When we decide to welcome a dog into our home, you often hear people talk about ‘socialising their puppy’ and highlighting specific periods in a dog's life when this process is particularly crucial — typically between 12 to 16 weeks.
There’s a common belief that during this critical period in our puppies life, they need a wide variety of stimulus, meeting as many dogs and people as possible.
Whilst it's true that these encounters are important and can be beneficial during that period, it’s easy to get wrong. Unfortunately, if a dog becomes overwhelmed or scared then this is a much more difficult problem to solve.
Expecting our dogs to experience the entirety of the world within a brief period is neither feasible nor realistic — after all, have you done this yourself?
The key to getting this right is working at your puppies pace. They need to feel comfortable but not overwhelmed.
To do this, focus on introducing novel stimuli, in small baby steps. This is about fostering confidence, allowing your puppy to explore at their own pace.
It’s not about exposing them to lots of things all at once, ignoring their cues that they’re scared or overwhelmed. Each puppy is unique, and the approach you take should be tailored to the pup you have in front of you.
What matters most is enabling your pup to navigate the world in their terms, building confidence and allowing them to learn essential life skills. Positive experiences, where exploration is encouraged and voluntary, leaves a lasting positive impact.
Socialisation is about your pup experiencing new environments, objects or other humans, dogs, etc when they are comfortable. It’s about slowing down and letting them explore.
Some pups like to sit back, observe and then approach. Some are a little more confident, so happy to approach and have a sniff. Some may approach then get a little overwhelmed and back away. Every dog has their own unique personality, allowing them the choice to do what they feel comfortable with is the key in building a confident dog.
The socialisation period should never be on our terms and what we ‘expect’ them to be able to cope with. It’s always about them and what they can cope with.
To do this, try to introduce one new stimuli at a time.
For example, start getting your pup used to people with hats, hoodies, walking sticks. If you’ve got these items at home, lay them on the floor and let your pup sniff them, then allow them to watch you put the hat on, pull the hoodie over your head and so on.
Then, if you’re out and about and see someone approaching with their hoodie up or wearing a hat, use this opportunity to allow them to observe. Maybe start by creating distance and be ready to talk calmly to your puppy if they show any signs of fear or uncertainty. Let them tell you how they are feeling.
Pay attention to what your pup is telling you. It is your responsibility to understand their needs and keep them safe. In doing so, we build an extremely strong bond where the relationship is built on trust, love and understanding.
Go slowly, offer support and reassurance when needed. Doing this and you’re guarenteed to have fun exploring the world together…
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