I need my German Shepard puppy to be very social?

[Sammi]

I will be getting a German Shepard puppy within the next 2 months and I need him to be very friendly and social because my family visits a lot. is there anyway besides interacting with them as a puppy that I can insure he will be friendly to new people?

[Christine]

The best way to make sure he's social later on, is to start out early. Introduce him to lots of new people and situations. Bring him to a dog park or walk him in heavily populated areas (like outdoor malls and farmers markets). Get him used to your family by having them leave a piece of clothing behind (or a pillowcase or something that smells like them), so he gets used to the smell.

[tippy30]

spend a lot of time showing love. teach him a few tricks

[Emerald572]

After your puppy receives their shots, I would take it to as many dog friendly places as I could. I would have your family visit often while she is a puppy and make sure she gets to know them all. Take her to puppy class so she is socialized with other people and their dogs. Have your family members handle her a lot and play with her feet and ears. If you have a well tempered dog I think you will be fine.

[Lauren S]

take him out to meet new people & small children all the time while he is young. even then, a male german shepard could become aggressive because of his genetic makeup....no way to really tell until he gets a bit mature. but, even then, keep introducing him to people. you will probably want to have him neutered. chat w/ your vet.... have fun!!!

[Rosemarys_Babee]

Enroll him in puppy classes and expose him to all sorts of situations and people. Also, what I did with my girl was I took her everywhere I could with me. If I was going to a friend's house and they said it was okay, she went. I lived in Germany when my girl was 7 months-2 1/2, so I took her to every street fair, carnival, picnic, volksmarch and get together that was listed in the paper. Just get your puppy out, even if you have to stand in front of the grocery store and hang out in the aisles at PetSmart, exposure is the key.

[Dane Lover]

Well if you are getting this dog from a breeder than the dog should be socialized. but if this breeder doesn't do this then I would bring the puppy everywhere I go. When you go to the pet store put the dog in the cart (because he won't have all the shots) so everyone can pet him and this will help him to understand that new people are OK. Usually young puppies don't have a problem with new people if they are shown lots of love, and attention. Well Good Luck

[raticals.com]

Visiting and interacting while the pup is young, is exactly what you need to do to make sure they are used to being around new people, in a variety of environments.

We take our dogs anywhere and everywhere that dogs are allowed. As a result, they are not nervous around new people.

[Juniper C]

Bring people over (after he has all his shots!) make sure puppy is there to see you welcome guests into your home and have them give their hand to him to sniff. You can hug people at the door, this seems to help. If you are worried about bad behavior, keep him on a leash for a while when people first come in.

[lol.k]

I think you have picked a great breed!!!
German shepherds are great companions, very loving, good as a family pet and easily trained in the right hands.
You will need to get them used to different people and situations very early and as much as possible.
I owned one for 12 years and he really was a member of the family, one thing I can tell you is that they are extremely protective, they become like this when maturing so dont give up socalizing him when hes a little older you will need to keep it up til hes at least a year.