Preparing for a puppy

[Kimmikins]

Ok, so puppy will most likely be coming here early September, by that time he will be 4 months old. Along with needing bed, collar, lead bowl etc...what else will we need?

What should we be sure to introduce pup to? We're going to take him to the vet clinic to meet everyone and get used to it, along with taking him to P@H, the local shopping centre etc.

[kristina]

Wonderful Kimmikins nothing like a new pup to play with train and to just love.Kristina

[Kimmikins]

Thanks It is ridiculously exciting, we're both being big children and wanting it to be happening now!

[Adrianne]

these are the notes I use for socialisation...just keep anything new to the pup as a good experience..as best you can!


Socialising Your Puppy

What Is Socialisation?
Socialisation means learning to be part of society. When we talk about socialising puppies, it means helping them learn to be comfortable as a dog within human society—a society that includes many different types of people, environments, buildings, sights, noises, smells, animals and other dogs.

Most young animals, including dogs, are naturally able to get used to the everyday things they encounter in their environment—until they reach a certain age. When they reach that age, they are naturally equipped to become much more suspicious of things they haven’t yet experienced. This age-specific natural development lets a young puppy get comfortable with the everyday sights, sounds, people and animals that will be a part of his life. It ensures that he doesn’t spend his life jumping in fright at every blowing leaf or bird song. The later suspicion they develop in later puppyhood also ensures that he reacts with a healthy dose of caution to new things that could truly be dangerous.

What Age Is Best for Puppy Socialisation?
Puppies are most accepting of new experiences between 3 and 13 weeks old. After that age, they become much more cautious of anything they haven’t yet encountered. From about 13 to 18 weeks old the opportunity to easily socialise the puppy ends—and with each passing week it becomes harder to get the pup to accept and enjoy something that he’s initially wary of. After 18 weeks old, it’s extremely difficult, and sometimes impossible, to teach a dog to like something new, or help him become comfortable with something he finds frightening.

Why Is Puppy Socialisation Important?
Well-socialised puppies usually develop into safer, more relaxed and enjoyable pet dogs. This is because they’re more comfortable in a wider variety of situations than poorly socialised dogs, so they’re less likely to behave fearfully or aggressively when faced with something new. Poorly socialised dogs are much more likely to react with fear or aggression to unfamiliar people, dogs and experiences. Dogs who are relaxed about sirens, horns, cats, cyclists, vet examinations, crowds etc..are easier and safer to live with than dogs who find these situations threatening. Well-socialised dogs also live much more relaxed, peaceful and happy lives than dogs who are constantly stressed out by their environment.

Socialisation isn’t an “all or nothing” project. You can socialise a puppy a bit, a lot, or a whole lot. The wider the range of experiences you expose him to, the better his chances are of being comfortable in a wide variety of situations as an adult.

How Does a Puppy Need to Be Socialised?
Socialisation is a big project. It requires exposure to the types of people, animals, places, sounds and experiences that you expect your dog to be comfortable in later in life. Depending on the lifestyle you have planned for your dog, this might include the sight and sound of trains, the bin lorries, school playgrounds of screaming children, crowds, cats, livestock or crying babies. While it’s impossible to expose a young puppy to absolutely everything he will ever encounter in life, the more bases that you cover during the peak socialisation period of 3 to 13 weeks, the more likely the puppy will be able to generalise from his prior experiences and find something reassuringly familiar in a new situation. For any pet dog, it’s essential to get him used to the common types of people, dogs, sights, sounds and physical handling and grooming that will be a sure part of his daily life.

Do I Need to Do Anything Special When I Socialise My Puppy?
Yes! You need to make sure that the situation is not overwhelming for him, and that he becomes more comfortable—not more worried—each time you expose him to something. For instance, maybe you’ve planned a puppy party where a group of people will gather to help you socialise your puppy at home. But some puppies can be overwhelmed by meeting a bunch of strangers all at once. Even though your intentions are good, if your puppy is cowering in the corner at his own party, then he’s not learning anything good about strangers! The rule of thumb with puppy socialisation is to keep a close eye on your puppy’s reaction to whatever you expose him to so that you can tone things down if your pup seems at all frightened. Always follow up a socialisation experience with praise, petting, a fun game or a special treat.

