Puppy Socialisation

The first 16 weeks of our puppies lives is the critical socialisation period. This is when their brains are most open to new experiences, as they are developing their perception of what the world is and where they fit into it.

This is the time when we want to be actively showing our puppies everything they’re likely to experience in their adult lives, through neutral to positive interactions both directly AND indirectly. Think quality over quantity, and keeping a nice balance between being happy to approach but also okay to just exist and observe from afar.

We do have one big challenge though, and that’s the overlap with the vaccination schedule for puppies which in current veterinary best practices has the final vaccination around the 16 week mark. We absolutely want to protect our vulnerable puppies from the risk of disease at this stage. But at the same time, if we isolate our puppies and keep them home then you’ve missed that critical socialisation period and potentially create equally serious behavioural challenges.

So we find the balance. Take your puppy out, but be smart about it. Talk to your vets about the realistic risks for your specific area. Carry your puppy anywhere you’re worried. Put them on a blanket on your lap while you sit outside a cafe. Don’t let them come into contact with unknown dogs or areas frequented by unknown and potentially unvaccinated dogs. Even just sitting in your car with them and letting your pup watch the world go past from the safety of the back seat is a great option to showing them what the big wide world involves.

If you’ve got a puppy, print off this checklist and make sure you’re marking each category off. Go at puppies pace, reward their choices to be brave and interact, and give them space to watch and observe if they need a moment.