Socialisation for Puppies and Dogs
Dogs playing nicely: an owner’s dream
When I ask most dog owners what socialisation is, I hear the usual response – getting the dog to meet as many people and dogs as possible. Most people imagine their dog frolicking in the grass with a couple of doggy pals; or casually walking down the street with the ability to calmly pass any obstacle that comes their way. Unfortunately, a lot of dogs don’t have the ability to do this and this is typically down to the misconstrued ideas of what socialisation actually means.
What is it?
Let’s think about this for a moment.
Socialisation is all about gentle and calm exposure to the different experiences our puppy’s will face; allowing our puppy to grow up to be a well-rounded, confident dog. This means we consider all the dog’s senses and enable them to explore the world to its fullest – sight, sound, smell, taste and touch (Click here to see how enrichment can help with this). Socialisation ISN’T about getting your puppy to meet as many different dogs and people as quickly as possible. During the socialisation period, dogs can be affected by bad experiences just as much as good experiences.
So how do we do this?
The key here is HOW we expose our dogs. Your first step is to take your puppy out and about in a sling before they are vaccinated. Take them to the local park or just a walk down a street and allow them to experience the world whilst in the comfort of your sling/arms/doggy pram. We aren’t asking anyone to pet them or meet them, no dogs need to run up to them to say hello, we are just talking a calm walk. They will see, smell and hear all those things going on around them – children playing, birds singing, traffic, dogs and maybe even a neighbour cooking dinner – all without the pressure of greeting, everyone stays calm and relaxed!
Puppy being carried whilst watching the world.
You can carry this on when your puppy is able to walk around on the grass - keep a distance and observe, you can even practise some easy training or training you’ve nailed at home! Ensure you are taking your puppy to different areas so they can start to generalise their learning.
Your puppy should only be meeting calm, well socialised adult dogs (preferably that you know yourself) that will calmly handle some puppy playfulness – they should not be meeting every dog they see as this can build an expectation when they are older which leads to pulling to all the dogs in the park! Never allow a dog to ‘tell your puppy off’ as this will only encourage your puppy to be more worried and fearful of other dogs – move your puppy away so the adult dog doesn’t have to do this! Avoid puppy classes that have frequent and uncontrolled offlead puppy play – a great way for puppies to become worried and overwhelmed or practice bad manners!
Don’t encourage lots of people to greet your puppy or pick them up – we wouldn’t feel comfortable if a stranger did this to us for the same reason our puppy wouldn’t! Always ensure your puppy is greeting when on the floor so they have a choice to move away if they want to.
Other things to consider
Don’t forget socialisation isn’t just about people and dogs. Other considerations to include are:
- Bikes, traffic, joggers, high vis, wildlife/livestock, everyday objects (lawnmower, bins, canes/walking frames)
It’s also very important to get our pups used to different sounds. You can buy puppy socialisation CD’s or play sounds on Youtube on your device (Dog’s Trust have a good selection here). Keep sound volume to minimum to begin with and very slowly increase the volume. Pair this with playing with your pup or giving them some enrichment so that your dog gets used to these noises in a calm and fun manner. Sounds to consider are:
Dog sitting in boot of car
- Fireworks, traffic in rain/dry roads, wind/thunder/storms, children playing, construction noise, leaf blowers, dogs barking, washing machine, hairdryer, vacuum.
Take your pup to different places or buy some fabrics/objects so that they can explore different textures under their feet:
- Woodland, grassland, concrete, ball pits, carpet, rubber car mats, pebbles, sand pits.
Consider buying different smell pouches for your dog to explore and different types of food (always ensure smells used and food are safe for dogs to consume):
- Smells: Lavender, different herbs, enrichment box (a box with some dirt, feathers, leaves, sticks etc)
- Food: Fish, pate, cheese, apple, cucumber, chicken, banana, plain yoghurt
Remember, the most important thing is that calm, gentle exposure means a calm, well rounded dog. If you need any help with your puppy’s socialisation or any other training and behaviour needs, Pittville Pets will be glad to help!