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Socialisation SOCIALISATION - The most important training you will ever do with your dog. Socialisation is a term that means habituation or getting used to environmental elements through exposure. In a natural setting, it is highly adaptive to increase distance between yourself and anything unusual and then to proceed with extreme caution when approaching. This is because unusual things are potentially very bad news. Animals are very into social distance. If you
Dogs experience developmental periods during which they are more adaptive toward and / or senstive to novel stimuli. Dog's experience their 'critical period' during the first 3 months of life. This is the primary window of opportunity for puppies to adapt to new people, animals and experiences. What your pup learns during this time frame will have a huge impact on their longterm development.
According to Scott & Fuller (1965) in their Bar Harbor, For example: Puppies who don’t see humans until they are 16 weeks old may never develop proper dog-human relationships.
To minimize the likelihood of behavioural problems it is therefore vital that a puppy that is destined to be a family companion begins a carefully planned socialisation program early. This will enable the puppy to receive controlled exposure to the range of people, places, other animals, noises, etc that it is likely to encounter in the real world.
Enrolling in a well run puppy class, with qualified Delta instructors, prior to 3 months of age can be an excellent means of improving training, strengthening the human - animal bond and socialising puppies in a safe, controlled environment, where the risk of illness is minimised. Classes and at home training should be based on positive reinforcement with frequent rewards - treats, play, petting and praise.
Early and adequate socialisation and positive reinforcement training can go a long way to prevent behavioural problems and improve bonding between you and your pup. While the first 3 months is the most important socialisation period in your pup's life, I would encourage you to continue building on the great work the two of you have done and continue to socialise your pup to a variety of people, pets, locations as is practical.
To minimize the likelihood of behavioural problems it is therefore vital that a puppy that is destined to be a family companion begins a carefully planned socialisation program early. This will enable the puppy to receive controlled exposure to the range of people, places, other animals, noises, etc that it is likely to encounter in the real world
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think about it, so are we. We tolerate someone standing directly behind us in a crowed elevator but would be instantly spooked if we were the only two in the elevator. 