One of the many volunteer opportunities at the Washington Humane Society (WHS) is the Shelter Training and Enrichment Program (STEPs), which trains volunteers to work with our shelter dogs to teach them basic manners and to assist with behavior rehabilitation.
This weekend, a team of STEPs trainers had a special opportunity to begin a socialization program with a litter of four young puppies. As a result, these puppies are fortunate not only because they are housed with their mother and littermates—which provides them with social interactions critically important to their development—but they are being given the opportunity, through the STEPs program, for safe, structured socialization and early training.
The 4-week-old puppies were introduced to each of the five volunteers, who took turns playing with them, handling and petting them, and introducing them to a variety of objects, including toys, an umbrella, a baby doll, a hula hoop, a travel crate and a miniature agility tunnel.
A puppy is built to learn a lot in a short period of time, and the foundation for a puppy’s social life needs to be established within his first three months. It’s our job to teach our puppies that the world around them is a safe place, and our window of opportunity to do so is limited. So, while it may seem like simple fun, the work these volunteers are doing is an important first step in helping the puppies grow into friendly, confident dogs—of course, to the puppies it’s all just fun and games!
Current WHS volunteers interested in becoming a STEPs volunteer can contact askthetrainer@washhumane.org. If you are interested in becoming a WHS volunteer, please contact volunteer@washhumane.org.
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