Puppy Socialisation Gone Bad – Advice from a Puppy Pre-school in Leichhardt

A Positive Puppy Experience – Puppy Pre-School in Leichhardt

Advice from the trainer of Puppy Pre-School in Leichhardt

I went to a local dog park the other day and saw a sad sight that is like many others I’ve observed over the years. Someone brought a young puppy to the park. The puppy was sniffing another dog while the owners looked pleased. Then, someone else showed up with an over-excited, rough dog. He barked and lunged at the other dogs nearby, including the puppy. The puppy responded beautifully to this behavior by lying down on the ground and lowering her head. Then the over-excited dog ran up to her, pinning her down while she looked distressed and rolled over on her back, wide-eyed and clearly afraid.

I wish it had stopped there, but it didn’t. The other dog continued pinning the puppy down while she was trying to get away from the situation. All the owners were looking at the situation, smiling and talking about her needing to get used to it. The puppy did not have a positive experience.

The whole goal of socialization is to provide positive experiences in a variety of situations

Socialisation doesn’t mean dog play. And it certainly should not be left to fate, at least if you want to raise a confident and balance, social and friendly dog. That’s why it’s important to focus on all aspects of positive socialisation. My Puppy Pre-School in Leichhardt is great for this!

It’s important that puppies walk on different types of surfaces, ride in vehicles, see common everyday items and meet both people and other dogs/animals. However, if any of these adventures lead to negative experiences, the dog is learning that the world can be scary.

Bad experiences make it hard for puppies to develop good social skills

They also affect their ability to accept anything new later in life. That’s why it is so crucial to think carefully where to take your puppy and what king of dogs and people they meet. Taking a young puppy somewhere with large numbers of unknown dogs, makes it all too likely that at least one dog will do something that upsets your puppy.

Avoid Bad Situations and Remove Your Puppy if Needed

It’s all too common for puppies to be scared and even traumatized in situations that are considered socialisation. I always feel very bad for the poor puppies. Have you observed such a scene I described? Do your puppy a favour and avoid these kind of situations. Socialise in a controlled manner in puppy school or with kind and friendly dogs you already know. And remember it’s not the quantity but the quality! And remove your puppy away from situations that you don’t think are appropriate or good for your puppy’s learning.

My Next Puppy Pre-School in Leichhardt Start on the 14th of July at 10am!