Socialization … Exploration

Whatever is in his immediate environment such as carpet, grass, flooring, pavement, cement and gravel will probably become familiar to Bozo within a few days of your getting him home.
Surfaces like ice, beach rocks or sand you may want to introduce. Then again, maybe you won’t. The only reason I mention this is so YOU won’t be surprised if Bozo balks at walking on any strange surface. Again, it’s a question of the more you expose him to, the better.
At home you can have him walk over a garbage bag taped to the floor – kids can make a game of “Come, Bozo” across the bag and then back again for rewards. A ladder laid on the ground makes an interesting obstacle course and can be hysterically funny depending on Bozo’s size and level of curiosity.
A piece of mesh, a coconut mat, a rubber bathtub mat, slippery wet decking – anything that you can think of to lay on the floor or ground or that is already a horizontal surface – can provide a new adventure for Bozo. Never force him; if he balks, simply remove him or the thing and try it again another time.
Objects on surfaces are interesting to our intrepid explorer too. Big balls like soccer or beach balls are fun to explore if they’re introduced before Bozo reaches the wariness of adolescence. Be gentle in moving the ball. Don’t try to hit him with it.
Mopping a floor using a bucket and a string or fibre mop can be more fun than you ever imagined! If the gig is to get the floor clean quickly and efficiently, introduce Bozo to the mop, have him watch it move slowly once or twice, then ask him to ’leave it’ and lure him away with a treat. If you want this to be more fun and perhaps even entice the kids to mop the floor – less quickly and less cleanly, granted – allow Bozo to chase the mop, stopping the game at frequent intervals with a ‘leave it’. C’mon now, how clean does the floor really have to be?
A tunnel made of one or two (or even 3 once Bozo gets the idea) cardboard boxes can provide entertainment and exploration value especially if there are pieces of kibble inside. Just one cardboard box with a hole in the side and a tasty reward inside provides another anti-boredom activity.
Wind up toys provoke a variety of reactions. If there are children in your life, exposing Bozo to small things that clatter their way across the floor is a good idea.
The first time Bozo hears a vacuum, let it be at least across the hall and gradually over time, get closer to him with it. Many dogs have vacuum issues and while I get that (I hate the noisy things) it’s not convenient or fair to Bozo to have dog that cowers in a corner or one who attacks the vacuum every time it appears. They do tend to appear with great frequency!
We’ll end this surfaces exploration with stairs. Carpeted or rough textured ones are easier and thus less scary for Bozo. My suggestion is to put him on stair #1 the first time;watch him come down. Repeat several times. Reward and praise each time he comes down. Move through stairs #2, #3, and so on. Do watch him carefully as he gets higher.
The more you take Bozo with you, the more strange things he encounters in daily life.
That’s a good thing.