A huge percentage of problematic behaviours we come up against later in life can be traced back to inappropriate or inadequate socialisation in those important early months.
The goal of socialisation is to expose puppies to all the things they’ll need to feel comfortable about later in life, from social situations, to novel sights, sounds and textures, as well as anything weird we will need to do with them such as put walking equipment on them and being handled for grooming and vet visits.
These experiences should be carefully managed in a way that builds confidence, and creates appropriate behavioural patterns for your puppy to default to in the future.
The reality is, we often don’t put enough emphasis onto appropriate experiences and education for a long enough period with our young dogs, and we can often be inconsistent.
The bigger their life experience and better their education in those first couple of years, the fuller and happier their future will be.
So, here are six things you can do with your young dog instead of that same old walk, that will have a huge impact on their future…
Meet up with a friend and their mature, well-rounded adult dog.
Spend some time with other well-behaved adult dogs who won’t obsess over playtime with your young dog and can show them the ropes and lead by example!
Attend some outdoor dog training classes in small groups.
Find a trainer who emphasises filtering out the distractions of other dogs and people rather than off lead free-for-alls that are of no benefit to you or your young dog. Erm...I might know someone... - click here for more info!
Explore somewhere new together.
Going to the same old place every day is not helpful. The less life experience they have, the smaller their world will be as their training will never apply beyond the usual spots.
Add some new activities to your usual walks.
Our Gundog breeds need a job to do! Include a good variety of hunting and retrieving activities into their walks so they have an appropriate outlet and learn to do their job WITH you rather than go self-employed!
Hang around in a busier environment like a park, a village green, or a town centre.
If we want our dogs to learn to ignore distractions, we need to stop avoiding them or expecting too much from our young inexperienced dogs. Sit on a bench, give them time to settle in, play a bit, train a bit, and spend plenty of time chilling out.
Set up a novel exposure activity at home.
So many dogs end up fearing the unexpected because they just don’t get enough positive exposure to weird and unpredictable things! Setting up sniffing activities amongst a selection of items that move, feel different, or make noise is a great way of building confidence and is a great brain workout too!
Appropriate socialisation and life experiences are so important in those first couple of years. I hope this gives you plenty of ideas for shaking up your routine and replacing one of their usual walks with a more beneficial activity that will help them more later in life!
Liz Whelan GTA-AD 020 ABTC-ATI
Owner of DogScentric
Accredited instructor with the Gundog Trainers Academy (GTA-AD 020)
Accredited Animal Training Instructor with the ABTC (ABTC-ATI)
FdSc Canine Behaviour and Training (Hull University)
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