Spot On studio at 508 H Street NE Washington, DC 20002

SE Puppy Spot @ Mutts

    When: Last Wednesday of every month from 7-8pm

    Where: Metro Mutts SE at 407 8th Street SE Washington, DC 20003

What can you expect?

• Trainer supervised off-leash puppy playtime
• Opportunity to ask training questions related to puppy behavior such as potty training, crate training, puppy chewing/mouthing, etc
• Metro Mutts discount exclusively for participants

Requirements:

• For all puppies 8 weeks to 6 months
• Must have at least 2 DHPP booster shots and show proof of vaccines - please bring vaccination records
• All puppies should be free of parasites, free of infectious disease, and in overall good health
• Supervised children welcome (great socialization opportunity for the puppies)