 Puppy Socialisation is something I've seen talked about a lot on the internet lately, perhaps largely due to the number of 'lockdown puppies' purchased this year. But what exactly is puppy socialisation? When do you do it? How do you do it correctly? And why is it so important? We'd all like to have a dog that is confident and calm in a variety of situations. One that won't freak out at the postman or leap all over visitors, one that can accompany us to the pub or when we visit a friend's house. One that behaves appropriately when meeting other dogs out and about. These things don't happen by magic, and correct early socialisation is the foundation to rearing that well adjusted adult dog that copes with the strange and sometimes baffling human world! WHAT? When we think of ourselves as being sociable, we think of us being sociable with other humans. It's therefore understandable that many people think puppy socialisation is all about getting your puppy to be sociable with other dogs. After all, no one wants a dog that is unfriendly to other dogs. It might then surprise you to know that socialisation with other canines accounts for only a tiny percentage of what your puppy's socialisation should be. Additionally, your dog doesn't HAVE to interact with every single dog they meet. If you start off teaching them that they should be interacting with every single dog (and person) they meet, then that is what they will continue to do their whole lives and they will become frustrated when you are in a situation where that isn't appropriate. Learning to be calm and relaxed in the company of other dogs will be of more benefit to your dog than if he learns every dog he sees is a potential playmate - they're not! So what exactly do we mean when we talk about puppy socialisation? Socialisation for puppies is all about introducing them to a different experiences. Different sounds, sights, smells, textures... anything and everything you can think of that they could possibly encounter at any time in their lives. Think about what you want from your dog in these different situations, encourage and reward calm behaviour. Remember that it's as important to have a dog that can sit quietly ignoring distractions as it is to have one that is not frightened of them and happy to engage.. We want our puppies to grow into dogs that feel safe, happy and confident in all aspects of human society but that likely won't happen without the correct socialisation at the correct time. WHEN? The optimum time is generally considered to be between 3 and 12 weeks, so ideally, socialisation should start with the breeder, and this is just one of a long list of reasons why you should choose your breeder carefully! A good breeder will have already set your puppy up on the right paw and your job is to continue and further their good work. This doesn't mean that socialisation stops at 12 weeks! The process really goes on for their whole life to some extent or another, but after 12 weeks, puppies tend to start to become more cautious about approaching new things and it can therefore be harder to make encounters positive than in the preceding weeks when their natural puppy curiosity is working in your favour. HOW? It's a really good idea to write yourself a list of all the things you can think of to expose your puppy to. (There are lots of resources online that you can print off lists from and add your own ideas to, and if you book a Puppy Starter Session with me, one will be included as part of your puppy plan.) Think about things like different surfaces (e.g. carpet, lino, wood, sand, pebbles, grass), different sounds, people of different ages, sexes and ethnicities, household object such as the hoover and washing machine, other domestic pets, livestock, wildlife the possibilities are endless! Your breeder may well have used a 'socialisation CD' to help pup start to get used to sounds like fireworks, thunderstorms, roadworks, babies crying etc. This is something you should continue with as it can allow you easy access a whole host of sounds that your puppy might encounter throughout their life. Try to ensure your puppy encounters each thing on your list a minimum of 3 times, the more you can expose your puppy to in those early stages of his life, the better ... IF all encounters are positive. I cannot stress this enough. You must always be trying to make positive associations with each new thing you introduce your puppy to. Socialisation is an ongoing progress, you can't just throw everything at your puppy in one go. Puppies need to be gradually exposed to new, different, more challenging things, but you must always, always, ensure the encounter or experience is a happy and positive one. It is vital that you watch your puppy for any signs that they are unhappy or scared while socialising them. Use lots of praise and treats to reinforce positive experiences and if you feel you have gone too far and overwhelmed or frightened your puppy, take a step or two back to where they were comfortable and start over. If you aren't confident in how to read the subtle signs of a when the puppy might not be comfortable, consider enlisting the help of a professional who can support and guide you both. Don't be afraid to sometimes make a fool of yourself! There's no telling what a puppy might find scary and it's part of your job to turn scary into 'fun' - I once spent a good 15 minutes kneeling by a large pile of horse dung that a young dog thought was a scary monster, pretending to find it the most exciting thing I'd ever seen in my entire life, until his curiosity overcame his fear and he came to see just what is was that Auntie Bonnie had got so excited about... Working with animals is nothing if not glamorous! WHY? It all sounds like a lot of work, why is it so important? According to research from dog welfare organisations, the Kennel Club and Dogs’ Trust, “Almost one in five dog owners admit that they are never or rarely in control of their dogs when out on a walk and half claim to be embarrassed by their dog's behaviour in public.” The research showed that puppies who were not given the correct early socialisation, were those most likely to cause their owner’s difficulties. Poorly socialised dogs were 25% more likely to show antisocial behaviour towards other dogs and twice as likely to show anti social behaviour towards people. The end result of this is often dogs ending up being re-homed or in some situations, even euthanized. A little bit of time put in to getting things right at the start, can help prevent a whole lot of heartache further down the line. Finally, Puppy Play Groups - good or bad? There's no one answer to this, opinions vary, the groups vary and what is good for one puppy won't necessarily be good for another. A good puppy socialisation class can be incredibly useful, but a bad one can undo all your hard work, and can even mean that instead of ending up with a confident, well adjusted dog, you end up with a fearful one. If you want to utilise a puppy party as part of your socialisation, be sure to find one run by someone experienced enough to be able to spot the signs of fear or stress in the puppies. One that matches groups appropriately and doesn't allow any of the more shy puppies to be bullied by the more confident ones. Ideally groups should be small and owners should be learning how to read the signs of appropriate play, using the opportunity to get their puppies to engage with them as well, so that puppies learn to focus on their owners even alongside the distraction of the other puppies.
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