Without a doubt ensuring proper socialisation is the single most important thing you can do for your dog & you haven’t got that long to do it. By the time they’re 16 weeks old you’ve left it too late.

A puppy’s brain is a little sponge. It soaks up as much information as you and everybody else can give it and then there’s always room for more.

Exposure is the most important bit of socialisation.

Socialisation is helping your puppy deal with the situations they’re likely to come across everyday in theirs lives. The only way to do that is to expose them to as many different stimuli as possible, and that way you’ll end up with a confident pup rather then one who’s scared of their day to day live.

The puppies who do best are those who come everywhere with you. Going for a coffee with your friends? (assuming the shop doesn’t object) take your pup with you. Let them get used to lots of people and the noise of day to day life. If you have a very young puppy then put them in a comfortable bag and carry them along. (Maybe line the bag with a few puppy pads just to save your clothes

Decide whats important to you and make a plan.

Decide the things that are important to you and how you’re going to ensure your pup is exposed to each. I don’t just mean for a couple of minutes a time but good exposure until they feel safe. So if, for example, the school run is important to you then take them with you, every time.

Remember when you’re socialising the more stimuli your puppy get the better. Often things that to us seem tiny are enough to make a really big difference to our pups. A beard, a cap or a pair of glasses is very little to us but can and does make a real difference to our pups and adult dog. You can’t expose them to too much.

Puppy Parties

Puppy Parties are great, all those puppies playing together……my idea of heaven. As a socialisation tool they’re limited. They’re fantastic at teaching puppies to interact with each other and, assuming they’re held at the vets, getting them used to going there. Remember what I said earlier about exposure being the most important part of socialisation, well puppy parties teach puppies to interact with other puppies. Not how to interact with adult dogs, children, guys in hats etc..etc..

Work with your breeder

A reputable breeder will have already started socialisation before a litter goes to their new homes. Ask then whats already being done. They’ll be ha[py to tell you