A most important task

A fully socialised dog has come across all manner of people, objects, vehicles, animals and buildings, and is not afraid of anything he meets on a daily basis. Essentially, the whole human race and all its comings and goings has become part of his accepted social group. Socialising your new puppy thoroughly may be the single most important thing you ever do for him. It takes a little commitment, but it is worth every moment you spend on the process.

Understanding the relevance and importance of effective socialisation will help you cope with its sometimes inconvenient demands. In some respects, the process gets easier as your puppy grows, if only because you don’t have to carry him everywhere once his vaccinations are complete.

In the coming months your puppy will change a good deal. He will grow in confidence as he matures and as you teach him that the world holds nothing to fear. Some dramatic changes will occur in his physical strength and size. Understanding how your puppy changes as he matures will help you know what to expect of him and will help you to nurture him within the limits of his capabilities. Let’s move on to the next chapter, and find out how your puppy will develop over the next few weeks.

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Arriving home

At last. You have made it home with your precious new bundle. You pull into the drive and switch off the engine.  What now? The very first thing you need to do is take the puppy straight to his outdoor toilet area so that he can have a wee. Offer him a drink of water and make yourself comfortable. It may take him a while to decide that it’s okay to wee in this new place. Puppies vary in how they react to being placed on the ground in a strange place. Some are like little clockwork toys – you put them on the ground and off they go. Others will be more hesitant, and a few will freeze with fear. If your puppy seems worried, get right down on the ground with him, let him know that you are there for him and let him climb on your lap if he wants to, while he surveys this new world. He will want to stay near you but he will soon begin to sniff about and hopefully will decide to do a wee. Once he has emptied his bladder, you can take him indoors, but it is a good idea to set an alarm ...
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SUMMARY

• Prepare your puppy’s den, and put up baby gates and a playpen in the garden. • Take someone with you to collect your puppy. • Take a travel kit in case of carsickness. • Check numbers match on registration and pedigree certificates. • Take your puppy home travelling in the footwell of the car, pressed up against your passenger’s legs. • Put him in his toilet area as soon as you arrive home and every half-hour afterwards.
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What to expect on the journey home

The chances are that your puppy has never been in a car before. He has also never been away from the home where he was born and where he feels safe. If you put your puppy in a crate in the back of your car and drive home with him shut in there, one or all of the following three things may happen. He will scream very loudly most of the way. He will be sick. He will empty his bowels.  This reinforces your position as pack leader and is just good manners! This is simply because the puppy is stressed and feels abandoned. He may be perfectly safe in the crate in the event of an accident, but your driving is likely to be adversely affected by the noise and the smell. All in all, it is not a very good start to his new life. For this reason, when I collect a puppy, I always take an adult passenger with me, or get someone else to drive. Then the puppy can sit in the footwell on the passenger side of the car. Pressed up against someone’s legs, he will feel safe and won’t scream with fear. I...
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