Socialisation - What Does It Mean?
It’s been interesting to hear feedback recently from people about being worried that their puppy hasn’t been able to be socialised because they couldn’t play with other dogs. Socialisation is so much more than this - and it’s not just for puppies!
In the puppy phase (and for young dogs), socialisation is more about helping them learn how they fit into our world and in many cases you want them to be anything but ‘social’. Learning to be calm, to focus or to have confidence in new situations, are all important parts of being growing up.
When we talk about socialisation, it means so much more than just meeting other dogs. Ongoing socialisation with all the experiences your dog might encounter in later life is important to help them develop a confident, stable temperament. This is also just as important for teenagers (6 months to 2-3 years old) as it is for puppies. In fact dogs of all ages will benefit from this!
Consider all of these in the experiences that you might introduce your dog to:
Sights – people of different sizes, ages, ethnicities and states of dress (including gloves and masks!), as well as lots of different dogs and other animals
Sounds – such as fireworks, city sounds, transports sounds, planes, construction sites, different voices or babies crying
Smells – visit lots of different places like marinas, boats, farms, go past zoos, city v rural environments
Tastes – try lots of different types of foods including raw fruit and vegetables (learn what your dog loves the best)
Textures – such as walking on metal grates, wooden boards, rubber mats or inflated balance discs
Movement - being on unstable ground like a marina or a boat, going on bumpy car rides or walking on a wobble board or seesaw
Many experiences will involve multiple new things going on at the same time. A good example is the vet or the groomers. Often a first visit will include new sensory experiences spanning all of the above, accompanied by unpleasant or painful procedures. It’s no wonder that many dogs don’t want to return!
Understanding how to better prepare your dog for new experiences and how to understand their body language, is so important for creating positive outcomes for future behaviour.
How do we do it?
Keep it positive - use treats, toys, praise or pats (whatever they love!) to start to build positive associations around things they seem worried about. Make sure you let them have as much space and time as they need, and reward them for showing interest and being brave (lots of positive feedback and keep your body language nice and calm).
Start at home – your home is where they feel safe and secure, with few distractions. This is a great place to start working on the foundations of resilience before heading into the big wide world!
Give the dog a choice – it’s critical that we never force a dog into a situation. Try to give them choice to approach or avoid, keep the lead loose if you can and stop if they stop. Lots of verbal feedback is good!
Try new experiences - not just walks or visiting the park! As they get more confident and learn to be calm outdoors, think about cafes, dog-friendly stores, rural environments with farm animals or busy urban streets, walking past schools or kindergartens and more!
Avoid sensory overload – taking it at their pace is so important! Try to focus on one or two new things at a time and keep the sessions short and fun.
Watch body language and recovery time – Look for stress signals and the big shake off! Between being ‘triggered’ and having a shake off, see how long it takes for them to recover – it’s a good thing to track! (See this blog post for more info)
Mental games (e.g. puzzles, tricks, nosework) – keep their brain busy on a daily basis. Encourage creativity, problem solving, learning and discovery through their meals and small training sessions. See this blog post for more brain ideas at mealtimes)
Pick appropriate play partners – when introducing your dog to other dogs, start with known, friendly, calm dogs who have similar styles of play and temperament (I tend to avoid dog parks and busy beaches at all costs). There are lots of different play styles and not every dog is a social butterfly. Be a good parent and intervene if necessary!
Is your dog still a puppy?
A lot of people refer to their 6 month old dog (or older as puppies) but did you know that the puppy phase ends roughly around the 6-month mark? Then they become… TEENAGERS. From 6 months (sexual maturity) until 2-3 years old (social maturity) dogs go through the teen phase, which is a significant stage of development for dogs of all breeds and sizes.
Their brains and bodies are going through rapid and unpredictable change (much like human teens!) so we need to support them through that change with calmness, positivity and patience! They might appear to forget things they previously knew or react to things they were ok with before. They’re not doing it on purpose - it’s just their brain going through changes!
Some common but avoidable fears seen in teen dogs (and older dogs if unaddressed):
People in hats and/or big glasses
Men wearing high-vis (road workers / construction)
Men with facial hair, especially beards
Boats and wharves (if they’ve never been on moving ground before)
Loud or weird noises e.g. fireworks or the new NZ post vehicles
Fast moving bikes, skateboards and scooters
Children (babies and toddlers especially)
So you can see how socialisation is just as important for teenagers as it is for puppies! Whether you’re at home or heading out, think of all the new things you can positively expose your young dog too and help them to become a happy adult dog in our crazy human world.
I’m here to help! If anything above is starting to ring alarm bells or you want to be proactive about setting your young dog up to be the best they can be, get in touch. I’d love to help!