Puppy socialisation, a short explanation.
When discussing puppy socialisation, we often envision a puppy class where they play and have fun. But is that all there is to socialisation?
The term “early socialisation” refers to a critical developmental stage in puppies when they are highly receptive to learning. During this phase, their brains are often compared to sponges, absorbing all experiences—both positive and negative. This developmental stage typically begins around 4 weeks of age and lasts approximately 12 weeks, although the exact timeframe may vary. In some cases, it may conclude a week earlier or be extended by a week. To simplify, we generally use this average timeframe for most puppies. It’s crucial to provide puppies with as many positive experiences as possible involving a variety of people and animals during this period. Failing to socialise a puppy can lead to negative reactions towards unfamiliar individuals or animals later in life. For example, a puppy could develop a distrust of people they have not encountered during this critical time. Behavioural issues can be specific; for instance, a puppy raised in a same-sex female household might grow up to be wary of men, or a puppy in a same-sex male household might react negatively towards women. Similarly, if a puppy has never met a tall man with a beard or a big man in a raincoat, he may react with fear or suspicion when encountering such individuals. Dr Ian Dunbar, a pioneer in puppy socialisation, suggests that a puppy should meet at least 100 different people by the time they reach 8 weeks and another 100 by 4 months. While this may not be entirely feasible, it’s still essential to expose them to individuals of various sizes and genders before the critical socialisation period concludes.
Onset of Hazard Avoidance or First Fear Period:
Puppies typically enter their first fear period between 8 and 11 weeks of age. This developmental phase often coincides with their transition to living with new families and the beginning of their exploration in unfamiliar surroundings. During this critical time, it is essential to be mindful of the experiences your puppy encounters. New situations can be overwhelming, and if not approached carefully, they can lead to lasting fears or anxieties.
To help your puppy adjust, create a supportive environment that encourages healthy exploration. Provide opportunities for your puppy to meet new people and experience various environments in a gentle and positive manner. Instead of forcing interactions, allow your puppy to approach new experiences at their own pace. This may involve short visits with calm and friendly individuals, exposing them to different sounds, sights, and textures, or gradually introducing them to new pets. By thoughtfully managing these interactions and ensuring they are pleasant, you can help your puppy build confidence and a positive association with new experiences, laying the groundwork for a social and confident adult dog.
During this fear period, puppies may experience a phenomenon known as single-event learning. This concept refers to how a single negative experience can create a lasting trigger that influences their behaviour in the future. For example, if a puppy has a frightening encounter with a loud noise or a strange person, that one incident can lead them to react fearfully in similar situations later on.
In nature, it is crucial for young animals to develop a strong fight-or-flight response, an instinct essential for their survival. They must quickly assess threats and decide whether to flee or confront danger. However, our domestic dogs live in a very different environment—one that is safe, nurturing, and protective. As a result, the need for these instinctual responses is not as pronounced.
Despite their sheltered lives, we can use this understanding of fear and learning to benefit our pets. By guiding your puppy through their fear period with compassion, you can help them overcome this developmental stage and build a strong foundation of trust with people. This trust is vital, as it not only strengthens the bond between owner and pet but also plays a significant role in preventing behavioural issues in the future. Establishing a sense of security and confidence in our puppies will lead to better-adjusted adult dogs, enhancing their overall quality of life and the joy they bring to our families.
Habituation: This also coincides with the socialisation period. Just like socialisation, puppy habituation is all about diversity and slow, careful introductions. The earlier you can introduce your pup to the different environments they’ll encounter, the better. Introducing your pup to different surfaces is very underrated but so important. Depending on when and where your puppy was born, they may only have ever known a small number of surface types. You can allow your puppy to walk on as many different surfaces as possible.
Desensitise your puppy to different sounds by playing them on a loop at a low volume. This can be done while your pup is playing, cuddling, eating, or sleeping.
The volume should be high enough for your pup to hear, but not so loud that he shows any signs of being upset or worried. You can use sound apps and videos to play noises that aren’t easily available at home.
Here’s some sounds to desensitise your puppy to:
- Washing machine or tumble dryer
- Lawnmower
- Car or motorbike
- Hairdryers
- Vacuum cleaners
- Television
- Music
- Brooms
- Fireworks
- Traffic
- Kids
You can also introduce a puppy to various things and experiences, such as using nail clippers, wearing a harness, and getting bathed. It is also very important to allow the puppy to do things or interact with things when he feels ready, so a puppy should not be forced into situations he is not ready for.
Where does a puppy class fit in, and is attending a puppy class once a week enough for socialisation? The honest answer is no. A well-run puppy class will provide owners with essential information, advice on house training, and guidance in teaching basic life skills. However, more is needed beyond just the weekly class. For example, puppies can quickly learn to associate veterinary visits with negative experiences, such as receiving injections or undergoing procedures. This can lead them to view the veterinarian as a source of pain or discomfort. To help prevent this negative association, owners should consider scheduling social visits to the veterinarian. Discuss this with your vet and try to visit them once a week. During these visits, the veterinarian or staff can interact with the puppy, providing treats and positive experiences. If you do this nine times and have a visit for an injection on the tenth, the puppy may be less likely to develop a strong negative association with the vet. In this case, the positive-to-negative experience ratio would be 9 to 1, creating a more favourable outlook on veterinary visits.
