The Window of Socialisation

New puppies soak up their surroundings like sponges and once we’ve picked them up and brought them home, it is our job to manage their early interactions appropriately because the world can be a very scary place!

Puppies go through several critical learning periods before they become adults but today we are going to focus on the one ALL puppy owners need to know about: The Socialisation Period, also known as The Sensitive Period for socialisation. This particular window of development opens at around 3 weeks of age, closing at around 13 weeks. (This is an approximation and will vary slightly depending on breed). This is broken down further still into:

·   Primary Sensitive Period; Weeks 3 to 5 -  the time in which the puppy will be surrounded by, and learning from, the interactions of their littermates, mum and breeder.

·   Secondary Sensitive Period (also known as the Critical Period); Weeks 6 to 13 – The main area of focus in this blog.

The first thing we can do to help our puppy is take some time to really understand what ‘socialisation’ means. The first given dictionary definition outlines the activity of mixing socially with others, so could this be where the misunderstanding of puppy socialisation comes from?

         socialisation

1. the activity of mixing socially with others

“the socialisation with the students has helped her communication skills”

2. "the process of learning to behave in a way that is acceptable to society" (“Socialization is the process of learning to behave in a way that is ...”)

“pre-school starts the process of socialisation”

I think this quote from Dr Karen Overall paints a much better picture:

“A sensitive period is best defined as a period when animals can best benefit

from exposure to certain stimuli, and if deprived of such exposure, there is

an increased risk of developing problems attendant with the stimulus”

What we must first be aware of is that, for our puppies, only a very small part of navigating this socialisation period comes from the play and interaction with other dogs. In fact, this can have potentially damaging effects on a young puppy if not managed carefully, but we will come to that shortly.

It is during this time our puppies brains are at their most malleable. They begin to learn what is or isn’t safe, developing a fear response from around week 6, so the experiences your puppy encounters at this stage may go on to be generalised and establish their response to a specific stimulus later on in life.

This Fear Stage sounds frightening, and if misunderstood or poorly managed, it can have far reaching consequences for your puppy, but it has a significant role too. We all need fear to help keep us safe, what is important is how/when/what is causing the fear. For your puppy, they begin to become a little more suspicious until they’ve assessed the novelty to be safe. Prior to this, you may have noticed the puppies in the litter were bold little creatures, happy to approach anyone/anything; you wouldn’t see many birthdays in the wild if you continued to behave like that!

However, if they are exposed to a particularly traumatic event during this time, it can manifest into a lifelong fear/aversion.

Before we move on, the delicacy of this period (3+ wks.)  only serves to be another point to reiterate the risks of not researching your breeder first. If we consider how influential this stage is to our puppies, we can begin to understand why those bought from puppy farms, or even accidental litters, can go on to develop some serious behavioural issues later on. Not including the stress mum may have experienced during gestation (find out more), if our puppies are not carefully and positively introduced to novel sights, sounds, smells, as well as interactions from other animals or humans before we pick them up, we are then at risk of flooding our puppy with new stimuli when we collect them. A good breeder is worth every penny and should be at the top of your list when doing your research once you have chosen your breed. (We will talk about rescue puppies another day).

Our role as caregivers is to be able to recognise when our puppy is feeling a little uncertain, and help them to feel safe. Understanding dogs body language is crucial. We don’t expect you to train to become behaviourists, but there are some fantastic resources available that help you to recognise how your dog is feeling, and your dog WILL thank you for taking the time to learn how to read them. Commonly, a puppy displaying signs of fear would show some or all of the following:

   Tail tucked under

         Ears pulled back

Lip licking

Yawning

         Hiding

         Trembling

         Whites of the eyes

         Freezing

Looking away

There are more, but I urge you to familiarise yourselves with the above at the very least. It;s important to recognise the diiference between a tired yawn and a stress signal yawn, for example.

If you see any of these signals, it is your responsibility to act accordingly. If a dog feels their attempts at diffusing a situation are being ignored, they will feel obligated to escalate until a suitable resolution has been achieved. This is known as the ‘Ladder of Aggression’ (see image at bottom of page)

It all sounds very morbid and like we are sapping the joy from puppy-hood, but being able to recognise and intervene, if and when necessary, will make your puppy feel safe and heard. A wise man once said:

“It is for us to hear their whispers so they don’t feel a need to shout”

Ok, I changed it up a little, but the sentiment remains...

