Puppy Socialisation
As a dog trainer, I see time and time again the negative effects on dogs of improper socialisation. At worst, a lack of socialisation can result in a dog who is fiercely reactive to a number of triggers. However, a lack of socialisation can also present itself as a dog who is nervous about being left alone, doesn’t want to go in the car, will refuse to walk, will bark at children or doesn’t like guests coming to the home.
With this in mind, I thought it would be useful to get to the root of what socialisation is and what we should be aiming to expose our puppies to in order to give them the very best start in life we can.
Socialisation is the process where puppies start getting used to interacting and recognising people, dogs and animals. All animals go through this period and it is vitally important as it provides the blueprint for your puppy’s life. The socialisation period in dogs runs roughly between 3 and 16 weeks. During this period, your dog is learning what they do and do not need to be scared of but crucially, they go into interactions with new things with an open mind. After this period, they are closed off and are much more likely to be fearful of anything new that they encounter.
Due to these time constraints, it’s important to get your pup out and about as soon as you bring them home, as waiting until vaccinations are complete often means you have missed the socialisation window. You can carry your puppy in your hands, get them a sling, backpack or even a doggy-buggy. As long as their paws are off the floor, then they are not at risk of picking up a disease left by another animal. Similarly, vaccinated dogs do not pose a risk to your pup.
Socialisation is not about playing with and meeting lots of different dogs. Any encounter with an unknown dog poses risks to your puppy, with bites from other dogs being all too common. Socialisation is about having good experiences in the presence of other dogs as well as learning to ignore their presence. We don’t want our pups thinking they get to greet every dog they meet.
Perhaps just as important as socialisation is habituation. This is when an animal learns to ignore non-threatening stimuli (objects, sights, sounds, smells etc). Our dogs are constantly having stimuli thrown at them (noise of a playground, smell of car fumes, ticking clock, doorbell going, someone walking past) and they need to learn what is worthy of a reaction and what is not. So what should we be aiming to introduce our dog to during this key sensitive period?
Socialisation checklist:
- Children of different ages: baby, toddler, children, teenagers
- Elderly people
- People with beards
- People in high-vis/working gear
- People wearing rucksacks, scarves, hats, glasses, high heels, boots
- People with walking sticks, mobility scooters, wheelchairs
- People coming to the door with deliveries
- Other dogs – big dogs, little dogs, flat-faced dogs, in-tact males/females
- Other pets – cats, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, fish
- Other animals – horses (including people riding horses), cows, donkeys, ducks, chickens, pigs, sheep
Habituation checklist:
- Noises – thunder, fireworks washing machines, lawnmowers, vacuum cleaners, tools (drills, saws etc), bangs in the kitchen, building sites
- Objects – push chairs, wheel chairs, bikes, buses, traffic
- Car travel
- Grooming – being bathed, spray bottles, brushing, nail clipping
- Textures – grass, gravel, lino, carpet, concrete, sand, slippery floors
- Smells – pet shops, pet groomers, vets, the sea
- Cafes, shops, restaurants, bars, pubs, friends’ houses
- Handling of paws, tail, ears, mouth, claws
- Being on the lead, wearing a collar/harness
This list is by no means exhaustive and you need to think about what your dog is going to come up against in its daily life. A working farm dog is going to have a completely different experience to a dog who lives in the city.
Similarly, it is important to let the puppy approach things in their own time and make sure that they can always move away if they want to. Body language should be soft and wiggly. Make sure not to overwhelm your puppy; children should not be allowed to crowd your dog and other dogs that are introduced to them should be chosen carefully. Small bursts of socialisation are best, with plenty of time to sleep in between to process the information.
Socialisation is so incredibly important to set your puppy up for a successful, stress-free life and, as owners, we have such a small window to work with. This work has to start with the breeders and be mindfully continued at home with us. It is very easy to get it wrong and this can have implications for both you and your puppy later down the line.
If you have recently brought home a puppy and are wanting to make sure you get their socialisation right, click here to drop me a message or give me a call.
