Grantham owner of Who Lets Your Dogs Out? writes about why pet socialisation is important

All dogs irrespective of age need socialisation, writes Sara Barnes from Who Lets Your Dog Out? Ltd and the Dog Adventure Centre.

It’s super important for puppies and it’s a good idea to revisit it on a regular/annual basis just to make sure that their likes/dislikes have/haven’t changed and what you can do to deal with these changes. A dog that is confident and accepting of more positive things will be less likely to be reactive and it can help a reactive dog cope better with the world they live in.

A leading light in the area of socialisation is the late Dr Sophia Yin. She advised that all puppies and dogs when they first go to their new home should go through a socialisation and desensitisation programme to help them and their families to bond.

Now its important to note socialisation doesn’t just mean meeting new people and dogs, it goes so much deeper than that. Think of it like do they like to walk on vinyl flooring, carpets, wooden floors, concrete, tiled floors, metal bridges and so much more. Do they mind their paws, ears, mouths, bellies and bottoms to be touched? If you can get them happy with handling then your groomer will love you.

Think also of noises that they might experience in the street like road works, street/road cleaners, fireworks (we all know this is a big one for many dogs), thunder, and sirens. And there are a lot of noises in the home as well like doorbells, vacuum cleaners, alarm clocks and the kids screaming/crying that they need to be comfortable with.

Their tolerance and acceptance of these and so much more can improve with time if it is done in a slow and controlled manner with plenty of rewards for progress in the right direction.

I have prepared an 85 point (yes I know that seems like a lot) socialisation check list that can be used on puppies and dogs alike to help you learn what they do and don’t like and help you develop an action plan to improve the don’t like areas.

To download this checklist for free go to www.dogadventurecentre.co.uk/socialisation