{"id":274,"date":"2023-09-27T09:50:58","date_gmt":"2023-09-27T09:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/?p=274"},"modified":"2023-09-30T17:47:06","modified_gmt":"2023-09-30T17:47:06","slug":"puppy-socialization-and-why-its-so-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/?p=274","title":{"rendered":"Puppy socialization and why it&#8217;s so important"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Timeline-for-puppy-socialisation-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Timeline-for-puppy-socialisation-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Timeline-for-puppy-socialisation-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Timeline-for-puppy-socialisation-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Timeline-for-puppy-socialisation-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Timeline-for-puppy-socialisation.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Socialisation must be provided from an early age. Early experiences can have long-lasting impact on a puppy, and we want to ensure they get as many good and positive experiences as possible but without flooding them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Prenatal &amp; Neonatal:<\/strong> During the awareness period between day 21 \u2013 23 it is extremely important to avoid any traumatic events like loud bangs as they can permanently affect the puppy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>3 \u2013 7 weeks:<\/strong> According to Battaglia \u201cInadequate nest socialization is a risk factor associated with numerous adult behavioral problems such as anxiety\u2026\u201d (Battaglia, 2009). Puppies need to be introduced to different stimuli like various noises (radio, hoover, washing machine, cars etc.), different floor surfaces, people of all ages (also children) and appearances (height, beard\/no beard, gender, different clothing etc.). They should be offered different problem-solving tasks which can be for example simple food puzzles or easy training exercises that promote problem-solving. They will respond well to training with food in general. Setting puppies up for success in their problem-solving tasks is essential to help build their confidence. Puppies will also benefit greatly if they get to meet different animals of different species. They should also be handled and touched and have access to different types of toys to play with and explore different textures. Gentle grooming with a soft cloth can also begin. However, it is critical that we do not overdo things and risk flooding a puppy. We must always be mindful of their signals and give them room to rest and recover.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>8 \u2013 10\/11 weeks:<\/strong> During the fear imprinting it is important to continue the socialisation with different humans, sounds, textures, and other animals but in this period, we must ensure that our puppy does not get frightened of what we are exposing him too as that may impact him for the rest of his life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>12 \u2013 16 weeks:<\/strong> This is the time when we can introduce our puppy to other dogs if it is safe to do so (vaccinations). Unfortunately, during this period my own dog was attacked aggressively by another older puppy, and she has now become reactive towards the specific breed (and similar) who attacked her and to dogs that bark, growl or jump towards her. This is an ongoing process to work with and she is getting better but may never be completely happy around dogs of this type. When introducing puppies to other dogs ensure that it is a safe space, where strange dogs cannot just run up to the puppy and scare them. This can lead to lasting problems with other dogs. Also, I would advise to not over-socialise them with other dogs as this can also lead to reactivity in the form of frustrated greeting behaviours.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>4 \u2013 8 months (flight period):<\/strong> During this period, it can be necessary to go back to basics on some of the things that pup has already learned, such as recall, housetraining, simple exercises that he may have been good at as a younger puppy. It is also important to monitor behaviours and work to keep his focus on us.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>6 \u2013 14 months:<\/strong> During this second fear imprinting period it is important to avoid stressful experiences, that may leave the puppy even more fearful or sensitive. We also want to reinforce all the behaviour that we like and have a lot of patience with our puppies. They should not be forced to face any fears but should have reassurance and slowly have their confidence built up. If their fear is other dogs\/traffic for example, then taking them to a place where they can sit and watch dogs\/traffic calmly at a safe distance is beneficial.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>18 \u2013 24 months:<\/strong> As there can still be sensitivity and frustration during this period we must try to see the world from our dog\u2019s perspective. Help him build confidence and feel secure by being reassuring and calm and letting him explore things but in a safe way at a pace he can handle. Providing the right amount of enrichment in the form of mental stimulation and physical exercise, as well as adequate rest to recover. Time to process things that he may still find intimidating is also important. Letting him watch the world and taking it all in at his own pace.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I think that it is important to remember that dogs are individual and although we have standards for socialisation then how we apply those standards may vary depending on the dog. Some may be more biddable genetically, less calm, or aloof; some may be heavily influenced by epigenetics (either in a good or bad way) and some may be slow learners for whatever reason. We must always be able to adapt our socialisation and training plans to the dog in front of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, don&#8217;t forget to enjoy the time your dog is still just a puppy. It goes by so fast! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a puppy and you need my help with for example house training, home alone training, puppy biting, then get in touch for a 15 min free discover call at tina@tinashappyhounds.dk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tina B. Kristensen<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><a id=\"_msocom_1\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Socialisation must be provided from an early age. Early experiences can have long-lasting impact on a puppy, and we want to ensure they get as many good and positive experiences as possible but without flooding them. I think that it is important to remember that dogs are individual and although we have standards for socialisation [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[11,8,7,10,9],"class_list":["post-274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-puppies","tag-early-experiences-in-puppies","tag-puppies","tag-puppy","tag-socialisation","tag-socialization"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=274"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":300,"href":"https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274\/revisions\/300"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tinashappyhounds.dk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}