Norman’s Socialisation Journey so Far ……
There’s so much I could say about puppy socialisation and how important it is - in fact I have written a whole article about it (click here), but now
Norman is now 11 weeks old and so will be fully vaccinated and officially allowed out properly tomorrow (and his paws can touch the ground), here’s an update on his journey so far….
A mistake that lots of new puppy owners make is not socialising their pup before they are fully vaccinated. Socialisation should start straight away and the minute you collect your puppy from the breeder (and if you are lucky, they will have already started this for you and hopefully your puppy will be used to the home environment, which fortunately for Norman was the case (others dogs/pups, humans, the tv, washing machine, music, vacuum cleaner, tumble dryer, oven, dishwasher, microwave etc etc).
Over the last 3 weeks Norman has had lots of visitors to the house and we have taken him out and about, as well as attending my puppy classes each week. He has been to the vets (twice) the garden centre, the local (dog-friendly) shops including the pet shop and a charity shop. He’s sat and watched traffic go past him on the High Street including cars, lorries, vans, buses, motorcycles, cyclists and even the dustbin lorry. He’s been to the local farmer’s market and sat in his ‘carriage’ and watched and listened to a local band playing live music. He’s met the local postie (who as a bonus has an awesome long beard and wears glasses - so that’s 3 things to tick off the list)! He’s been in a ball-pit, Sam’s pit and has walked on different surfaces.
He’s seen/heard helicopters flying overhead and even been outside during a thunderstorm. He’s been outside in the sunshine, wind and rain. He’s had a bath outside and introduced to brushing. He’s met adults and children young and old, seen wheelchairs users, mobility scooters, pushchairs, prams, walking frames and walking sticks.
He’s taken everything in his stride and is fortunately very confident, but that can have its drawbacks too as he wants to say ‘hello’ and jump on everyone and every dog or puppy, which isn’t always appropriate. He’s learning from his brother Beanie that some dogs don’t want to be jumped on and he’s learning that some dogs (Sky) are ok with that (to a point) and she is a wonderful teacher and teaching him the world of dogs way better than I ever could. Tomorrow will be a big day for Norman being out and about without his carriage or being carried for the first time, but hopefully with all the great experiences he’s already had, he will take everything in his stride. Still lots to do, but we’re looking forward to visiting the pub next ….!
