Features of socialization of puppies and adult dogs

Socialization is an important aspect of dog education, a kind of adaptation to the human world and the possibility of intelligent interaction with others. This means that an animal that has got into a human house will have to learn communication skills and the ability to live according to certain rules.

Socialization of a puppy is the education of an animal in an adequate attitude to contacts with people around, other animals and inanimate objects. And you need to start this process right away, taking a little four-legged friend into your home. A dog is born with the innate inclinations of mental abilities, but the owner's task is to give her the opportunity to develop her intelligence, absorbing new information.

If an animal has a stable nervous system, it quickly adapts to new conditions, and no radical intervention from the owner is needed for its adaptation. Another thing is the peculiarities of the character and temperament of various breeds, which make them react inadequately to the same events and objects, up to aggression and panic fear. This complicates the maintenance and training of such a pet, makes it naughty and unpredictable.

Dogs that have not gone through the socialization process have many problems, each of which is also a problem for the owner.When an animal cannot be balanced towards new, unknown objects, it experiences continuous stress, which negatively affects its psyche and nervous system. This is what causes cowardice when the animal breaks off the leash and runs away, forgetting about the existence of the owner.

Another inflection point is irritability, anxiety, and aggressive behavior. Unfortunately, this is a natural reaction of the dogs to incomprehensible things and events. Such dogs are dangerous for others, but also often become the culprit of injuries to the owner and his family members.

Socialized animals, in contrast to such pets, have undeniable advantages:

• they do not bark at passers-by, street and domestic animals;
• are not afraid of loud noise;
• are calm at the sight of people approaching them in the city;
• obedient both at home and on the street;
• balanced in the event of force majeure situations, and can even help others;
• they can be left at home without fear that the animal will bark or howl.

Correctly raised dogs know the rules of living with humans and other creatures, in addition, they have a strong nervous system that excludes any uncivilized, aggressive actions. It must be admitted that the mental abilities of these pets are much higher than that of their semi-wild, albeit living with humans, brothers who have not been raised properly.

You can start education immediately after the puppies are taken from the mother, preferably no later than 5 monthswhen the formation of the animal's psyche ends, including the active influence of the environment. Various, well-modeled situations stimulate the improvement of the dog's nervous system, associative thinking and memory through a combination of sounds, smells and visual images. And she is considered prepared for the main points of education.

The first stage of socialization involves the establishment of a well-built relationship between the dog and the owner, and for this you need to communicate with the animal constantly, and at first - for a long time. At this stage, it is important that the following conditions are met:

• so that the puppy is not distracted by anything, you need to try to exclude the influence of foreign objects and external stimuli;
• for a dog, only the owner with his unshakable will and character, the only strong leader and leader should exist;
• the main points of upbringing occur during feeding and games, direct communication;
• walks with the animal are best done in deserted, quiet places where the puppy feels relaxed;
• the main beacons for successful training during training are toys and treats;
• all emotions of the puppy during contact should be positive, except for rewards, it is necessary to pronounce the name of the animal, to lead an affectionate misfortune, to encourage with stroking.

The positive result of such activities can be indicated by the behavior of the pet at the sight of the owner. - his joy, desire to be near, ignoring everything that surrounds him. This stage, with the correct building of contact, can last no more than 10 days, after which you can proceed to further training.

At the second stage, there is a complication of the tasks assigned to the animal. At the same time, the emphasis is still placed on the main role of the educator, but at the same time, the dog is taught to respond correctly to household objects, including urban objects:

• be calm about vehicles, noise, a large crowd of people, places where other animals stay, to visit a veterinarian;
• at the first signs of anxiety, the puppy must be distracted - by playing, stroking, treating;
• if the owner noticed that the pet is scared, it is advisable to switch the dog's attention to something safe and leave the "fear zone";
• but sometimes the curiosity of a shaggy friend outweighs the feeling of fear, and then it is allowed to carefully introduce the dog to the thing of interest by approaching it.

In time, the stage should not take more than a month, which may mean problems with the psyche of the dog. As a result, the animal should be calm about everything that comes its way, including people and animals, and the trainer should remain the center of his attention.

The main goal of training at the third stage is to teach the dog to behave appropriately if exceptional, non-standard situations arise. For puppies of service breeds, at the same time, classes are held in a special training course to develop skills while performing a certain type of service.

It is important for the owner take into account the individual characteristics of the animal's behavior and, based on this, simulate extraordinary events. The animal must be trained to be indifferent to any stimuli, but quickly respond to any commands from the owner. This stage is the most difficult and requires up to three months of constant training, however, some pets can go through the stage even faster - it all depends on their nature and the natural characteristics of the breed.

You need to start training a puppy by drawing up a lesson plan, but first you need to make an assessment of the condition of the pet.

In this sense, the following indicators are important:

• how the animal reacts to toys, food, sound stimuli;
• how quickly the dog can adapt to normal daily events;
• what is the reaction to unfamiliar, living and inanimate objects;
• perhaps there are some features of behavior, dignity and weakness of a personal nature.

This approach is relevant for both a puppy and an adult dog. The owner from his own observations can already get an idea of ​​how the pet treats people, children, pets and street animals.

It is difficult when a dog is indifferent to food or toys, but in this case there is a way out - you just need to increase the value of these resources, and therefore motivation.

The period of adaptation of young puppies to external stimuli can be divided into three periods:

• at 3-8 weeks initial intraspecific socialization occurs when the cub gets to know other dogs;
• from 6 to 12 weeks the pet should be taught to contact people and other types of animals;
• from 6 to 16 months the adaptation process must expand to the conditions of the street and associated facilities.

At 4-5 months, the puppy should already distinguish many smells, not be afraid of various noises, ignore any provoking events, focusing on one object - its owner.

In order for all stages of socialization to be completed successfully, and the animal does not become fearful and insecure, the dog should be brought out regularly, and not limited to short walks. Some owners provide their pets with the courtyard of a country house, believing that the animal, running freely around the territory, should feel comfortable. But such dogs, getting on the street, no longer feel free ease, they are scared, which logically leads to such a reaction as aggression.

To teach an adult dog to behave calmly presents a certain difficulty, and for this special socialization classes have been created, where animals under the supervision of a trainer are allowed to behave in a natural way. The muzzle and leash are used only at the beginning to assess the condition of the animal. As a rule, at the end of the course, their use is no longer necessary, since the animal finds a common language with its relatives of different ages and breeds, as well as with the owner, which is perhaps the main thing.

For information on how to socialize a puppy, see the video below.