Very important to both…
Definition: The process of learning to behave in a way that is acceptable to society.
All beings that live in groups are subject to socialisation of that group. Rules and rituals are passed down through generations but are also subject to change due to cultural, environmental and individual needs.
Much has been written about the “crucial developmental period” 6 -16 weeks in a puppy’ s life. Good socialisation is about exposing your pup, in a positive manner, to all the things that are going to be part of his world.
It’s also about creating resilience under duress. If your puppy has a negative experience, it’s up to you to ensure that he doesn’t come away from the event thinking “holy smokes that was the worst thing ever”.
Example:
Your puppy is playing in the park with another young dog who is bullying him. Rather than picking him up and not letting him play, you back the other dog off get them to sit and watch and then let them play again.
It is very important that you supervise all interactions in social situations and understand when your puppy is uncomfortable and doesn’t know what to do. Mouthing, barking, lunging, growling and backing away from things are all signs that your puppy is not sure how to proceed. If you unintentionally force him into an unwanted encounter, as a baby puppy he has no choice but to submit. As a young adult he learns that the abovementioned behaviours stop the unwanted advances, so he practices them and then ends up tagged as a “Dangerous Dog”.
So the key here is exposing him to as much of your world as possible in a fun and safe way. After the 16 week mark, emotional responses are set and there are two categories that things fall into. FAMILIAR (SAFE) and UNFAMILIAR (DANGEROUS).
There is also “bounce back” or rate of recovery, (how long does it take you to recover from a negative experience) which varies from puppy to puppy, just like it varies from person to person.
We never stop learning as we move through our environment and dogs are no different. If you equate dog years to human years, dogs go from infants to young adults (approximately 25 years) in two years. That’s a huge developmental process in a very short period of time, both physically and behaviourally. It’s up to you to stay two steps ahead of your canine companion and be proactive rather than reactive, so that you don’t need a trainer to “clean up” problem behaviour if they become “terrible teenagers”.
Done properly, socialising is both fun and rewarding for both you and your puppy.