Puppy Socialisation

As you’re a puppy parent, we wanted to offer you some top tips and guidance on the most important topic you’ll come across when raising your puppy- SOCIALISATION.

Socialisation is a subject we cover in depth during our Tiny Riot Course and Wild Things Course, and I can not express how important it is that you spend time making sure that this area of puppy training is done correctly. Trust me, you’ll save yourself a lot of time, stress and effort down the road by getting this right!

At the end of this guide, you’ll find a big socialisation checklist for you and your dog to work through together. For a handy, printable version just CLICK HERE. 

So, let’s jump right in… Get excited, you’re about to learn how to avoid many behaviour problems as your dog grows up!

What is socialisation?

At Baywood, we often speak to dog owners who believe socialising their puppy means getting them used to other dogs and making friends at the park. This is only scratching the surface.

Proper socialisation is about introducing your puppy to everything they’re going to come across in the world in a positive way and teaching him to accept day to day occurrences without fear or overexcitement.

Why is it important?

I honestly can not emphasise enough how important thorough socialisation is. Unfortunately, it is something that’s often missed or is patchy at best during puppyhood. This is where many dogs’ behaviour problems stem from.

More dogs are rehomed or put to sleep as an end result of poor socialisation than die from the infectious diseases we have to vaccinate against.

 “... Many more puppies lose their homes due to behaviour reasons than die of infectious diseases.”

                                                   -Purdue University Animal Behaviour Clinic                                                                                             Letter to Vets

By properly socialising your puppy now, you are giving yourself the best possible chance of avoiding fears, phobias and behaviour problems down the road. As with anything prevention is better than cure and by doing the work now, you’ll raise a calm, confident adult dog and will save yourself a lot of work, time, stress and training down the road.

When should you socialise your puppy?

During the first few months of his life, your puppy will go through what’s called ‘The Critical Socialisation Period.’ This is the most important time in a puppy’s life and lasts until they’re approximately 16 weeks old. During this time, you need to be sure to positively expose your puppy to as many people, places, experiences, sights, sounds, textures, other animals and ‘things’ in the world as possible.

“By the time dogs are sixteen weeks old, the window of social opportunity is greatly diminished or even closed.”

Dogs: A new understanding of Canine Origin, Behaviour and Evolution

Raymond Coppinger and Lorna Coppinger

“But… my puppy isn’t vaccinated yet…”

The good news is that socialisation can and should begin before your puppy has been vaccinated, you just need to be safe and sensible about things. Until your puppy is fully vaccinated:

• Don’t allow them to mix with dogs of unknown vaccination status.

• Only allow them on the ground to explore your home and garden.

• Take them out as much as possible by carrying them. This allows them to experience the world without coming into contact with other dogs or contaminated areas.

How to socialise

When introducing anything new, set your puppy up for success. Start with a calm dog and remember, the introduction of new experiences needs to be gradual, calm, controlled and positive.

Before introducing your puppy to anything, check your own energy. If you’re apprehensive, stressed or overexcited in a situation, your puppy will sense this and will follow your lead. So, make sure you’re calm, confident, peaceful and relaxed.

One of the best and easiest ways to keep interactions positive is with a food reward. Keep little training treats to hand at all times so you’re always ready to introduce your puppy to something new. 

Offer small treats when your puppy looks at or calmly interacts with what you’re trying to introduce.

Always ensure that your puppy can move towards or away from whatever you’re trying to introduce. Never rush your puppy into situations and take things at their pace- it’s not a race.

If your puppy shows signs of fear or over excitement or reacts strongly, barking or lunging then calmly move your puppy further away from the ‘thing’ you’re trying to introduce and stop the interaction all together if necessary. You can reintroduce the experience another time.

Be very careful when comforting your puppy if they appear afraid. While it is your natural instinct is to do this, it’s far better for your dog’s learning for you to stay calm, confident, neutral and simply remove your puppy from the situation. If you try to comfort them, they might actually take this as you are rewarding them for showing fear! Completely the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve.

Tips for introducing sounds:

Fear of loud noises such as fireworks, thunderstorms or emergency vehicle sirens is something that is, unfortunately, very common in dogs. How many dog owners do you know who dread bonfire night because they know how awful that time will be for their dog?

To help prevent your puppy developing sound phobias use recordings of these sounds. There are CD’s you can purchase, or playlists specially created on Spotify to help you familiarise your puppy with these sounds.

Simply play them in the background at home while your puppy enjoys playing with a Kong or other favourite toy. Start playing them very quietly and gradually increase the volume. The key here is to introduce them so gradually that your puppy doesn’t notice the sounds as they increase in volume. Slowly does it!

Note: You can introduce your puppy to a world of sounds this way- children playing, traffic noise, building sites, crowds etc. The possibilities are endless!

Final word

Well behaved adult dogs don’t happen by chance, they’re guided and taught to be that way through proper training. Having a puppy is such an exciting time because you have the chance to shape their future behaviour now and have massive impact on the many years you’re going to spend together. So, don’t waste these precious months.

If you feel you’d like extra help and guidance with socialisation or puppy training in general, then please contact us. Our Tiny Riot and Wild Things Training Courses were created to get puppies off to the very best start in life and help you raise a dog whose behaviour you can be proud of.

If you live with a dog, you’re training him. Whether you mean to or not. So, wouldn’t you rather teach him behaviours you want to see?

Happy socialising!