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WHAT IS SOCIALISATION?
It’s not about having a dog that is “sociable”.
It’s not surprising that socialisation in dogs is so often misunderstood.
The human understanding of socialisation is about actively seeking out interaction, being friendly, outgoing, communicating with, and forming relationships with other people or groups.
It’s natural for people to assume that socialising a dog means creating a dog that wants to meet and play with every other dog and say hello to everyone.
Socialisation in dog terms is not the same as being social.
Socialisation is not about the quantity of exposure. Simply experiencing something or being exposed to it, doesn't mean that dogs learn to feel comfortable with it.
A well socialised dog isn’t the one that seeks out social interaction — it’s the one that doesn’t feel the need to.
The quality of the experience, the emotional response, is what matters.
It’s about carefully building emotional safety, with all the things that dogs may encounter throughout their lives – other animals, different types of people, children, bicycles, skateboards, cars, trucks etc, different sounds, places, surfaces, environments, vet visits, grooming, handling etc.
It’s about dogs learning how to cope with the strange, the unfamiliar, the unknown or the unexpected - at the appropriate developmental stage.
Timing is so important in socialisation. Puppies have a limited developmental window where they are particularly open to new experiences, forming positive associations and learning what is safe.
Here is a link to a useful puppy socialization checklist from The Pet Professional Guild –
https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/resource/puppy-socialization-checklist
It’s not about having a dog that is “sociable”.
It’s not surprising that socialisation in dogs is so often misunderstood.
The human understanding of socialisation is about actively seeking out interaction, being friendly, outgoing, communicating with, and forming relationships with other people or groups.
It’s natural for people to assume that socialising a dog means creating a dog that wants to meet and play with every other dog and say hello to everyone.
Socialisation in dog terms is not the same as being social.
Socialisation is not about the quantity of exposure. Simply experiencing something or being exposed to it, doesn't mean that dogs learn to feel comfortable with it.
A well socialised dog isn’t the one that seeks out social interaction — it’s the one that doesn’t feel the need to.
The quality of the experience, the emotional response, is what matters.
It’s about carefully building emotional safety, with all the things that dogs may encounter throughout their lives – other animals, different types of people, children, bicycles, skateboards, cars, trucks etc, different sounds, places, surfaces, environments, vet visits, grooming, handling etc.
It’s about dogs learning how to cope with the strange, the unfamiliar, the unknown or the unexpected - at the appropriate developmental stage.
Timing is so important in socialisation. Puppies have a limited developmental window where they are particularly open to new experiences, forming positive associations and learning what is safe.
Here is a link to a useful puppy socialization checklist from The Pet Professional Guild –
https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/resource/puppy-socialization-checklist
