The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary defines Socialisation as:
‘Exposure of a young domestic animal (such as a kitten or puppy) to a variety of people, animals and situations to minimise fear and aggression and promote friendliness’
So it’s crucial we expose the puppy to a variety of different things to prevent fear and promote sociability.
When we expose a puppy to experiences it is important to pair it with something they love. The goal is to make the new thing a predictor of great stuff by forming positive associations with the things he’s going to encounter in his life.
Socialisation should be deemed as an investment. For what you do in those early days will help or hinder your puppy throughout his lifetime.
The aim is not to expose the puppy to every situation you can possibly think of and overwhelm him but build good associations according to your puppy. It is better to do fewer positive interactions than lots of negative interactions. Quality over quantity should be key.
Puppies have a Critical Socialisation Period (between 12-16 weeks of age) where they are accepting of new and novel things. If your pup hasn’t been exposed positively to the world before this window closes, fear can set in. This shouldn’t mean you rush the process, remember quality over quantity is crucial.
One area we should be learning about is their body language as this will tell us if they view the experience as a positive or negative. Just because your puppy isn’t cowering, shaking or trying to run away doesn’t mean he’s enjoying the experience. We should be looking at the whole body which should be relaxed. Your puppy might start to lip lick, sniff the ground, yawn, slowly avoid, lift a paw, lean away, start jumping up at you, to name a few, when stressed or overwhelmed. We need to listen to your pup and keep experiences short and sweet so as not to overwhelm him.
If you would like some extra help with socialisation please contact me, Leah, by email info@positivetrainingforcanines.co.uk or phone 0777 131 4947