Thameswood Veterinary Clinics Ltd

Socialisation is the most important (and most frequently neglected) aspect of raising a puppy. A shocking fact is that more young dogs die (are euthanased) due to behavioural problems than all the diseases we vaccinate against combined. Socialisation (or lack of it) is probably the most important factor that determines a puppy’s adult character and behaviour.

A puppy’s “socialisation period” is from the age of four to about fourteen weeks. This is the period when he is most receptive to new experiences, and what he experiences in this time will shape his attitudes and character for the rest of his life.

Your puppy will not be fully protected by his vaccinations until one week after his second injection – this will be 11 weeks at the earliest, near the end of his socialisation period.

This means that most of your puppy’s socialising must be done whilst he is not fully immunised. This can be done safely by avoiding contact with strange dogs, or places they may have soiled e.g. streets and parks. A suitable solution would be to carry your puppy in these places.

Meeting People: Your puppy needs to meet as many people of as many different “types” as possible e.g. children, senior citizens, people in uniform, people who love dogs and those that are not so keen on dogs. You must make the meetings as pleasurable as possible for your puppy by encouraging people to give him titbits or play gently with him (so always carry his favourite toy and a bag of his favourite dog sweets!)

Meeting Animals: Meeting healthy, vaccinated, friendly adult dogs in a safe environment (e.g. your garden or house) is essential for puppies. Puppy parties and puppy socialisation classes are excellent for allowing your puppy to interact with other young dogs, giving him some of the experiences he would have acquired from staying with his littermates for longer.

Experiencing Situations: Your puppy needs to be familiarised with anything that he could encounter in adult life. Examples might include car, bus and train journeys, vacuum cleaners, blenders, things blowing in the wind and livestock. Whenever exposing him to something new (e.g. livestock) keep him far enough away so that he doesn’t get frightened or excited, ignore the livestock yourself and engage him in some play or training.

If your puppy becomes fearful or apprehensive at any time, do not fuss him or act sympathetically (this will confuse him and reinforce his fears). Instead, jolly him along with a game or titbit whilst reducing the intensity of the experience. If, for example it was traffic that scared your puppy then move him away to a distance where he isn’t frightened by it any more. When you have found a distance that he is happy with, you can take him closer over several sessions.

Make sure that any bad experiences (e.g. being frightened by traffic, or a child) are covered up with lots of good experiences of the same thing – experiences in this time will stay with your dog for life regardless of whether they are good or bad.

This is only a brief summary of what is required. If you would like further information on socialisation and other aspects of puppy care we would recommend purchasing “The Perfect Puppy” by Gwen Bailey. This is available from Thameswood vets, Amazon or good bookstores.