Sky just turned 12 weeks old this weekend, and since we first brought her home she has been exposed to a vast variety of things to help during her education. Proper, safe, and frequent socialisation is one of the most important things you can do for your dog - if you do nothing else, get the pup socialised! Many people assume that socialisation means exposing dogs to people and fellow canines, however there's a bit more too it then that! Socialisation should incorporate all senses - sight, sounds, smells, touch, and taste.
- Sight: dogs need to meet and greet a variety of people and objects. They should have met around 100 people of different ethnic backgrounds, ages, abilities, disabilities, and dispositions before 12-16 weeks of age. They should also be exposed to prams, wheel chairs, crutches, bags, people wearing hats, hoodies, umbrellas and rubbish bins. They should also meet as many different dogs as possible before then to ensure good socialisation - big ones, little ones, long ones, short ones, tall ones, short faces, long faces, and dogs with a variety of play styles and body language.
- Sound: dogs should be exposed to a variety of sounds from the day they are born and well after being brought into their new forever home. It is important to introduce sounds to prevent noise based phobias and fears. Common sounds that may need introducing include: cars, trains, planes, fireworks, gun shot, home electrical appliances, children playing, thunder and any other uncommon noise. Often sound CDs made specifically for dogs may aid in exposure as well as systematically introducing sounds from early on.
- Smell: dogs are scavengers and curious by nature. Some dogs are equipped with a more advanced nose than others. Have you ever noticed - flat faced dogs have larger, more buldging eyes than dogs with long noses? This is because dogs who have a shorter nose may be more reliable on their sight to compensate, whereas dogs with longer noses rely on scent and less on sight - thus the smaller eyes. Getting your dog into scent discrimination, tracking and sniffing is a great way to provide mental stimulation. If you have a very scent motivated dog then it is also a great way to reward your pup for good behaviour.
- Touch: there are multiple circumstances in which dogs need to be desensitized to handling. Dogs require regular grooming and physical care. Early touching and handling can prepare for this activity. Veterinarians, groomers and judges (for show dogs) all need to be able to touch various body parts in order to care for dogs. Simple things such as giving your dog a treat while touching an ear, opening the mouth, or feeling a paw can help tremendously should your dog ever need ear care for an infection, for regular teeth cleaning, or get a thorn caught in his paw. Early handling including stacking and feeling is also vital for dogs with show prospect and may include being put on tables. For the average pet it is also important to feel various surfaces such as grass, carpet, wood floor, concrete, gravel and the metal grates commonly found in cities. Early exposure, including during toilet training, will ensure that your dog does not display avoidance behaviours or preferences as to where they want to walk. So make sure to walk your pups EVERYWHERE and on ANYTHING. This may even include letting your dog walk through tunnels, on benches, through hoolah hoops, on top of boxes and other items.
- Taste: dogs may develop a preference to certain foods and become picky with treats if not offered a variety of foods from early on. Exploring different foods and treats can tremendously aid in training as it can help you determine which may be suitable for high value rewards, and which may be more low value foods.
Skyler has been exposed to a variety of things. She has eaten a variety of dry foods, canned foods and raw nutrition. She has excitedly had her first chicken carcass, raw marrow bones and chicken wings. Dry food has been given in her bowl, in a Busy Buddy Tug-A-Jug toy, treat ball or hand fed. Hand feeding is an important exercise in resource guarding prevention and helps aid the bond between pet and owner. She has been put on tables, benches, concrete, grass, in the car, various crates, and local parks. I was quite excited the moment she had her first pee on concrete, as a lot of dogs who are used to toileting in a garden will hold it in until they reach grass. She has heard various noises and visited the train station. We have also used a sound CD to aid in getting her exposed to noises. She has met a multitude of children and adults and is just now getting ot know more dogs outside of my other 3. She eagerly is watching the bunnies in their hutch and likes to inspect the cat - a practice which needs to be further exercised to make sure she can remain controlled around other animals.
We had Sky over at a friends house with their 3 dogs where she was first hesitant but then excited to play with their Beagle. She then participated in my Beginner's Basic Obedience & Manners Class with these same friends where she showed excitement to meet the little dogs, but hesitant and reluctant to meet the medium or larger more boisterous pups. She would hide behind people to avoid them, and show signs of fear when they bounced over to play. So what do we do? I take note of it and work on it! It is not something to totally fret when a dog shows hesitation towards socialisation with other dogs. Ideally I would have worked with her more over the past few weeks with other dogs but the opportunity never was ideal in my circumstance. So, we spent the morning at a local park meeting dogs and getting used to them. Every owner I came across was highly respectful and very helpful in her socialisation - giving her space and not allowing her to hide (very important!). She easily made friends with dogs smaller than her, but would duck down, ears back and big eyes at larger dogs. So what did I do? - FEED FEED FEED. I had a pouch of her favourite treats on me and every time a dog sniffed her, I turned her head away by luring her and fed. Sometimes I would lure the other dog's head away from her to allow for a more non-confrontational meet and greet - and within half an hour of meeting a variety of dogs - from a Chihuahua X Pug to a Cane Corso, she made friends and happily went up to most other dogs - big or small.
Our socialisation will continue this week - with trips on the bus, tube and training sessions at Liverpool Street station. We will continue to meet and greet dogs and people at the local park and introduce ourselves to fellow owners on our way. It's summer and I've got a lot of time on my hands - time to do some more work with the dogs!
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