So, we have looked a little into the weeks leading up to you bringing them home, what happens now they're our responsibilty?

Whilst we all want a perfectly well behaved dog, let them settle in first. Take the emphasis off ‘obedience’ and apply it to their experiences instead.

I'm going to introduce a new word to this now. Habituation. Habituation is what we should be calling our socialisation. This is the word I want you to take away from this blog today and spread it far and wide!

Habituation is the result of developing the ability to filter out and ignore stimuli such as loud noises, bright lights, smells, anything that is presented in our environment that we don’t need to give our attention to. Think about the funny ticking your boiler does at 1am every morning. You are habituated to that. If you weren’t, you would react to it every night and it would negatively impact your quality of life. However, a sudden unexpected sound will alarm you. The smell of cooking wafting up the stairs doesn’t cause alarm. Food burning does, and that commands immediate attention! The flashes of car headlights past your window in the evening? You don’t get off the sofa to investigate each time, in fact, I bet you hardly notice them now. You do peek through the curtains when there are flashing blue lights though. You will have either experienced all of these things frequently and without consequence to be satisfied they don’t require a response, or, they are novel/alarming enough to trigger an active response. That is what we are helping our puppies to do. It is also worth remembering, each experience is unique to your puppy and it is for them to decide if it is scary or not. Essentially, you want to build a good resilience in your puppy to help enable them to cope with day-day life.

So, what exactly can and should we be doing? After all, we can’t take them out until they’re 12 weeks old and that’s when the window closes, right?

Well, yes and no. On the one hand, we need to protect our puppies until they are fully vaccinated. There are a multitude of health risks for unvaccinated puppies but, providing we are careful, there is a great deal we CAN be doing beforehand.

In the house, we want to be thinking about our household equipment; hoover, hairdryers, microwaves, the T.V. All these items are likely to have been introduced by a good breeder, but don’t take it for granted. What flooring is in your kitchen? Your lounge? Do you have real grass or artificial turf? Gravel or slabs? Surfaces underfoot can be overlooked and what if you want to visit the beach next summer? Could you find sand locally to get your puppy to experience? 

Then we want to think about dressing up. Summer puppies may have to wait some months before they see us pull out our big coats, wooly hats, scarves, gloves etc, and vice versa; winter puppies may not see sunglasses for a long time! Think about umbrellas, high-vis, cycle/motor-cycle helmets, does Nanna visit with a walking stick? Have you thought about Halloween? All these things we take for granted can be startling for puppy. When you are introducing novel clothing items, or anything for that matter, don’t be tempted to jump out from nowhere, that’s a sure fire way to traumatise them for life! Let them see the items first, then see you put it on. Let them keep their distance, and make sure you are watching their reactions.

When we get outside, think about how many novel items are on the roads. Sure, cars and vans are aplenty, but we have bin lorries, motorbikes, cyclists, joggers, wheelchair users (ok, unlikely to be on the road but you see where I am heading with this).

We want to introduce them to children, the elderly, babies, teenagers, men, uniformed, crowds, horse-riders, people with back packs, pushchairs, people on scooters.

At each and every introduction, our puppies reaction should be our main focus. If they are clearly distressed and uneasy, move them away to a safe distance. Don’t ever feel tempted to force them in closer thinking they’ll ‘get used to it’, they won’t. Pair novel things with treats too. Turn these new experiences into really positive ones by pairing them with food (or other reinforcement, another blog for another day!).

Do not overlook the power of sound. Has your chosen breed got a propensity to be sound sensitive? Around mid-October, every year, we begin to hear fireworks. This usually continues well into the New Year these days. Don’t wait until then to begin working on associations! Get stuck in early with apps or YouTube recordings. There are so many to choose from now, with recordings of a variety of vehicles, celebrations, babies crying, fireworks, storms, dogs barking, birds, cats, doorbells; you name it, it is available.

