Puppy Socialisation

We’ve created a useful guide to help you as a pet owner understand the meaning of socialisation when it comes to welcoming a new puppy into your home. We’ve combined information from our own veterinary nurses and details from the Kennel Club to explore various tips and techniques that can help you.

What does socialisation mean?

For puppies, socialisation means exploring the world to have positive interactions with adults, children, vets, dogs, and other animals.

It’s also important to explore different situations that your puppy will encounter as they get older including, traffic, crowds, travelling in a car or on public transport and everyday household items that make noise.

Any new situations, noises, and interactions your puppy has when they are young will help them to accept them more easily.

How to socialise a puppy?

Socialising your puppy in the early stages of their life is important, as it helps them develop key life skills that are necessary to ensure they are happy and confident in their environment and effectively interact with other dogs. We’ve created a few points for you to consider when socialising your dog.

• Puppies can be fearful of things they haven’t experienced before and it’s important to approach anything new carefully. For example, some puppies may be used to an environment with children or washing machines and are used to day-to-day noises. Whereas other puppies may have been born into a quieter environment and will need to be introduced to noises slowly. You should never force a puppy to confront their fears.
• Start at home and make sure they are used to life at home, in the garden and travelling in the car. It’s a great place to start with smaller interactions and help to build to other environments.
• Consider your surroundings and where to socialise your puppy. You may live on a busy street or pass large crowds of people on the school run. Wherever you decide to start the socialisation process, be mindful of your puppy’s character and how they react in different situations.
• A puppy needs to be used to being around you and getting used to listening to you as an owner. As your puppy grows up it’s important for them to be able to give you their attention and to learn from you to help keep them and others safe.
• Keep encounters with people and other dogs positive and short, as you don’t want to overwhelm your puppy in the early stages. To help, you can kindly ask people to allow your puppy to approach them first. If your puppy is nervous about a particular encounter, do not force them and move into an area where they feel more comfortable. You cannot force a friendship with another dog, so make sure you consider your puppy’s actions around certain animals.
• Understand your puppies body language. Pay careful attention to how your puppy behaves around other dogs and people. If they are showing signs of not wanting to be around a particular dog, gently move them away and do not force the friendship.
• There are many ways to train your dog. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and reach out to a dog trainer or professional to support you and your puppy. A dog training class can help to teach your puppy the basic lessons of control, as well as show you methods to prevent and correct different types of behaviour.
• It’s important that you are patient with your puppy, as young animals need time to learn and develop.

Benefits of socialising a puppy

• A puppy who is socialised correctly from a young age will be far more likely to grow up confident, calm, open to learning new things and less likely to respond to new experiences in a fearful or aggressive manner.
• Socialising a new puppy will help them to settle in your home and make them feel safe and understood by their new family.

Do I need pet insurance?

We understand being a pet parent can be tough, especially if your pet becomes ill or gets injured. It’s important to consider pet insurance if you have a new puppy, as cover can help provide peace of mind when it comes to paying for veterinary fees should they need to visit the vet. You can easily compare our insurance plans and get a quote through our website using the following link.

Get a quote for your puppy

Don’t forget, with our pet insurance we provide 24/7 expert advice from vets and vet nurses should your pet become unwell. Our service may help save you an unnecessary trip to the vet.