David Finlay Pet Health Care Centres

Early Socialisation and Habituation:
At the start of every dog's life, there is a uniquely sensitive period during which they can absorb many new experiences without fear. Whatever the puppy leans during this period, they will accept as a normal part of life. Outside this period - and it only lasts from around 3 to 12 weeks of age - new experiences can paralyse them with fear resulting in aggression and biting. It is a sad fact that many young dogs grow up to have permanent behavioural problems which condemn them to dog sanctuaries, or euthanasia. Teaching your puppy to become integrated into its new environment is called socialising and habituation, and its importance cannot be overemphasised. If a puppy has bot encountered a postman until later in life, it may become fearful. The dog's natural response to fear is to bite. And how many children do we hear of these days who have been bitten by dogs? Ask our groomers about the difficult dogs they encounter in their salon. They almost always belong to owners who have not spent the time getting the puppy used used to being handled and groomed early in life. I've lost count of the number of times I've been told "Oh he will bite me if I try to comb him or brush his teeth". This is a totally undesirable situation. In most cases, the fault lies with us humans not understanding out puppy's early socialisation needs. We must be in control of the relationship at all times. This rule applies to every aspect of our relationship with our dogs. Teaching puppies that they cannot have our attention all of the time is equally important. Lack of early socialisation in this area can lead to a condition called separation anxiety. Deprived of attention, the puppy responds by showing signs of stress: excessive barking, whining, urination, defaecation, chewing and destructiveness. Socialisation is important throughout a pet's life. If ignored, problems can develop...even quite late on.