What If My Puppy Seems Frightened During Socialisation?
Even though 3 to 13 weeks old is a time when puppies are most comfortable with new experiences, they might sometimes find a new experience frightening. Whenever this happens, it’s important to introduce your puppy to the scary situation much more gradually, and to make a big effort to do something your puppy loves during the situation or right afterwards. For example, if your puppy seems to be frightened while sitting on your lap in a playground full of children, then sit further away from the action and offer your pup a delicious treat each time a scary noise or movement happens. Another solution is to go to a much quieter park where only a few children are playing, use praise and treats to help convince him it’s a great place to be, and then over days or even weeks of your socialisation sessions, gradually approach a school playground again once he’s started to like the sights and sounds of active children.

Puppy Classes
One great way to help socialise a puppy is to attend puppy classes. These are classes designed especially for puppy training and early socialisation. In a typical puppy class, off-leash play helps socialise puppies with each other, teaches them to be gentle with their mouthing and biting, and gets them used to being handled by a variety of people. Some classes even include exposure to odd sights and sounds using props, CDs of sounds, and theatrics with costumes to accustom the puppies to a wide range of life experiences. Puppy classes also teach some basic obedience skills, so on top of the socialisation component, you’ll learn how to ask your pup to comply with your requests and behave according to your expectations.

Vaccinations and Disease Risk During Early Socialisation
Most young puppies aren’t fully protected against the diseases we vaccinated them for until they’ve had all of their puppy shots. This is mainly because the antibodies they get from their mother can interfere with the ability of the vaccine to have its full effect. Even though puppies’ immune systems are still developing during their early months, if we wait until a puppy has all of his shots before socialising him, we miss our chance to do it. He’ll simply be too old. The good news is that if you take some commonsense precautions while socialising your puppy, the risk of infection is quite small compared to the much larger risk of your puppy developing serious behaviour problems with fear and aggression later in life.

Vets specialising in behaviour recommend that owners take advantage of every opportunity to socialise young puppies in environments like puppy classes, where the risk of illness can be minimized. They state that:

“Puppy socialisation classes offer a safe and organised means of socialising puppies. Each puppy should have up-to-date vaccinations and be disease and parasite free before entering the class. Where possible, classes should be held on surfaces that are easily cleaned and disinfected (e.g., indoor environments). Visits to public parks or other areas that aren’t sanitized or are highly trafficked by dogs of unknown vaccination or disease status should be avoided. However you can always carry your puppy”

The experts now agree that the risk of a puppy being given up or later euthanised for behaviour problems is so huge that young puppies must be socialised before they are done with their vaccinations. The recommendation is to socialise puppies as safely as possible by exposing the puppy to people, places and other animals while not taking unnecessary risks. Well-run puppy classes—indoor classes where all the puppies have been vaccinated at least once — are a safe and smart way to socialise a puppy.

"In general, puppies can start puppy socialisation classes as early as 7 to 8 weeks of age. Puppies should receive a minimum of one set of vaccines at least 7 days prior to the first class and a first deworming. They should be kept up-to-date on vaccines throughout the class."


Other Safe Ways to Safely Socialise a Puppy Who Is Not Fully Vaccinated
• Drive to a shopping area with your pup on a mat at the entrance.
• Invite friends and family over, play some music, and pass your pup around.
• Bring your puppy to indoor girl guide or brownies / boy scouts meetings. Supervise the children interacting with him to make sure he’s not frightened by them and they’re being gentle.
• Take your pup on car rides through different areas, drive-thrus, car washes, and out into the country where he’ll see and smell a variety of farm animals.
• Arrange play sessions with other puppies and adult dogs who you know are healthy and friendly.
• If your puppy is small enough, carry him around town and let strangers pet him and give him treats.

Exposure Checklist for Socialisation
Use this checklist to help keep track of what your puppy has been exposed to.

