Socialisation refers to the process of introducing your puppy to new sights, sounds and experiences. Socialising your puppy is about them getting used to the world. It’s also about increasing their confidence in new situations. What should you introduce to your puppy to?
- Noises
- Places
- People
- Surfaces
- Other animals
Socialising is not just introducing them to other dogs, that is actually just one aspect of it.
Top tips on socialising your Puppy
- You want to set each experience up to be a positive one.
- You also need to ensure that the puppy does not become overwhelmed / overstimulated. If they cannot focus on you at all, won’t accept the treat or toy. This maybe a sign they are finding the situation all a bit too much. If this happens stop take a step back. Do not force it, they may just not be ready. Try again at a later date, or try breaking the situation down. Fox example if it was a busy road they were nervous of try taking them to a quieter road first.
- Sessions should be kept short and sweet, especially when working with other dogs.
- Choose dogs that they interact with wisely. Some dogs are lively in play others more reserved. Try to match up their temperaments. This is exactly what we do in our puppy classes.
- As well as socialising with other dogs they also should be taught to ignore. We don’t want a dog dragging you across the road to jump over and elderly dog with poor hips. We cover how to teach your puppy this vital skill in all of our classes.
At Maisies Dog Training Redditch, we offer an extensive puppy training package including socialising your puppy, recall, setting boundaries, exercising and many other techniques. Please get in touch for more information.
