Puppies: Socialisiation

When owners think about socialisation, generally they think of puppies meeting with lots of other puppies and dogs. But did you know? “Socialisation” does not just mean meeting other dogs. Socialisation means going to new places, experiencing new sights, sounds, smells, humans, other animals and making each of those experiences are POSITIVE ones!

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It is a crucial part of your puppies development. Puppies who do not get many opportunities to interact positively with other dogs (and other aspects of socialisation) are more likely to struggle to cope with later novel situations. It is really important that when we socialise puppies, it is not just about exposing them to new things and overwhelming them but providing them with positive exposure to these things.

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That is why we keep our puppies socials small, 45 minutes long or less and under the watchful eye of a qualified canine behaviour professional. You may see lots of "puppy socials" advertised, they often are not set up correctly and work to overwhelm and frighten puppies. Although you may be going home with an exhausted puppy which can seem fantastic, this increase in arousal through negative stress (and positive stress) often results in undesirable behaviours as they take several hours or days to emotionally recover from this event. In the long term, these experiences can largely impact how your puppies respond to things in their environment, and if they were negative experiences, then you may see behavioural issues as they get older. 

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Importantly, these sessions are NOT for every puppy and we ask that you judge if this will be suitable for your puppy beforehand. They may be better meeting just one other puppy rather than 4 or 5, or a certain type of puppy, for example, some do better with similar breeds if they play quite intensely. We may be able to help you find a playmate so do not hesitate to get in touch. 

 

Being able to socialise in a controlled environment is particularly advantageous to puppies. These sessions are also brilliant for older dogs in our breed meets, who have been well socialised. It will allow them to play and interact in a private environment with other friendly dogs whilst exercising them physically and providing mental stimulation.