Socialisation matters.

Socialisation is a word that is seen everywhere in regard to dog training. One of the first things we are told when first contemplating getting a puppy is that they must be socialised. This is of course true and very important. What a lot of sources of information fail to tell us however is that there is a difference between socialisation and good socialisation.

The first socialisation Finn had on coming home - meeting his new big brother (and stealing his tennis ball!)

To begin, let's take a look at what we mean by socialisation. Socialisation is the method by which we teach puppies to be able to cope with their world as they grow. During the critical socialisation period (up to around 12 weeks of age) it is important to introduce puppies to things they will encounter in their lives later. This is not achieved by pushing them into situations without thinking carefully about what you are doing. It is not simply introducing puppies to lots of other dogs and people. Nothing useful comes of pushing a puppy into being greeted by a stranger if the pup is scared and unsure, in fact the result is often the opposite of what was being attempted.

The mistake a lot of people make is forcing their puppies into situations without ensuring that they are happy or, even worse, laugh at the puppy's fearful behaviour because they don't know any better. If a puppy shows any kind of fear, such as distance creating behaviours like hiding behind their guardian, height seeking (trying to climb or get themselves picked up) or fear aggressive behaviours like growling or displaying teeth, or urinating in extreme cases, then the attempt at socialisation needs to be abandoned immediately. Forcing the issue will only backfire and create a fear association that was not already in place. These fearful associations may then show themselves in the dog's later life as reactivity, which can be very difficult and time-consuming to revert, and may not ever be completely dealt with.

How then do we socialise puppies in a way that will prepare them for a happy well adjusted life as an adult? Start early. Many people are either advised to keep their puppies isolated or off the ground until they are safely past their full course of puppy vaccinations, and think that this means they cannot take their puppy out and about to meet the world. This is not the case. Yes, precautions need to be taken, but you completely can get out and introduce your puppy to as much as possible. Arrange to meet with dogs that you know are fully vaccinated, fit and healthy. Avoid 'dog heavy' areas such as parks, pet stores, veterinary surgery floors or areas you know a lot of dogs are walked. If you have to pass through somewhere a lot of dogs have been, carry your puppy. That way they are still meeting the world but are not at risk of contracting diseases before their vaccinations are fully effective. (As a sidenote, yes puppy vaccinations ARE vital. There are many arguments about how frequently boosters may be needed, but puppies absolutely need their first course of vaccinations as recommended by your vet.)

Take the pup for rides in the car, visit family that are primed in how to help teach the puppy about the world and let them explore a different home and garden. Have the family get down to the puppy's level and play with him, feed treats and generally let him start seeing how much fun it is to meet people. Try and include as many different kinds of people as you possibly can to introduce the pup to - men, women, children, people in wheelchairs, with walking sticks, men with beards etc. The more people your puppy can meet and be happy with before the end of the critical period the better. This is how the puppy becomes habituated to things, meaning he never gets scared of the things he's meeting and just accepts them without issue in his environment.

Get them out in the big wide world as early and as safely as you can

The same goes for dogs, particularly once his vaccinations have been safely completed. Introduce him to as many different kinds of dogs as possible, so long as they are not known to be aggressive to dogs. NEVER leave your puppy unsupervised with any other dog, particularly one bigger than him. That runs the risk of predatory drift, when the larger dog could lose the inhibition that they have learned over generations to stop ritualised play turning into the instinctive compulsion to follow through on the predatory behaviour. Even without the risk of predatory drift, a larger dog could potentially injure a puppy in the case of normal play.

To fully know if your puppy is happy in a new situation, you need to learn the basics of canine body language. There are many sites on the Internet that can help you with that. One useful resource in particular is the Dog Decoder app, which explains body language with illustrations to help show what they are talking about. You can find more information HERE. Of course, I'm also going to recommend studying as well to broaden knowledge. The Canine Principles Canine Coaching qualifications give a good grounding in canine body language. If you're not looking to work with dogs, the Canine Coaching Advanced Certificate is a great course to learn more about how to train and make the best relationship with your dog.

Always give your puppy choice when it comes to new experiences. If meeting new people, let them approach in their own time, and always go at their speed. Never force a puppy to interact with any person, other dog or anything that they may meet. Introduce them to as many things as possible, but have patience to let them decide what they think in their own time. You can stack the deck with goodies to reward them and people that want to play with them (seriously, who ever doesn't want to play with a puppy! 😆) but if the puppy doesn't want to know, give it up and try again another day.

To sum up briefly how to pace socialisation - make haste slowly. Quality interactions at as high a quantity as you can manage while keeping the puppy safe and happy.