Explore Together! Socialization to Build Confidence in Puppies

As puppies are exposed to new sights, smells, and objects, we try our best to keep these experiences as positive and fun as possible. Sometimes, these objects or situations can be spooky for puppies (eek!) or make them overexcited (whee!). We can help change the way a pup may feel the next time they encounter them. Helping puppies overcome big feelings can set them to be ready to face potentially scarier or more stimulating things in the future! Here are some tools that we use:

• Desensitization: slow, gradual exposure over time so the puppy can build up comfort and ease with more challenging sights, sounds, or situations.

• Counterconditioning: changing puppy's feelings to a new or scary object or situation, such as a loud noise or a stranger, from a negative, fearful, or overexcited one to a positive, relaxed, and neutral one. If we make the object/situation predict something positive by offering tasty snacks and encouragement after the pup sees the spooky thing, over time, the puppy learns to associate the once-scary (or adrenaline inducing!) situation with happy, calm feelings and may even start to look forward to things they were previously worried about.

You might be thinking to yourself that these two training tools sound similar. In fact, counterconditioning and desensitization can be used together to help a puppy overcome negative feelings towards things like:

• Traffic
• Noises
• New or strange objects
• Surfaces
• People
• Other Animals

Supportive Handling
When taking a puppy out and about and introducing them to new things, be a supportive handler:

• Verbal encouragement – don’t be afraid to act a little silly!
• Physical engagement – our puppies love pets and scratches
• Being aware of the puppy’s body language (Reading Dog Body Language has more on this!) – make adjustments to the difficulty of your outing if the pup seems a little worried
• Use lots of food – you can even use higher value rewards (e.g. puppy jerky, cheese, or plain boiled chicken) to make the experience extra fun

Here’s a Tip!

• Timing is important! The spooky thing should come first, so it becomes a signal that the food and encouragement are coming. If the food always predicts something scary, the puppy may become suspicious and worry about what unpleasant surprise will come after they take the snack!
• Don’t rush! Take your time introducing new things – you have plenty of time to give the pup new experiences.
• Keep experiences short and sweet! We want the puppy to be successful and have fun while exploring the world.

Let’s say you’re walking with the puppy in the neighborhood and someone quickly rides by on a skateboard. You notice the puppy startle and attempt to flee. It looks like the little pup was spooked by that skateboard. Yikes! Here’s how you can help the puppy build confidence around skateboards in the future using desensitization and counterconditioning:

• Introduce a skateboard that is less scary (e.g. laying it on its side or upside down and/or keep it stationary), offering food and encouragement after the pup sees the skateboard.
• Change the environment – try introducing it at home where the puppy feels safe!
• Gradually introduce the skateboard over multiple sessions. Initially, have the skateboard farther away and verbally encourage the puppy.
• Use lots of food rewards and verbal praise when the puppy is looking at, moving towards, or investigating the skateboard.
• Add movement with your hand vs. riding the skateboard – try having a friend move the skateboard before using a person the puppy doesn’t know.

Keep in mind that each puppy is different and that the speed you socialize them may vary. Some puppies are confident in some environments and less so in others, so being flexible and pivoting on a planned outing or experience might be necessary depending on how the pup is reacting. Especially on initial outings with younger pups, keep outings short and sweet so the puppy has a good time!