10 Chart busting tips for Successful Puppy Socialising
Are you determined that your new puppy will grow up to be different to your last? Of course you loved old Benji for sure but when you went out and saw another dog … Wooah! And as for going out for the day with all the stimulants from the traffic, day trippers and kids running around, you ended up exhausted rather than excited to go out and about with your dog! Even at home he’d bark or growl at anyone coming into your house who didn’t remotely resemble your sister!
Perhaps you have brought home your first puppy? Things are great at home where they feel safe and secure and it’s all cuddles and fun at the moment but what is going to come next? No matter the size or breed of your puppy they all need socialising, and socialising well.
Larger breeds are very hard to hang on to when they are fully grown and smaller breeds can be more intimidated with so much going on around them.
You should be thinking about getting your puppy socialising as soon as possible (and I don’t just mean meeting your families dogs). It’s very evident that the more you socialise your puppy the better behaved (and happier) they will be when they mature into an adult dog.
If you’ve experienced life with an anti-social dog or want to make sure you never do, then read on…….
HOW TO SOCIALISE YOUR PUPPY SUCCESSFULLY
Imagine living in a world where you had to figure everything out for yourself. Where your ‘responsible adult’ couldn’t just speak to you and explain that the multiple sounds of the high street hitting your ears in harmony are perfectly normal or that the automatic doors that just made them jump out of their skin as you walked past were not going to suck them in and swallow them whole!
If you were to put yourself in your puppy’s position , ( I concede you may prefer not to walk on all fours but trying to see things from their perspective) you’d soon appreciate how much they have to cope with when you start introducing them into our world. Some find it so overwhelming they refuse to leave the house. Others make it to the end of the road then plonk themselves slap bang in the middle of the pavement – refusing no matter how much you try and bribe them to take another step. Of course there are some confident Thor’s out there who hit the park all guns blazing announcing to the world that they’ve finally arrived but many require some time to adapt to spending time in environments we all take for granted. Give it a try. Take a walk and imagine you are seeing and hearing everything you come across for the first time – there’s a lot to take in all at once – and then go to some different places and start all over again!
So many anti-social behaviours we see from dogs outside are driven by anxiety. They could be worried about what that big dog is going to do, stressed by the screaming kids on their scooters whizzing past or wondering what on earth that woman was thinking when she decided to drape that scarf around her head like that before she left the house!
So many emotions will fizz through a young dogs mind, particularly during the first year of their life so you’ll want to help them cope when they’ve got so much to take on board out there.
Socialising your puppy does not mean take them to puppy school once a week! While this is of course very beneficial it’s not enough to provide what they’ll need to become that dream family dog you’ve longed to own for the next ten years or so of their life.
So how do you socialise successfully? – My chart busting tips to help you are listed below – all you need to do is make time in your diary to give your puppy the best chance of growing into a happy and relaxed adult dog.
1. Take your puppy out daily. Start with short walks around the streets and in the park. A guide for walking puppies is five minutes per month of their life. Twice a day. So a four month old puppy can be walked for twenty minutes, twice a day.
2. Meet at least one new dog every day. The reason many older dogs don’t get on with others is that they struggle with ‘fleeting greetings’. They find it hard to cope with other dogs rushing up to them at speed and then disappearing off again just as quickly. Many owners of anti-social dogs will say that they don’t understand it because they are fine with dogs who belong to their families and friends. When dogs have time to get to know others they often get on without any problems. We don’t have this luxury of time in our busy parks, so help your puppy out – get them used to dogs coming and going all around them and realising that they’re going to ok, from a young age.
3.Go to different parks You can choose to build confidence in one location first, such as the local park before moving on to the next however make sure you don’t stay stuck there. Convenience is a modern day expectation but it won’t help your puppy adapt to changing situations as they grow older. I would favour making their world as big as possible in short successful bursts. All puppies have different personalities and some need to go at a slower pace than others so you should always be guided by how well they cope in a situation when working through your socialising plan. You should be aiming for them to leave all environments happy. In fact, when you think your visit has going really well – it’s time to leave!