Age in weeks

Exposure to:


Babies, toddlers, children

Teenagers, adults, elderly people

People with wheelchairs, crutches

roller skaters, cyclists, skateboarders

Drunk people, people with odd gaits

People in uniform, veterinarians

Repair people, delivery people

People with umbrellas, helmets, masks

People with hats, beards, glasses

People with parcels, bags, sacks

People with strollers, pushchairs

People of various ethnicities

Kids at school playgrounds

Crowds, clapping, cheering

People yelling, loud speakers

People dancing, singing

Livestock, waterfowl

Other puppies, friendly adult dogs

Other pets

Traffic, busses, trains, motorcycles

Boats,

Manhole covers, grates

Shiny floors, tiles, icy streets

Gravel, cement, mud

Revolving signs, swinging bridges

Walks after dark, in bad weather

Hot air balloons & airplanes

Lawn mowers

Elevators, automatic doors

Balconies, stairs

Drive-thru’s, car washes, tunnels

Electrical appliances, washers

Vacuum cleaners, hair dryers

Construction and machinery noises

Wind, rain, thunder, snow

Fireworks, sporting events, fairs

Vet clinics


Final Remarks
Socialisation is essential for helping your puppy develop into a happy, fun and safe companion. Most people find it easier and more enjoyable to live with a dog who’s relaxed with strangers, gets along well with dogs and adapts easily to new experiences. While some dogs are born with genetic predispositions that can make this difficult or impossible, most dogs are very impressionable when young and can learn to take everything in stride. Socialising your puppy gives him the greatest chance possible to develop into a dog who’s comfortable in his environment and a joy to be with.






Twenty years ago you rarely heard anyone talking about socialisation. Now it’s heard fairly frequently. This is great news because socialisation, when it’s done right, can have a dramatic impact on a dog’s life. But the key is… ”when it’s done right.” There are two common misunderstandings about socialisation that sometimes get in the way of doing it right.

1. The first misunderstanding is that socialisation just means introducing the dog to a bunch of new stuff. Mere exposure to things is not socialisation. It’s true that dogs, especially puppies under 4 months of age, need exposure to new environments, people, and animals. But socialisation is not just introducing dogs to novel things. In order for socialisation to be effective, your dog needs positive associations with the novel things he encounters.
For puppies this is vital. The importance of socialisation for a puppy under 4-months of age lies in the fact that positive experiences can have long-lasting effects on your dog’s behaviour. You are shaping the puppy’s view of his world at a stage in the puppy’s life when he is receptive to learning. Positive experiences help him learn that new things are fun, and hopefully he’ll remember the good association when he encounters them again later. However, fearful experiences at this age can also have long-lasting effects. Your dog can learn parts of the world are terrifying.
During socialisation, if a dog of any age is hiding, drooling, bolting to the end of the leash, shaking, clawing, or yelping, then he is not having a positive experience with his environment. You either need to change your method of socialisation or you may need help from a trainer.

For every introduction and new environment, follow these basic rules
Create space: Keep your distance from the new situation or person until the dog shows a willingness to move forward
Use treats: Feeding tasty treats (chicken, liver, beef, cheese) to your dog while he is experiencing something new will help create a positive association for the dog. Additionally, one of my biggest reasons for using treats is that if your dog suddenly stops eating, that can be your first warning signal that your dog is getting nervous. When an animal enters a fearful state, he will normally stop eating. You have a built in alarm system to your dog’s feelings! Use it.
Go slowly: The dog sets the pace, not you. If your dog needs 5 minutes, give him 5 minutes. Forcing him to go faster will generally backfire and make the dog more scared. Ever watched kids in line to see Father Christmas? If they are crying from 10 feet away, do they become more or less upset when they are suddenly sat next to the big jolly red man? Usually more.... Same with your dog.

If the methods above do not seem to be working with your dog, you may have stumbled upon the second misunderstanding about socialisation:

2. Socialisation is not the same as behaviour modification. If your dog is having trouble getting comfortable around specific groups of people (men, children, people with hats, etc) or environments (on a walk, in a car, on the leash, etc), you do need to help him. But the solution may not be socialisation (and if you are going to try socialisation remember…mere exposure is not socialisation).
If you have a puppy under 4 months of age showing excessive fear of new situations (backing away, hiding, yelping, clawing at you), you have a behavioural emergency on your hands. Get help now by contacting a professional your area.
If you have an adult dog who is seems afraid of other dogs or people, or you can’t take him for walks because he’s barking non-stop, you will benefit from working one on one with a behaviourist who can help you create a behaviour modification program for your dog. In these situations socialisation by itself may not be enough.

[Adrianne]

hot air balloons? !!

