A “good dog” is one that can be trusted by its owner in all situations. This dog is friendly (but not overly excitable), outgoing (but not to the point of wandering off with strangers), and totally trustworthy with children, other pets, and welcome strangers.
Most young puppies are friendly, outgoing, and trustworthy naturally. Over time, however, some will show tendencies of being overly fearful of people or other dogs and will growl or run away when approached by them. Puppy mental development requires that they be exposed to people and animals between 2 and 5 months of age if they are to feel comfortable in the presence of others as adults. It is similar to taking a child as an infant and limiting all interaction with other people for 10-15 years. Social skills would be severely limited, possibly to an irreversible degree.
Potential problems in a puppy can be averted through proper socialization. By exposure to other pups and different people, puppies can be taught to accept as “pack members” many varied individuals during their first few months of life. “Puppy Parties” can make this effort easier when two or more pups are allowed to play together (after all vaccinations are completed). In time, even the most timid pup will not be able to resist the temptation to play and thus begin to overcome its fearfulness. The owners will then collect the pups and pass them around for nuzzling and treats from person to person thus alleviating the fear and stress a pup may have of strangers.
Pups should be exposed to children at an early age as well. It’s not surprising that many dogs and cats run when children approach. They are boisterous, they scream in high-pitched voices, and tend to chase little animals around the house shouting “Here puppy!”
It is advisable that puppy training be augmented with “child training” so that children know how to hold, call, and interact with their furry friends whom they sometimes inadvertently terrorize. If you have a puppy but have no young children, try to “borrow” some from a friend or relative while the pup is young in order to teach it to be at ease in their presence.