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by Langhaar on 11 March 2009 - 16:03
Dee Ganley has an excellent socialisation chart see here:
The Puppy’s Rule of Twelve
Make sure all experiences are safe and positive for the puppy. Each encounter should
include treats and lots of praise. Slow down and add distance if your puppy is scared!
By the time a puppy is 12 weeks old, it should have:
(If your puppy is over 12 weeks start right away with this socialization guide.)
Experienced 12 different surfaces
grass, dirt, mud, puddles, deep pea gravel, grates, uneven surfaces, on a table, on a chair, etc......
: wood, woodchips, carpet, tile, cement, linoleum, grass, wetPlayed with 12 different objects
wooden items, paper or cardboard items, milk jugs, metal items, car keys, etc.......
: fuzzy toys, big & small balls, hard toys, funny sounding toys,Experienced 12 different locations
pond, river, boat, basement, elevator, car, moving car, garage, laundry room, kennel, veterinarian
hospital (just to say hi & visit, lots of cookies, no vaccinations), grooming salon (just to say hi), etc....
: front yard (daily), other people’s homes, school yard, lake,Met and played with 12 new people
elderly adults, people in wheelchairs, walkers, people with canes, crutches, hats, sunglasses, etc….
(outside of family): include children, adults (mostly men),Exposed to 12 different noises
we don’t want the puppy scared):
big trucks, Harley motorcycles, skateboards, washing machine, shopping carts rolling, power boat,
clapping, loud singing, pan dropping, horses neighing, vacuums, lawnmowers, birthday party, etc…
(ALWAYS keep positive and watch puppy’s comfort level –garage door opening, doorbell, children playing, babies screaming,Exposed to 12 fast moving objects
motorcycles, cars, people running, cats running, scooters, vacuums, children running, children playing
soccer, squirrels, cats, horses running, cows running, etc…
(don’t allow to chase): skateboards, roller-skates, bicycles,Experienced 12 different challenges
tunnel, climb up and down steps, climb over obstacles, play hide & seek, go in and out a doorway with a
step up or down, exposed to an electric sliding door, umbrella, balloons, walk on a wobbly table (plank
of wood with a small rock underneath), jump over a broom, climb over a log, bathtub (and bath) etc....
: climb on, in, off and around a box, go through a cardboardby Langhaar on 11 March 2009 - 16:03
by AandA on 11 March 2009 - 17:03
When people did come up to meet us we made a point of immediately asking them to talk to us and don't pay any attention to the dog and let the dog come to them. If he growled/barked we used to give him a quick matter of fact snap on the collar & a 'no' and continue talking. Without the direct attention Archie would be much more confident and sniff the people at which point we would say to them you can now give him a fuss but again with no direct staring/talking. People who really do want to meet the dog will have no qualms in doing this.
After a a year or two of this ol' Arch became a lot, lot more confident and with some people didn't even mind if they did talk directly to him (we never did figure out what it was these people had that others didn't but we trusted his judgement!) but if he was sitting outside a shop on his own he wouldn't be too keen on strangers coming up to him... which I must admit I thought fair was fair enough.
It's tough to explain but you have to ignore the dog and you talk to these 'strangers' in a confident mannner but still be aware of how he is behaving and any signals he may be giving. Time, patience & repitition will get you there.
AandA
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