Puppy Socialisation Checklist: How to Introduce Your New Puppy to Other Dogs

Making the decision to get a puppy is an extremely exciting time, but puppies also bring a lot of responsibility with them. They will rely on you for everything they need, and one of those things is the need to be properly socialised. Not just to new people and animals, but also to new environments, stimuli, sounds and smells. To give your puppy the best chance at proper socialisation you’ll want to start early in life, this means they will find it easier to be around other people and animals without causing disruption or experiencing anxiety.

Puppies can be extremely impressionable, so the socialisation period is a very important one. You’ll want to make sure you train them in the right way during this time.

It’s important that your pup is fully vaccinated before they are introduced to unknown dogs. While you are waiting for their vaccinations you can still begin their socialisation training. Try a supervised introduction or play time with a known dog, who is fully vaccinated. It is important to ensure that your puppy is in a safe and clean environment and never becomes too overwhelmed. They are still growing and developing, and any socialising should be brief, supervised with lots of positive reinforcement including healthy treats or a play with a favourite toy.

Puppy preschool is a great way to for your puppy to spend positive play time with other young pups. Puppy preschool is usually available at your local vet clinic giving your pup a safe place to play with other partically vaccinated puppies while giving them a positive fun time at the vets. The vets doesn't have to be just a place of treatments and vaccinations it can be fun too.

Following the correct steps will give your puppy the best chance at proper socialisation training.

Tips on how to socialise your puppy

It’s important that, before you start introducing your puppy to new situations, both you and your pup are prepared. Familiarise yourself with the key factors involved with socialising your pup and training them to react appropriately to different environments. Know which warning signs to look out for to ensure they are always safe.

• Start early

Just like with all aspects of training, starting earlier will make it an easier task. By socialising your puppy from a young age, you will minimise the risk of potential behavioural problems that may arise later in their life.

• Keep it positive

Positive and reward based training has been shown to be incredibly effective when it comes to learning. Using a marker like a clicker is an essential tool to enable you to clearly communicate the desired behaviours you want from your pup. Your puppy will be eager to repeat the behaviours that you reinforce with the clicker as it is the promise of a treat reward straight away. Patience is key when it comes to puppy training, and remember to always positively reinforce the behaviour you like with healthy treats, a play with a favourite toy and/or words of affirmation.

*Remember that treats count towards your puppy's daily calorie intake, so if you are feeding treats you may want to reduce the amount of dinner they get that night.

• Keep it short and sweet

To start with, you will want to keep your puppy training session short. Make sure you are taking into consideration ways in which the training could become overwhelming for your pup. Exposure to new situations, new dogs or new people should all be kept brief to avoid a negative impact, stress or anxiety. Puppies play best in pairs, so keep it to one friend to start with and make sure they have a similar play style, and are a similar size to keep things safe and effective. This is important for safe play sessions.

• Keep it supervised

Your supervision is important to ensure safe and healthy play, puppies should not meet and be left alone. Watching your puppy play will also teach you about your puppy’s behaviour and body language and what it means.

Puppy socialisation checklist

You’ll want to introduce your puppy to as many possible situations that may arise as possible. This includes other dogs and animals, different people, and different environments.

Wait until your puppy is fully vaccinated before introducing them to some situations such as high traffic areas or meeting other animals who may not be vaccinated. Until then, you can start working through some of the many other stimuli that you and your pup may encounter along the way. Work your way through a puppy socialisation checklist like this one.

Puppy Socialisation Period

It is recommended to really focus on socialising your puppy between the ages of 7 weeks and 4 months. Throughout this time you will slowly and correctly introduce your puppy to an array of different settings, environments and people in a safe and controlled way. This time period is crucial for your pup as it could mould the way they react to certain situations or animals in the future. Remember to limit socialisation training until your puppy is fully vaccinated. If you’re not sure when you need to vaccinate, talk to your vet. Once your pup is fully vaccinated you can then begin visiting parks, beaches or dog friendly cafes and stores. This is a great way to introduce them to many new different smells, sites, sounds, dogs and different people. But remember to keep these encounters brief at first so you don’t overwhelm your puppy.

When you start socialising your puppy, depending on their age, it is important to keep in mind that they may be sceptical or fearful of some situations. Between 8 and 11 weeks a lot of puppies go through a ‘fear period’ where they will show fear of certain situations and people - even if they weren’t fearful before. If they have a negative experience during this fear period it is possible that they may hold onto that negative memory, so it’s a particularly important time to be mindful of their body language. Never put them in a situation that you can’t quickly remove them from, and make sure you are giving them lots of positive reinforcement and rewards when they are displaying the correct behaviour.

How to socialise a puppy before their vaccinations

Vaccinations are a very important part of your puppy’s first year, and your vet will advise you of which vaccinations your puppy needs and when. Depending on which area you live in, you pup may require different types of vaccinations to protect them from different types of illnesses. It’s important that, while you are waiting to complete their vaccinations, you don’t socialise them with any unvaccinated dogs or in places where unvaccinated dogs could have been.

Working hard to properly socialise your dog is one of the most important parts of their training. If you need guidance or recommendations, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of Pet Direct’s Customer Service Experts on 0800 200 240.

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