Socialisation

[PollyRoulson]

I have been pondering about a previous thread on here (yep I know not allowed on Mn!)about socialisation.

It is interesting that dog training has changed a lot in the last 20 old years and most people are now happy that dominance has gone and are used to more positive training methods. However the one thing that has not changed is our view on socialisation.

Maybe 10 or so years ago you would go to a trainer who would give you a socialisation list to work through. Your dog had to meet 100 new people and at least 10 different dogs every day. The people needed to be different eg be young old, wearing a hat, carrying an umbrella or witches hat, the dogs had to be of different breeds eg collies, boxers, spaniels, black dogs, white dogs big dogs little dogs etc

You had to take your dog to hundreds of different locations and let people touch and interact with your dog

This approach to socialisation is still being pushed today and it is incorrect and damaging.

Has this improved things for our dogs and us? This method of socialisation has so many pitfalls and causes so many issues for the dogs and owners.

The socialisation window is not a magic number of weeks or days it is life long. The puppy socialisation window does not mean your puppy can experience everything from good and bad encounters and benefit from them.

Puppies are not bombproof – one negative experience will hugely outway the positive experiences your puppy may have. So meeting 10 dogs a day by the law of averages at least one of those will not be a positive experience. That encounter will cause more problems than the 9 positive encounters.

Alternatively, your dog does have 10 positive encounters and then will actively seek out dogs to interact with. Maybe cute with your 6kg puppy but a major issue when they are a 30kg dog.

Positive short quality experiences are valuable to your puppy.

Do not let people stroke and approach your puppy – have a phrase ready to stop this from happening

Be your puppy’s advocate and turn away from the playful out of control dog approaching your dog.

Reward your puppy for seeing the dog and change direction.

Allow your dog to direct the socialisation – if there is a situation they do not like treat and reward immediately – do not return to that situation to “get them used to it” for several days. If you do need to revisit make the visit shorter and add in greater distance to dilute the experience.

Have off days when your puppy can decompress and go nowhere

Train your puppy to play and interact with you in the new situations not to be bombarded with the environment – if this can be achieved you will be able to take your dog anywhere.

Train your dog around other dogs in the distance to focus on you not to interact with the other dogs and owners.

Go gently, go slowly and do not try to fit in the 100 people and 10 locations and 10 new dogs – unless you want a frazzled dog that you will spend the next 10 years desensitising.

Do not panic that you have to fit the socialisation into the small window. If your dog has learnt you have their back, you will not put them in situations that overwhelm them, if all interactions are positive you have a dog set up for life and a dog that will still be able to deal with novelty even when they are old dogs.

I've heard of Ian Dunbar but not heard his name for a very long time.

I don't get this 'window' idea. Surely at 16 week the dog hasn't set in every particular to become the entire animal it's going to be for the rest of it's life?

My dog adjusts to different experiences and develops and learns all the time.

Obviously, a lot of their early experiences and socialisation will stay with them and help form the adult dog they become, but they can still remain open to new things and new experiences, rather like humans.

You definitely can teach an old dog new tricks.

This is really interesting to read. We waited several years to be in the right home and financial position to take the best care of a dog before getting one and it coincided with lockdown so we had endless comments about pandemic puppies and the trauma of lack of socialisation opportunities and though pup is a little (I'd say understandably, even at 7 months LOADS are things are new to him and his body and hormones are changing) nervy in new situations with calm, steady positive reinforcement he continues to adapt really well. We had a busy garden gathering the other day and I was a little worried but he was brilliant with lots of new noises, smells, people etc - we just asked everyone to be consistent in not accepting him jumping up and not to feed him anything from the human food table. He was delightful, calm company then took himself off to bed at his usual time.

I don't want my pup to bound up to everyone and everything, I want him to have eyes on me and take his cue from me. I want him to have fun time "being a dog" snuffling, sniffing, off lead etc but acting as his advocate to ensure he, others dogs and people are as safe and comfortable as possible with an animal who, however well trained, has strong biological instincts and urges is bang on!

Socialisation is not just about meeting people and other dogs it's about new experiences. Getting dogs use to everyday noises , cars , bikes , traffic etc. With an increase in pandemic puppies there's been a huge increase in so called "behaviourists" and " trainers". Check their qualifications before booking any.

It's a fine line, each individual pup will have different thresholds but yes too much too soon can be detrimental.
As pp says though, it's not just about socialisation with other dogs and people. If you live in a city your dog is going to have to get used to traffic, sirens etc. for example. This can be particularly difficult for say a border collie born on a farm. A lot can depend on how well socialised they were with the breeder too and the environment there.
As a vet nurse I would like to add you should get your pup used to having their mouths/ears/feet examined (ideally you'll all be brushing their teeth from day 1). It's not nice having to sedate dogs for basic procedures like nail clipping, it's also a lot more expensive for you!
I am concerned about lockdown puppies and their future veterinary care. Ideally all pups would be regularly taken into the vet (with owner!) for a quick weight check, a fuss and a biscuit, rather than only when they are ill which then builds the association of pain=vet. This builds trust and makes visits pleasant rather than stressful, for all involved. Unfortunately this has not been possible during the pandemic.