Does It Make Sense When You Let Your Puppy Join A Puppy Play Group?

Written by Billie Johnson Thursday, 09 June 2011 08:01

Puppies exposed to a variety of people learn that humans come in all shapes, sizes, colors and ages, and that people are fun to be around. Well, most people are fun to be around. That kid who pulls their ears or stabs them with a fork, maybe not so much. Your puppy's exposure to friendly puppies and dogs shows him that dogs, too, come in all sizes, shapes, colors and ages, and that other dogs are generally fun as well.

Puppies exposed to a variety of people learn that humans come in all shapes, sizes, colors and ages, and that people are fun to be around. Well, most people are fun to be around. That kid who pulls their ears or stabs them with a fork, maybe not so much. Your puppy's exposure to friendly puppies and dogs shows him that dogs, too, come in all sizes, shapes, colors and ages, and that other dogs are generally fun as well.

Puppy play sessions should be held in a secure location. By secure location, we don't mean high government clearance but rather a fenced-in training yard and on a surface that's dog safe. Neither concrete nor a slick floor would be good. Neither would thumbtacks, broken glass or fire ants.


What mostly happens is that the puppies are allowed to play together, regardless of their size, as long as they have the same age. But, if there is a big difference between the size of certain puppies, two groups are set up for the smaller ones not to feel smashed by the larger puppies. The puppies must be allowed to interact among themselves and the owners are usually forbidden to call out on their puppies.


Bullying is banned in the play group. Those who are caught bullying will be in 'detention'. By detention, we mean being isolated to other puppies. This is until they learn to mingle harmoniously with the other puppies.

"Interacting with other people and dogs at a young age builds a puppy's confidence and gives it the impression that the world is a friendly place and nothing to be afraid of," says Samantha Morrison, a local staff member at the San Diego Dog Training Center in California. "Once you remove the doubt from a puppy's world, learning the house rules and building new skills is quite simple."

Dogs need socialization with both humans and animals for them to grow up as well rounded and well exposed puppies. Those who didn't receive proper exposure will tend to be moody and have violent tendencies.