Pooch and Mutt's expert trainer, Jon, is here to explore ways to safely and successfully socialise your puppy.
In our training video, Jon takes us through why socialising your puppy is important, how you should go about it and what you should avoid doing to help get your puppy acquainted with the outside world.
Socialising your puppy: Top tips
- The first thing to consider is that your puppy’s genetics will play a large role in dictating how your puppy interacts with the world and therefore how you approach socialising them.
- If you have a genetically confident puppy, then you can take a bolder approach to introduce them to the world and all its environments and distractions.
- A genetically anxious or nervous puppy is going to need a gentle, slower and more empathetic introduction to the world.
- Socialisation should be a process which progressively and positively exposes your puppy to varying levels of common distractions in your home and local environment. It's best done passively through positive reinforcement.
- Socialisation should not for the most part be interactive or forced.
- The biggest socialisation mistake we see people make is letting their puppy meet and play with other dogs, with the impression that this will teach them to like or even how to behave appropriately around other dogs.
Puppies, even confident ones can be easily overwhelmed by other dogs and puppies charging about. Anxious puppies can be traumatized by this.
- A good mindset to have during socialisation training is that we want to raise our puppy to not be anti-social, rather than super-social.
- Play is a valuable tool. If your puppy associates it with you, then it will easily focus on you when you need it too. This gives you the control.
- Be sure to socialise your puppy with calm people and dogs, always on a lead. Remember, socialise means be around not play.
- Don’t force friendship or social interaction on your puppy. It doesn’t have to like everyone or thing it meets. Keep introductions with people brief and at a short distance or passing for dogs.
- Expose your puppy to as many different environments as possible, do this gradually, starting with easier challenges like quiet parks and if your puppy is coping, move onto more challenging ones like busy roads and streets.
The same applies to household appliances and machines.
A confident or unphased response means we can move the puppy closer or prolong the exposure to the experience.
- If your puppy struggles with any environment or challenge. Then go back a step. Reduce the impact of the experience through distance or by time spent around it.
- One important tip is Important don’t try to verbally sooth anxious or nervous dog as human soothing tones sound nervous. Sound and behave confidently, your pup will pick up on it.
- Remember, don’t be an emotional crutch for your puppy. This is a perfectly normal parental response, but it isn’t going to make your puppy more resilient or confident. It will make them the opposite.
- If you let everyone say hello, fuss and even spoil your puppy, then there is a good chance that your puppy will grow up over excited or activated by people.
- If you notice that these greetings cause your puppy to get over excited, then reduce or stop them.
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