Puppy Socialisation Covid_19
We all know that puppies need to get out and about to learn about the world.
We all want our puppy to grow into a friendly, confident dog
The current restrictions on social distancing are making this more difficult but not impossible
It is vital to give our puppies as much appropriate socialisation as we can in these early months
Here are a few ideas to get you going:
- Your puppy needs to learn about their new home and to trust their new family through gentle encouragement, handling and play
- A houseline attached to your puppy’s collar can help you manage them easily when necessary. You can use it to prevent jumping up, chasing the cat, etc so you can reward them for doing the right thing
- Your puppy doesn’t have to be vaccinated to go for ‘walks’, carry them along the street, take short car trips to new places where they can sit on your lap, watch the world go by and enjoy some treats
- As your puppy becomes more confident, introduce changes in your appearance and new things at home using, for example, hats, rucksack, mask, wig, umbrella, gloves, long coat etc – you get the idea. Give puppy a carboard box to explore and play with, put some of their food in to make it fun, then add some crumpled up paper and some more bits of food to find.
- When your puppy is able to go on walks let them see other dogs and people at a safe distance, reward your puppy – seeing another person and/or dog equals good things.