Puppy Socialising

Socialising will help your little mate feel comfortable in a big wide world of different people, environments, sights, noises, smells, dogs and other animals. Many behavioural problems in adult dogs are due to inappropriate or insufficient socialisation as puppies.

Right away. The most important time is during a puppy’s first 3 months. You need to expose them to the all the phenomena they're likely to encounter throughout their life. People, animals, plants, objects, trains, garbage trucks, screaming children cats, crying infants, bad weather, the whole shebang. After 12 weeks, dogs become much more cautious of anything they haven’t yet encountered. And once they reach 18 weeks, it’s very difficult to teach a dog to like something new, or help them be comfortable with something they find frightening.

Puppy school is great way to socialise your puppy with other dogs and people. Your pup will not only make new friends, but you'll learn about puppy health, behaviour and obedience and troubleshooting. Many veterinary clinics run puppy schools.

Aggression can happen for many reasons including dominance, possessiveness and fear, but it’s almost always linked to some kind of anxiety. Gradually exposing your puppy to a variety of settings, people and animals makes them learn to feel safe, and plays a big role in reducing aggressive behaviour.