During Lockdown, many puppies have sadly not had the best of starts in regards to seeing the world and learning to deal with new challenges well. However, so much can be done to help your puppy adapt and cope with the world, even if that world has some restrictions for its human family.
Puppy socialisation is one of the most important first steps in owning a puppy. If done well, the puppy will develop into a well-rounded, confident and happy dog. Many fears and aggressions that we see in adult dogs, stem from not being exposed to that ‘fear’ in puppy hood or from not having not learnt to deal with a situation properly as a puppy.
Fears like fireworks, other dogs, traffic and open spaces are all things that can be avoided. However, the window for good socialisation is narrow; before 16weeks of age. Lots of positive re-enforcement can be used after this time, but it can take longer for the puppy to then positively accept a new experience.
The Blue Cross determines socialisation as: “Socialisation is the process by which puppies…