It’s essential for your puppy to have social interactions with a diverse range of people, including both men and women, as well as children before the critical socialisation window closes around 16 weeks of age. Puppy classes typically have only a small group of familiar people each week, so the more diverse and positive interactions your puppy has with different individuals, the better.
Is playtime with puppies important during this period? Here, it becomes tricky. A well-run puppy class will allow for interactions, as it is essential for puppies to learn social skills from other puppies. A good trainer can ensure that things don’t get out of hand. However, it is also important to teach puppies that they don’t get to meet all other puppies all the time. It is also important that bullying is never allowed in a puppy class. A good trainer will always intervene when puppies become overexcited, and play becomes too rough, preventing bullying from occurring. In some cases, puppies may also prefer to play with other puppies instead of focusing on or following cues from their owners, especially if they are only allowed to play all the time.
A well-run puppy class will focus on building confidence, as a confident dog is less likely to react to stressful situations than a fearful dog. Trainers running these classes also keep a close eye on the puppies and ensure they don’t become overly stressed or scared, monitoring the puppy’s body language to prevent any issues. Trainers will know what to look for and can teach owners about body language and other relevant aspects.
So, is a puppy class essential? No, not really, but it is a very good way to learn about your puppy and give him some exposure to and positive experiences with different things while learning to communicate with him. It will also help to create that incredible bond you want with your puppy.
But what about parvovirus and all the other viruses circulating? Surely, a puppy class is not the safest place for a puppy?
Misconceptions play a significant role in understanding the threat posed by the Parvo virus. This virus is quite dangerous and can be fatal to puppies, which is a well-established fact. However, the question remains: where is truly safe from Parvo? One major issue with this virus is that it can remain viable in the environment for many years. Additionally, it can be spread in various ways. For example, if you step in the faeces of an infected dog, the virus may be transmitted to your dog days later when he gets hold of your shoes. Similarly, if you visit a shelter, a small amount of an infected pup’s excrement might get on your clothes, and you could inadvertently bring it home to your dog. Even the wind can carry this virus, making it difficult to find a completely safe environment. Because of this, a well-run puppy class will make the training environment as safe as possible by using cleaning agents like F10 disinfectant, keeping the area as clean as possible, not allowing dogs to enter the puppy area, and observing the puppies on a weekly basis to ensure they are healthy. Puppies who suddenly develop runny noses or watery eyes may need to skip a class as a safety precaution, for instance.
But what will happen should I refuse to socialise my puppy?
Generalised Fearfulness: Puppies that lack early socialisation are more prone to developing fears of unfamiliar people, animals, sounds, and environments. They may experience anxiety in new situations or when encountering unfamiliar stimuli, which can lead to withdrawal or avoidance behaviours.
A poorly socialised dog might feel overwhelmed by new experiences and react negatively, potentially resulting in fear-based aggression.
Aggression and Reactivity: Dogs that are fearful may resort to aggression as a defence mechanism. They can become reactive to stimuli such as other dogs, cars, or even people, displaying behaviours like excessive barking, lunging, or growling. These dogs may have difficulty forming positive relationships with other dogs or people, which can lead to isolation and social interaction problems in various settings.
Behavioural Problems: – Poorly socialised dogs often bark excessively out of fear or anxiety, which can be disruptive for both the owner and neighbours. – Anxiety and fear may manifest into destructive behaviours, including chewing, digging, or excessive panting. Such dogs might become withdrawn, preferring to isolate themselves rather than engage with others or explore their environment.
Impact on the Owner-Dog Relationship: – Behavioural issues that arise from a lack of socialisation can make training more difficult and frustrating for the owner. Managing a fearful, anxious, or aggressive dog can strain the owner-dog relationship and may lead to the dog being relinquished. Both the dog and the owner might experience a reduced quality of life due to the lack of socialisation, as the dog struggles with behavioural issues and the owner faces challenges in management.
Should all dogs attend a socialisation class? The honest answer is no. Genetics play a significant role in a dog’s behaviour. Poor breeding can lead to some puppies being fearful or even displaying aggression from a young age. These puppies should be handled separately from confident, sociable puppies. A trainer can assess the puppies and discuss the situation with the owners if such cases arise.
The bottom line is, nothing in life is risk free, but a well-run school will have all the precautions necessary to make these classes as safe as possible. The problem is, the window for socialisation is really small, only about 8 weeks or so, and not socialising a puppy will almost guarantee some sort of behavioural problem later in life, and in some cases, for the duration of the dog’s life.