Please Don’t Pet My Puppy.
4 Reasons to Limit Interactions with Strangers and What to do Instead.
You know what's super important? Teaching your puppy to be cool and comfortable around all sorts of people. But here's the kicker – this doesn't mean your little buddy has to throw a paw-ty and interact with every single person they come across! In fact, this can seriously damage your training efforts and make life a heck of a lot harder for you as your pup grows.
“But I want my dog to love people!”
There is a big difference between helping your pup learn people are great to be around and letting your puppy turn into a whirlwind of excitement with every person they encounter. Let's break it down:
Socialisation is a gradual process where you expose your fur baby to new people, environments, and situations in a controlled manner, ensuring they feel safe and secure. This way, they'll learn to interact calmly and confidently, develop good manners, and understand appropriate behaviour. On the flip side, letting your puppy go crazy and interact with every person they meet is a recipe for disaster and creates a chaotic environment that's tough to manage.
Letting them ‘say hi!’ to every person they walk by can lead to:
Overstimulation: Too much attention from strangers can overstimulate your puppy, leading to increased excitement or even stress. This can make it difficult for your puppy to focus on training and may cause them to develop undesirable behaviours.
Inconsistent training messages: Well-meaning strangers may unintentionally reinforce bad habits or give confusing commands while interacting with your puppy. Imagine you’ve invested a lot of time into teaching your little bundle of joy the importance of not jumping up on people. Now, picture this: You’re out and about teaching your puppy to walk calmly on a lead when suddenly, an enthusiastic stranger approaches with a high-pitched "awwww," bending down, making direct eye contact with your puppy while reaching out for a stroke. Overcome with excitement, your pup springs into action, jumping up to greet this new friend. You say, "get down, get down," hoping to regain control of the situation. The stranger, waves off your concern with a dismissive, "ohhhh it's okay." (No, Susan, it's really not! Get the heck away from us!) Then as they merrily continue on their way, you're left with an overexcited puppy that now has taken many steps back with their training regarding jumping up and now needs to calm down before you can resume any of the training you were working on today.
Social skill sabotage: Random encounters with humans might not always be sunshine and rainbows for your puppy. A well-meaning person may overwhelm, frighten or even accidently hurt your puppy (think kids poking and prodding or an overzealous, loud, intimidating person forcing excessive petting or taking up your pups personal space- believe me this happens.) Negative experiences can lead to fear or aggression towards strangers, hindering their social development and future interactions.
Fascination with people: It's crucial to teach your puppy that people are neutral. Yes, it’s a positive experience to walk by them and there’s no reason to fear them BUT they are not a source of endless belly rubs, smooches and cuddles. If you let everyone and their grandma pet your pup, they'll expect every single human to do the same. This can make lead training a pain, as your pup will get easily distracted and pull towards strangers in hopes of getting some sweet, sweet attention instead of focusing on you, walking by your side and keeping a calm demeanour. We want your puppy to be comfortable in the presence of people but look to you as their source of major fun, rewards, cuddles and good times.
So… What should you do? Do yourself and your puppy a favour… be selective about who gets to shower your fur baby with affection during training, and you'll set them up for a happier, more balanced future! Here are some alternatives to letting random people constantly pet your puppy while out training:
Controlled introductions: Instead of random encounters, set up controlled situations where your puppy meets new people on your terms. Have friends come round or meet you out and about. Give them instructions on how to follow your training plan. Investing in a trainer can help so much as they can help you accelerate this learning.
Stay consistent: Stick to your rules and expectations for how your puppy should behave around others. If they sit calmly and politely, let the people you have roped into training pet them – otherwise, it's a no-go. Ask those people to remove all attention and walk away. This helps your puppy understand the proper way to interact with strangers and keeps you in control.
Gradual introductions and positive reinforcement: Remember to slowly build up the busyness of areas. Practice keeping your pup’s attention while strangers walk by. Reward your pup for staying cool around strangers and focusing on you. When your dog knows that paw-some treats and praise come from you, they'll be more likely to focus on you instead of seeking attention from random people.
Speak up for your pup: Don't be afraid to tell people that your puppy is in training and can't be distracted right now. Be polite but firm – they'll respect your dedication to raising an amazing, well-behaved dog. As you see them make a beeline for you… get your pup’s attention with some treats or a toy and politely say to that person, please stay back we are training.
So, there you have it, be the boss of your puppy's social life, and you'll see some serious results in their training and behaviour!
If you’re ready to transform your furry bundle of joy into a well-mannered, socially savvy canine companion then it's time to take action and give your puppy the strong foundation they need for a happy, well-adjusted life!
To kickstart your puppy's journey towards good behaviour and unleash their full potential, book one of our expert-led puppy training courses today! With guidance from our experienced trainers, you'll learn essential tips and techniques to ensure your furry friend becomes the best version of themselves. Don't wait for problems to sneak in- sign up to one of our courses now and watch your puppy thrive right from the start!