PUPPY SOCIALISATION

Getting your puppy used to as many different places, people, sounds, sights, and scenarios as possible is a vital job for you, the puppy guardian. Coming into contact with many different things and situations while your puppy is very young (8-12 weeks) will help him develop into a confident and secure adult dog.

Your puppy needs to experience his environment in a fun and positive way, from as early an age as possible. Investing time and effort into socialising your puppy will pay off dividends as he will be more able to deal with new or scary situations he finds himself in as an adult.

Remember to make meeting new things fun. If your puppy comes across something that he hasn’t seen before make sure you let him know he is safe and that nothing bad will happen. Even better, if you pair good outcomes (e.g. food treats) with the tennis racket/hat/man with a moustache/child/pram/bike/balloon/or any other new stimulus, you will make them fun things to be around.

Be very sensitive to your dog’s body language during this process. Socialisation is supposed to be fun! You should never force your pup into a situation when he is obviously uncomfortable or afraid. Read our article on Stress to recognise signs of stress in your dog.

Let’s look at an example of what might happen if you don’t socialise your puppy properly:

Your puppy didn’t come across an open umbrella in his first 3 months. One day you are walking him in the park and suddenly his heckles go up and he growls as you pass a lady carrying a large, open umbrella. This is an indication that your puppy is uncomfortable and this is your cue to do some work to help him realise there’s nothing to worry about. Give your puppy lots of treats as you SLOWLY bring him nearer and nearer to the umbrella. If you growl at or smack your puppy in this situation, then he will associate women with umbrellas with bad doggy outcomes. He may be more likely to growl at women with umbrellas in the future!

Socialisation with other dogs is also extremely important. Your puppy is a dog and he needs to interact with other dogs to learn how to behave appropriately around them. This will make him less likely to develop aggressive, nervous or excitable tendencies round other members of his own species. Your puppy should meet one new dog EVERY single day!

Socialisation should be something you do with your dog every day for the rest of his life.

WARNING – this information is designed for puppies (younger than 18 weeks). If you have a spooky adult dog, contact us for professional behavioural advice.