Raising Puppies

If your puppy will ever be around other dogs, whether it's in the neighborhood, in a future training class, or with future dogs you have at home, it's important to expose her to different dogs at an early age so that she learns to get along with them properly. Puppies who are not socialized with other dogs sometimes never learn to "speak dog" and have fear or aggression problems with members of their own species.

It's very important to only pick safe dogs to interact with your puppy so that she has positive experiences. If you have a tiny 3-pound (1.4-kg) Yorkshire Terrier, it's not a good idea to let her play with a bouncy 30-pound (13.6-kg) Labrador Retriever puppy The Lab puppy could hurt your Yorkie without meaning to; the size difference is just too great. Now, if it's an older Labrador Retriever with a proven history of being safe and gentle around young puppies, it may be perfectly fine. Just be sure that you know the other dog well before risking injury.