Puppy training, socialisation and stimulation

[sandwiches77]

Cockapoo puppy is 11 weeks old and only had his first vaccination. He is an intelligent puppy and needs stimulating, he has a Kong etc but this only keeps him occupied for a few minutes. He can't go out for walks yet but I've had it suggested that I carry him outside for socialisation and stimulation. HELP

So many dog owners seem to think 'socialisation' means encouraging your dog to be 'sociable' with as many dogs as possible and allowing them to just run around together with wild abandon.

It doesn't help that numerous "professional" dog walkers and daycares encourage this.

I see plenty of walkers take out huge numbers of dogs and just let them run riot somewhere. Like you say that's not socialisation.

I'm also a dog walker and specialise in household, solo and small group walks (maximum of four but normally three) - it means I'm nowhere near as busy as the big group walkers but I'd rather make less money and do the right thing by the dogs in my care, many of whom would be very stressed on such a big group walk.

I've also seen groups of dogs show some really stressed and unhappy body language while the walker/owner is oblivious and just talks about how happy they are

Gosh yes 5hrs is crazy! We literally do short trips: visited the nice natural treats stall/shop on the market then home. 5inite carry round the village and home

I think it's easy to forget they're only tiny babies and it's cognitive overload to do too much. I was guilty of this on Saturday: new place, people, smells and for too long and actually looking back it was too much for pup who got hyper.

Trying to intersperse "quiet days" too.

I think a massive (and often overlooked) part of - for want of a better word - ‘socialisation’ is building trust, confidence and resilience. That needs to come from you and home, a place of trust and security, first and foremost and no tiny pup who has just left their mum and littermates is bonded enough to be thrust into new, scary situations like the ones described in Polly’s post. By helping them to build confidence and resilience, it gives them the skills to cope with novel situations when they are older, rather than the common perception that they have to meet absolutely every person/creature/situation within a tiny window or they will never be able to handle them in future.

I like the socialisation video Kikopup did with Epic, that showed her sitting quietly on a blanket, well away from traffic, people and dogs, etc. It reinforced the fact pups need space, support and confidence, not to be overwhelmed. She has some from a few years ago when her older collies were pups as well, which demonstrate when a pup is over threshold and what to do in that situation.