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SOCIALISATION
Puppy socialisation is one of the dog's most important life processes for his intellectual development. Through socialisation, the dog learns to relate to the world around him: people, dogs, objects, noises ... If it is well done and strengthens over time, the puppy will be able to live with the rest of its life with all kinds of situations.
Socialisation is vital since the puppy will react to the world in one way or another depending on how this process has been. When a dog has had significant deficiencies in its socialisation, it will feel insecure in contexts that it does not know, which will translate into fear or aggressiveness. On a day-to-day basis, poor socialisation can lead to problems when visiting home, bad reactions at the vet or groomer, erratic behavior on the walk... To avoid this, you must start working with the puppy as soon as possible and very progressively.
PROPRIOCEPTION
During the socialization period it is very important that proprioception also develops. It is a sense that the dog can develop to a greater or lesser extent according to his own experiences and allows him to be fully aware of his own body and what it can do with it. The coordination between the different parts of his body and the ability to perform difficult movements, calculate distance or measure the force exerted on something, among others, depends on this sense. Puppies are usually very clumsy because they just need to develop their own perception.
Although proprioception and socialisation is something that can naturally be learned, if it is enhanced when the dog is still young, optimal results can be obtained and its mind develops much more. Through different exercises, our Australian Cobberdog can learn to solve situations and find alternatives, to pay attention to us, to improve the skills of their breed, etc.
Exercises for your Australian Cobberdog puppy's socialisation:
- When it comes to socialising the puppy, we must be very clear that it must be progressive, starting with very mild stimuli and experiences that will increase as the puppy overcomes them.
- We should never force it as we could create rejection of what we want to teach it.
- We must also take special care at the stage of 4 to 6 months, since it is the period in which bad experiences generalise and fear develops. That is why we must always make socialisation a positive experience.
- It is very important that this process is always controlled by a person, since it is essential that the puppy always resolve the situation as a positive experience, otherwise he may develop aversion that may unconsciously increase and become a phobia. If when we introduce the puppy to a new experience, it is blocked or shows fear, we must help him to overcome it (we should never let him feel that this experience cannot be overcome).
Surfaces
Different surfaces are presented to the puppy with roughness, instabilities, heights, trying to go through bridges, narrow steps, glass floors, grilles, etc., so when the dog is an adult, he will feel ready to walk anywhere.The street
The street is an ideal place for the puppy to socialise with different people or other dogs that are not his litter, noises, objects, etc., so when he is an adult he will not be afraid to know beyond his family and his environment.Routines
It is important to introduce him to the routines of going to the vet, to the groomer, to visiting friends' homes, etc., so that he get used to the tools, environments, and people that he will deal with throughout his life.Basic training
Introducing the puppy to training dynamics is important when he is still a puppy. Being attentive to orders, concentrating, if you do it well has a prize, etc. It is the prelude to what you will have to know when you grow up.Proprioception
It is necessary to propose to the puppy exercises in which he has to coordinate all four legs or calculate his abilities, such as climbing a ladder, jumping fences, maintaining balance, etc. This allows him to discover his limits, which will make him a super-agile adult.With people
During the puppy phase, it is necessary to expose him to many people of different ages and conditions who approach him and pet him in a way that a positive and general association is made towards human treatment.With other dogs
It is essential that as a puppy, the dog maintain regular relationships with other dogs and learn to behave with them. The ideal exposure is to do it with puppies of their age and adults that we are sure will react well.Environments
Show the dog different spaces, both indoors (going to shopping centers, restaurants, shops, different houses, etc.) and outdoors (beach, mountains, snow areas, crates, busy streets, etc.). This will allow having an adult dog that can accompany us anywhere.Traveling
Teach him to be calm in the vehicle, accept the transportation cage well, get on and off the trunk, etc. Depending on our lifestyle, it may also be appropriate to get used to it by public transport or flying. You have to start with short trips and increase the duration.Importance of socialisation
Insisting on the importance of this phase of the dog is justified on the basis that much of this work that we do with the puppy depends on how it will be when it reaches adulthood. Their mental balance, ability to tolerate the frustration of not being able to do what they want, to accept an order, to mentally stimulate itself with us and the games and exercises that we offer are key. If this work is not done well, the chances of the dog misdirecting its needs will be higher and the likelihood that the dog will become frustrated due to its poor concentration, attention, and lack of ability to resolve the situation will increase.