[kristina]

Serious advice needed Adrianne here,I am having people here in 2 weeks  time a lady with a toddler just at the walking stage,I am terrified that Xena will jump up at this child and cause some serious upset have been wondering whether to kennel her for the night,these are not dog people at all and this is what you would call a precious child long awaited and I truly love this girl (her mother )I am beside myself right now with the worry of it all.Kristina

[Adrianne]

if xena has had limited exposure to children - Cupar is vary wary of children - I don't know any or have any in the family and that was one part of his socialisation that just didn't get enough attention.
..allow xena a safe place, or if that is not possible start practicing now at having her on her lead with you around the house and settling next to you on command...but if she is leashed don't allow the child to approach her,

Cupes would rather stay clear of children, but at one puppy class I held, a 4 year old played very gently and quietly with him...I noticed that she didn't touch him, but they played with the bells and buzzers that he pushes together..maybe channel any activity to one that doesn't involve touch..get xena's hand targeting up to date and she will target the childs hand if she wants to have a sniff..

I walk cupes off leash around a local skate park now to allow him to go at his pace around children - the children are not interested in him as they have other things to do...maybe ensure that the child has something exciting to do that doesn't involve xena..
but a great opportunity for them both..what ever you do don't raise a voice at or punish xena in any way..watch her anxiety signals and 'listen' to her if she is scared comfort her and make the distance between her and the child greater.

I am guessing that she will be gentle and curious and then lose interest! so long as the child behaves in a similar manner.

[kristina]

All advice taken on board Adrianne,Xena has had zero experience with children since I have owned her but she relates to them in a push chair so guess in her early weeks there must have been some children around the awful house that I bought her from. As for the lead thing well that will be difficult as she is not a lead dog at all likes her freedom she is much better these days on her road walks on her Harness but have  thought that also that this is Xena's home and maybe the mum of this toddler should be aware of this,I know one cannot  put a dog before a child but the mum concerned knew my old girls for many years and bless them they were so good with all the new babies that came along to all the parties even though they too had very limited contact with children and as the kids grew older they too learned to respect my dear old girls so feel maybe Xena will have to do the same here and I will have to just keep a very careful eye on her she would not hurt intentionally but is still young and full of life hope fully my grandson will keep her entertained with a ball on the day.Kristina

[kristina]

Also talking about puppies well we have new one on our little row of bungalows she is Meg a beautiful Springer Spaniel liver and white she is adorable,the couple concerned got her yesterday,going to be a gun dog so I'm told but nieghbor is already spoiling her and just loves her to bits,Pink lead and Sparkling collar well says it all  so now we have 8 dogs in our little homestead,woop woop I just love it dog lovers all understand how dogs are makes life so much easier.Kristina

[Adrianne]

that's wonderful, where I live, a row of four cottages and then another row of three cottages we have about 8 dogs between us - then there is an equestrian centre with many other dogs ..it is great when by chance they are all out in the fields together.

[Jordan]

We have loads of dogs in our row too, but not many that really like to let their dog to have fun and they certainly dont think the way i do about dogs!

Poor Poppy next door is i am told on thin ice and is threatened with being PTS because she has started growling at her owner as well as everyone else.

[Kimmikins]

Oh dear! Have they got her checked out at a vet to make sure she's not in pain or sick? That's the first thing I'd be thinking, if a dog starts growling that hadn't done that in the past.

[Jordan]

no kimmikins this is the staffi that attacked a neighbours dog recently. the one i've mentioned before that has the air can and choke chain for controlling it. they got her as a pup but apart from visitors to the house she has had little socialising and gone from a sweet wee girl to a heafty over anxious wreck. its quite plain to see its a fear responce and ive suggested a few times they should get her help but they say oh shes just protecting us etc.and think its cute until now, theyre getting fed up with the constant problems with her.,

[Kimmikins]

Oh that poor thing

Makes me even more determined to socialise the puppy properly! Trying to think of ways to introduce him to things, I've never made a concerted effort to socialise a dog before...never realised how important it is before.

And hopefully Sara will reap the benefits too!

[kristina]

Thats sad poor dog no wonder these type dogs get such a bad name.The new pup on our block is as yet not allowed to say hello to any of the dogs either??She takes her out on her pink lead!He takes her out on a blue lead and I hear them shouting at this pup ---get down!!! all the time.I was told this pup going to be a trained gun dog thought they would have to be socialised ?? Will be watching this pup closely will be interesting.Kristina