Will your puppy be frequenting the groomers? Taking time to build up associations with equipment is also important, be it grooming, or leads, harnesses, collars etc. In fact, co-operative handling is super important. You should be able to handle your puppy appropriately and safely to check for seasonal pests, injuries, nail trimming, medical administration and more. Again, no rush. Slow and steady, pairing with treats can turn this potentially difficult handling into a really pleasant experience for your puppy.

There is also much to be learned from observing. Taking your puppy out in a sling, pushchair, your arms, or even sitting in the open boot of a car are all perfectly safe ways to allow our puppy to watch the world go by from a distance before they are fully vaccinated. 

Allow your puppy to experience different smells. Think about any artificial smells you may have in the home. Scented candles and plug-ins can be overwhelming for even our rudimentary noses. Imagine how dogs experience them! Don't we all love to drive past the bakery or local Chinese take-away? How does that make you feel, and why do you think you have those feelings? Some of you may even be feeling a little queasy at the thought now. What triggered that? Your previous experience; and how powerful it was too! 

Meeting other dogs can be a tricky one. We live in a world where many of us shrivel up when we hear that famous phrase “it’s ok, they’re friendly!” as an unknown dog comes full speed at you and yours. Unfortunately, I can’t fix that. What I can advise, is advocate for YOUR puppy. It is so important in this early stage to ensure your puppy has positive interactions with other dogs because again, the opposite might see you join the midnight brigade, dodging other walkers and parks, waiting until after dark when the threat is minimal. It’s. Not. Fun.

If you have friends or family with vaccinated, friendly dogs, you may wish to introduce them first. They don’t even need to interact at first. A barrier such as a stairgate can provide suitable management until all parties are confident to greet properly. Keep play times brief at first and give the older dog space to relax in peace (think about how relentless toddlers can get, especially if they need a nap.) Make sure they aren’t allowed to meet every single dog you come across. You will be setting an unrealistic expectation and you will find it only gets worse as they get older. You will be doing them a service if you help teach them they can’t greet everyone (there is such a thing as too friendly!)

You may feel tempted to attend a ‘puppy party’! It all sounds very lovely, doesn’t it? What a great way to socialise them, lots of little puppies playing together, making friends and learning skills…Or not.

It is a gamble and the fallout can be very harmful. I urge you to attend without your puppy first. Watch how it is being managed. If you see a room of mismatched play styles, what is your puppy really learning? You want to make sure the bold don’t learn to bully, and the less confident aren’t on the receiving end, only to become more anxious. These events are seldom managed effectively and risk overwhelming your puppy, or ‘flooding.*’ Keep in mind, would you leave your 2 year old to ‘work it out’ in a room full of other toddlers without guidance? Nobody knows what they’re doing because they are all babies; puppies are no different.

*(More on flooding another day).

And what about puppy classes? Well, obviously I would encourage you to consider classes, but again, don’t just go with the nearest/cheapest. Do your research and even go and watch a few to see how they’re run. Find out what methods your trainer uses, how they approach situations, how they teach their clients. A good trainer will have no problem with you quizzing them if they have nothing to hide. (Hint: if the use punishment to train, RUN!!)

These days, classes for the youngsters should be more focused on confidence, manners, and life skills than obedience. You have plenty of time to get your fridge covered in rosettes from sports and shows, but don’t rush in too soon. Our children go through nursery, pre-school, primary school, secondary school, college and university and still haven’t got it all figured out. Think of your puppy’s education in a similar way, help them graduate each stage at a time.

The single most important thing is that, at this stage, all experiences are handled carefully and slowly.

Finally, it is worth remembering: 

We live in a world where we can get our forgotten groceries delivered to the house within 20 minutes. Large, expensive goods can arrive the next day. Our technology demands we are always available. Your puppy is blissfully unaware of this and as much as we have become a society with high expectations for immediate results, our dogs are not another product we can make such demands of. Toilet training is not going to happen overnight (in most cases). It is quite unlikely they will sleep through the night at first. They need to be taught what is and isn’t appropriate so they quite possibly will begin to pull on the lead, chew your furniture, dig up your roses or nip your children. These are all VERY normal puppy behaviours that just require coaching, guidance and most importantly, patience. 

Just take your time and enjoy your puppy, it really isn’t a long time before they are all grown up and you’ll find yourself pining over that puppy smell and gazing wistfully at the tiny teeth marks in your woodwork!