We’ve talked a lot about how vital early exposure and socialisation is for young puppies, but what about when your pup isn’t quite old enough to leave the house and explore the big wide world just yet?
Puppies have their final shots at around sixteen weeks, but that doesn’t mean you have to wait until then to begin exposing them to new experiences!
Early socialisation for dogs changes brain architecture. It helps them build confidence and fosters healthy physiological growth. Exposing them to new experiences which test all their senses, particularly sound, sight, and feeling will accustom them to the world around them, even before they’re old enough to fully explore it!
Here’s just a few quick and easy ways to expose your puppy to new experiences before their final injections…
- Have them walk on multiple different surfaces (cement, grass, bark, pebbles, etc). This accustoms their paws to a range of different textures and feelings!
- Get them hearing and responding to a variety of noises. YouTube is great for this! Search for other animal noises, traffic noise, or play music or a tv show in the background while they’re home.
- Take them for short rides in the car to get used to travelling.
- Touch them all over, particularly in more sensitive areas like paws, ears, tummy, mouth. This helps them get used to being handled which comes in very handy for future Vet visits!
- Bring home souvenirs! If your puppy isn’t old enough yet for walks outside the home, go for a solo walk and bring some leaves and flowers (all dog-friendly, of course) home to encourage them to sniff. Make sure you collect these from a human height level, to ensure no unsanitary dog faeces or urine will be brought home on them.
These are just a few easy tips to help prepare your dog for their journey to socialisation and exposure from a young age.
Do you have any great tips that worked wonders with your own puppy? Let us know! 👇