Want a well socialised pup or dog?
What does puppy socialisation really mean?
We all know we should socialise our puppies but what does that really mean?
Most people think puppy socialisation is about making your pup meet other dogs and people but truthfully that often is the way to create an over excited or reactive dog.
The main goal of puppy socialisation is to ensure your puppy feels safe during new experiences, resulting in positive associations with places, smells, sounds, people, and animals.
You can only truly know if this is happening if you have learnt to read dog body language.
Reading body language
For example, if you think that a dog with a waggy tail must be a happy dog … you would be a great candidatefor puppy school where you would learn more about body language to ensure you set your dog up for success.
Proper and positive puppy socialisation
Puppy socialization is not just about exposure, but ensuring positive interactions with new things.
So, before you start socialisation your puppy, please reach out to us about how to read puppy body language so you understand when your puppy is asking for more space and time to process what is happening — ensuring your puppy is being properly and positively socialised.
Puppy socialization is crucial for a well-adjusted adult dog, focusing on positive exposures to diverse sights, sounds, people, and other animals during the critical socialization period.
The critical puppy socialisation period
There is a ‘critical socialisation period’ for puppies between approximately 2.5 to 14 weeks of age. A puppy’s experiences during this time are critical for their learning and development and can influence and shape their behaviour for the rest of their lives, so it is vital to socialise puppies from a young age.
This is why we encourage puppies to start puppy classes as soon as they arrive home at 8 weeks.
How to properly socialise your puppy
This means exposing them to lots of different experiences in a safe and positive way so that they cope with different situations and know how to interact with and relate to other dogs, animals, and people.
Everything new needs to be paired with something good (e.g., a delicious treat, a fun game and praise/petting) so that the puppy forms positive associations with the experience. Socialisation and training should only ever use reward-based methods, where the puppy is set up to succeed and is then rewarded for performing the ‘good’ behaviour (positive reinforcement).
Tips for successful socialisation
- When socialising your puppy, make sure they are calm when you start and that you have plenty of treats to use as rewards.
- Make sure your puppy has the choice to investigate whatever you are introducing them to or move away if they want to.
- Never force your puppy to do anything — reward them for calmly investigating a new experience.
- If your puppy is concerned by the new experience, reassure them, and if they are still worried, remove them and try again another day.
- Always make socialisation sessions short and positive and only introduce one to two new things at a time.
Early start
Socialization begins with the mother and littermates and continues when you bring your puppy home, even before vaccinations.
Vaccination considerations
Take your puppy everywhere with you . Carrry them in your arms, place them on a blanket .It is so important that they see , hear , smell what is going on . Avoid taking puppies to dog parks before they are fully vaccinated But everywhere else, lets get them exposed
Here is a great article explaining whay getting your puppy out before they are fully vaccinatesd is sooo important
Controlled environments
Puppy Socialisation classes offer a safe and structured environment for socialization with other puppies and people.
Habituation
Help puppies become comfortable with everyday noises and situations by gradually exposing them to things like traffic, household appliances, and even fireworks.
Building confidence
Socialisation helps puppies develop confidence and prevents fear-based behaviours later in life.
Examples of socialisation activities
Introducing them to household objects
Use everyday items like boxes, bottles, vacuums and laundry baskets to create positive associations.
Desensitizing them to sounds
Look for videos or soundtracks online of everyday sounds to play to your puppy — appliances, cars, trains, barking dogs, motorbikes, birds, etc. Keep the volume low and reward calm behaviour.
Sights, objects, and surfaces
Expose your puppy to people in different clothes and simulate real-life scenarios (delivery person, cyclist, vet in scrubs, etc.) while rewarding calm behaviour. You can even create an “experience walk” at home using different surfaces and objects.
Handling
Regularly touch your puppy’s ears, feet, mouth, eyes, and tail so they are comfortable being handled. Pair with rewards to build positive associations.
Car training
Teach your puppy to enjoy the car by feeding them meals inside, turning on the engine, and doing short trips so they are confident traveling.
Toys and enrichment
Use treat-dispensing toys and rotate them daily to keep your puppy mentally and physically stimulated.
Controlled interactions with other dogs
The best way to socialise your puppy with other pups is at puppy school, where play is supervised. You’ll learn when to allow play, when to intervene, and how to keep your puppy focused on you.
Start with one-on-one interactions with friendly, vaccinated dogs and gradually introduce more. Think friend , neighbours etc Wait at least 14 days after their last vaccination before letting them interact freely with other unfamiliar dogs in parks .
Learning life skills for the future
Teach your puppy to be happy when alone by leaving them in a safe space with enrichment toys for short periods, slowly building up. Introduce crate training and good leash skills early.
Puppy school
Puppy school offers all of this and helps you get started with all the socialisation areas. We take the hard work out of socialisation for you and help you develop strategies to get the most out of everyday situations for your puppy.
Get in Touch!
Contact Let’s Go Fido! and we will get back to you and get the change happening.
Book in at either
Balmain Puppy School
Willoughby Puppy School
Neutral Bay Puppy School
