Hey Webmasters!Get a free website withholiday themes -Get it NOW!
Socialising - taking your puppy out and about to experience new things
- is the single most important thing you can do to have a happy, well
adjusted member of canine society. Whilst the parents temperaments
are, no doubt, of vital importance, just how sociable a dog will be,
is ultimately determined by the experiences he has as a puppy,
especially those he has before the age of 12 weeks. All our puppies,
up until they leave us at eight weeks, will have lived in the house
and mixed with all our other dogs,
As soon as the puppies are old enough to move around, they will
approach anything without fear, By the time he reaches about 12
weeks of age, anything new will be approached with caution. Therefore,
the critical time for meeting people and other animals, and getting
familiar with things in the environment is between 3 and 12 weeks of
age.
When they leave us at eight weeks of age it is essential that their
education is continued, so we have compiled a guide to help.
Why socialise?
Puppies need know how to relate well to humans as this helps
determines their success as pets. Sociable dogs rarely bite and are
less likely to be returned to breeders because of aggression. As well
as humans, puppies need to be able to interact readily with animals
that they may meet in later life, such as other dogs, cats and
livestock. Socialising with other dogs at an early age can make the
difference between a good pet that can be let off the lead to play and
one that has to be taken out in the dead of night so as to avoid all
others.
Puppies also need to get used to their living environment and the
things we take for granted - hoovers, washing machines, cars, ice
cream vans! If this is done when the puppy is really young, he will be
happy and confident in any new situations later on and much less prone
to developing behaviour problems in later life.
How To Go About It
As your puppy gets older he will gradually be able to take in and
retain more and more information. Therefore, it is necessary to begin
slowly at a very young age and gradually increase the amount of
exposure as the puppy matures. Puppies need to be continually
socialised and exposed to different environments up to the age of one
year if they are to stay sociable and three or four short sessions per
day are better than one long one.
As well as adults of all ages, it is important that puppies meet and
have pleasant encounters with children of all ages; toddlers,
school-age children and teenagers. All visits will need to be
supervised to ensure that the puppies have enjoyable experiences. When
puppies have met many different types and ages of people in this way,
they tend to generalise and react in a positive way to most people.
Play and handling sessions
During play time - make it fun for your puppy - not just for you! Talk
to him, pick him up, handle and play with him bearing in mind you are
much bigger! Play toys should be a big part of the session - use soft
toys that can easily be carried by the puppy but which are too large
to be swallowed. Teaching puppies how take toys and release them when
asked at this early stage helps to avoid them learning to play-bite
human hands. Take your cue from your puppy when he is tired - if he
becomes disinterested or wanders off - take the hint he has had enough
and needs a rest!
After play time is an ideal time to teach puppies to accept being
handled all over. Gently examine ears, eyes, mouth and tails. He will
also need to learn to cope with being restrained, - invaluable during
vet visits - hold on when the puppy struggles and let him free gently
the second he relaxes, always ensuring that no discomfort is being
caused. Your puppy will soon learn that relaxing, not struggling means
he will be free to go.
Meeting Others
Bringing in other dogs is not always a good idea unless you are
certain of their temperament and health status. If puppies meet and
have pleasant encounters with different breeds and sizes of adult dog
at a young age, it ensures they will be able to relate well to others
in later life. Make sure that all the dogs they meet are healthy,
vaccinated, have not recently been walked in areas where other dogs
have toileted, and are known to be good with puppies. An ideal place
to socialise your puppy is at your local puppy training classes - he
will meet many other breeds and sizes in a controlled environment -
you can pick up many tips and training skills from professionals which
make the early stages far more productive and fun for both you and
your puppy. Different Experiences
You should aim for your puppy to have at least one new experience per
day. This can range from placing a novel object in with him, to taking
him out for short car ride. Choose experiences that are unlikely to
overwhelm him early on - such as taking him to meet the children at
the school gate - but try to stretch him a little every day. Gradually
accustoming your puppy to different experiences will provide an
opportunity for them to become familiar with a wide range of different
scents, sights and sounds. Remember to imagine how it feels to be that
small, vulnerable and inexperienced and try to make your puppy is
enjoying the experience and not feeling overwhelmed.
Different Smells
Since a dog’s primary sense is that of smell, part of the
socialisation process involves getting used to different scents. This
can be achieved by hanging pieces of cloth in different places, such
as the veterinary surgery, a kitchen or wiping them on a baby, a man
(if only women care for the puppies), cat or another dog. This may not
seem very important to us as humans, but it can play a big role in the
process of familiarising puppies with the world outside.
Learning to be alone
Your puppy will need to learn to cope with being on his own
occasionally - perhaps when you need to go to the shops, pick up the
children from school, etc. It is vital your puppy learns to stay
happily on his own for a couple of hours at the most as dogs that have
never learnt to be left for short periods of time can suffer from
separation anxiety, leading to severe stress for your dog and
destructive behaviour. Begin this process slowly leaving him in his
crate or "bedroom" for a few minutes but able to see and hear you.
Gradually increase the time he is left alone until he can cope with an
hour on his own. Always ensure your puppy has been to the toilet
beforehand and has free access to water. If you are crate training
your puppy and his crate is his bedroom for the night, go through your
night time routine, snack, drink, trip to the garden and a cuddle
before putting him in his crate - your puppy will soon associate that
the routine means an extra nap and you will soon be back.
Keep it positive
All encounters and experiences should be enjoyable. If your puppy
becomes scared or anxious, it will set back progress. Try to plan
ahead so that unpleasant events are avoided and arrange for all
encounters to be successful and rewarding. Visitors will need to be
supervised and everyone responsible for the pup will need to learn to
read their body language so that they will know whether they are
enjoying the experience or not. Never overwhelm puppies with too much
at once, and always allow them plenty of time for sleep and rest
between each encounter.
If your puppy becomes unduly distressed when left alone at any stage,
reduce the time he is left for, until he can cope and progress more
slowly next time. After a period of isolation, give the puppy plenty
of fuss and attention plus a well earned treat!
Vaccination v Socialisation
Keeping puppies isolated until they have developed full immunity can
ruin their future character, so a compromise must be reached between
the need to protect against disease, and the need to ensure good
mental health. As most of the socialisation will be with humans rather
than other dogs, such a compromise is feasible and, if the following
guidelines are adhered to, it is possible to socialise your puppy and
avoid the risk of infection.
Until puppies are fully protected by vaccination they should:
Not be allowed to mix with dogs of unknown vaccination status.
Not be taken to parks or walked in other areas which other dogs have
fouled
Be taken out and about often in ‘non-doggy’ areas, carrying them if
necessary to allow them to experience new sights and sounds without
the risk of contact with disease.
Hey Webmasters! Get a free website with holiday themes - Get it NOW!
bravenet.com
