Puppy socialisation is extremely important, because what your puppy learns in the first few months of their life will shape their behaviour and ability to deal with new situations in later life. A puppy that has been raised in a quiet rural area with little exposure to traffic or crowds may panic and be unable to cope if they are suddenly taken into a town or an event such as a fair or show. Similarly, a puppy that is raised in an adult only environment may become fearful or even aggressive if he suddenly has to deal with children.
Many behavioural problems in older dogs can be prevented with correct puppy socialisation, these include:
- Aggression towards other dogs
- Aggression towards people
- Separation anxiety
- Noise phobias
- Chasing livestock
- Destructive behaviour
- Excessive barking
It is important therefore that you think about all the situations that you are likely to take your puppy into throughout their life and expose them to these whilst they are still young so that they learn these scenarios are normal and not something to become worried about. Your puppy also needs to learn how to behave in these situations and what is and what isn’t acceptable behaviour, this is exactly what puppy socialisation aims to achieve.
What does puppy socialisation really mean?
Puppy socialisation means your puppy needs to learn appropriate social skills to interact with different individuals and certain scenarios. You should include the following in your puppy’s socialisation:
- Interaction with other puppies – Attending puppy socialisation classes is great for this.
- Interaction with older dogs.
- Interaction with all types of people including men, women, children, older people, people wearing unusual clothes such as hats, glasses, carrying umbrellas or wearing uniforms.
- Interaction with other pets e.g. cats or rabbits if appropriate.
Socialisation also includes habituation which involves exposing your puppy to new situations that they are likely to need to deal with in later life and learn that all these situations are normal. These should include:
- Traffic
- Livestock
- People behaving unusually i.e. joggers, cyclists, people at work
- Crowds
- Car travel
- Household objects such as vacuum cleaner, T.V. washing machine etc.
- Unusual objects like wheelie bins, traffic cones, basically anything that you may come into contact with when you are out on a walk.
- Loud noises
- Children playing
- Being left home alone
Whilst neither of these lists are exclusive, it’s a great start to having a well socialised dog. Obviously when you start to work through each interaction, you’ll need to keep a close eye.
What is your puppy learning?
It is just as easy for a puppy to learn to be a bully or a victim as it is to learn good social skills. It is really important to remember this when puppy training as it can make all the difference between having an aggressive reactive dog and a placid non-reactive dog. You can find out more about what behaviours to look out for at puppy socialisation classes.
Is your puppy having a good time?
Not all puppies enjoy rough play. Small or shy puppies may find off lead meetings too scary and learn to behave defensively. This will then extend into later life and may result in a reactive dog.
Is your puppy having too much of a good time?
Some puppies enjoy free play so much they will want to indulge in this behaviour at every opportunity. This may make recalling them in the future an impossibility which can then become very frustrating for you and other dog owners when walking off lead.
Is your puppy learning to behave in a way that other dogs and their owners really appreciate?
Constant play fighting may be acceptable with known dogs or other puppies but what happens when they try the same behaviour with a strange adult or elderly dog he meets on a walk? This can lead to a more serious situation.
Puppy socialisation is so important and as a responsible dog owner you should aim to start it with your pup as soon as possible. The more situations they can be exposed to young, the less likely they will develop fear and bad habits later on.