Covid 19 and puppy socialisation
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 have some snacks
- As your puppy becomes more confident, introduce changes in your appearance and new things at home using, for example, hats, rucksack, mask, wig, umbrella and so on. Give them safe packaging to explore and play with, put some of their food in as encouragment
- When your puppy is able to walk away from home you can use the houseline or a 2m Double Ended lead (e.g. Halti®)to allow them a 3 second meeting with any safe dog you meet (if they want to) while maintaining social distancing recommendations. Make sure you reward them well for coming away with you
- Let your puppy interact with as many people as possible using equipment which will allow you to maintain social distance. Some may be nervous of this, in which case sprinkle a few treats on the floor for your pup to find and eat as the person passes by