4. Hit the shops! Who doesn’t love a bit of shopping! Well, I’m not a big fan actually but taking your puppy to smaller parades of shops and then the high streets will help them manage these environment on future days out. They will have the opportunity to see so many different things here. People who don’t look like you, buggies, road sweepers, kids or babies crying, people with walking sticks and some in wheelchairs. Workers in high-vis jackets or wearing hats and maybe using mechanical equipment. Things happen suddenly in front or behind them and at times people appear out of nowhere from behind a corner. This scenario often triggers barking at strangers when someone appears unexpectedly. Some people will want to stop and say hello to your puppy (all good socialising – teaching them that people who don’t look like you are nice too but some people will want to ignore them (perfect to help them over any of their ‘it’s all about me syndrome’ 😉 Get to these busy places once a week to ensure your puppy sees as many different sights and sounds as possible.
5.Go for a ride Some puppies get car sick which they usually get over relatively quickly. How about taking the train or the bus? This is the perfect opportunity to socialise on different modes of transport so that if you ever need to use them your dog will be more than happy to go along on your trip. Aim for once a month until your puppy is adult.
6.Grab a coffee… or a pint! The perfect excuse! Go to the pub for a pint or relax with a coffee in the café or at the park. Not only will this help your puppy learn to relax in these environments so that you can enjoy peaceful lunches out after a crisp Autumn walk but it’ll also help them learn to settle around others. Hanging around is something you should really focus on with your puppy. Take them to dog friendly places regularly after a good walk and you’ll be another step closer to that adult dog you can take anywhere with you. If you sit on the park benches with a take away or your own picnic, this will help your puppy learn to leave other people and dogs alone. Just because they can see other dogs running around, it doesn’t mean they can run and join in with them all the time.
7.Get some visitors at home. Many dogs have issues with visitors coming into the house. It’s not normal for them and unless you live in a busy house with lots of comings and goings you’ll need to invite people round to help your puppy cope with this. Get visitors to offer treats (throw them to the puppy at first if they are wary) and help them see people you invite into the home are friends. If your puppy is anxious, it’s important that they are given time to approach your visitors, rather than the other way around.
8.Use a long lead in the park A ten metre lead is long enough to allow your puppy some freedom if you are not letting them off lead yet. Don’t use a retractable lead as they’ll always feel the ‘pull’ of it. We’re aiming to make it feel like they’re off lead a lot of the time. This is a great way to get good interactions with other dogs. Puppies like to play and if you keep them on a short lead so they can’t run around properly they may become frustrated and will not pick up the social skills they need to develop as they grow up. If you meet another dog who wants to play and they are a good match you can try putting the lead down for them to run around properly – this is great for their socialising and safer – trailing the lead means it’s less likely to tangle anyone up when charging around. If you’re feeling anxious yourself, the lead will give you some confidence that you’ll be able to grab hold of it if needs be. Puppies are less likely to run off if they are actually interacting with another dog – this usually happens when they see one half way across the field! Mix up your greetings – if dogs don’t get used to greeting dogs on a short lead too they may find interactions more difficult due to feeling restricted. Help your puppy realise that greeting dogs on lead is perfectly fine too.
9.Go for a walk in the dark Many puppies, particularly those who arrive in the Spring are not used to the dark nights when they close in after summer. As their vision is restricted it can affect their confidence when walking at night. Remember to take them out to get used to it and to help reassure them that they are safe walking at this time of day.
10.Try different textures and activities. A big confidence boost is setting some challenges for your puppy to work on. Lay down some rubber flooring or textured surfaces for them to walk on. How about crossing uneven surfaces or encouraging them through tunnels or over suitable steps or slopes. When you are out on your walks you may see some things they can step/jump on – lay out some treats for them to follow with their nose so they can also watch where they are going. How about paddling in a local stream or leading the way through small pathways in the woods. Don’t ever try and force your puppy to do anything. Use treats and praise to encourage them to do more, they should always make any movements themselves.
Now it’s time to get started. Set out your plan, stick it on the fridge and get socialising your puppy as much as you can. A well socialised puppy, without a doubt will grow into a well behaved dog.
Remember dogs feed off your energy. Make sure you’re confident and relaxed when you take them out and about and you’ll help them develop their own confidence too.
If you’d like to book puppy courses or private sessions to help with your obedience training you’ll find all the details here:
www.progressdogtraining.co.uk/training-courses
www.progressdogtraining.co.uk/private-training
Angela