Lets talk about.... Habitualisation

The one thing, aside from toilet training and bonding, that you need to give huge focus to when you first get your dog or puppy, is habitualisation. 

So lets talk about it!

We will base this blog on a new puppy but we will address rescue dogs at the end, as they need a slightly different approach.

When you get a new puppy, you will often hear people say to you about socialising them a lot, but that's actually been proven to cause more harm than good.

Don't get us wrong, there is a time and a place for this part in a puppy's life, but it is often used as an umbrella term for introducing and involving your furry friend with everything and everyone.

We're going to be bold here and suggest not listening to anyone who says you need to socialise your puppy with every other dog and human in the world, we know but just hear us out..

Whilst socialisation is CRITICAL for a well adjusted dog, there is a step before, which needs to be focused on first.

What does it entail?

We call it habitualisation, some refer to it as exposure training, but the core focus is the same, teaching your puppy some life lessons.

For example:

• Soundproofing - exposure to everyday and less frequent sounds (we have a soundproofing plan coming to the website shortly with over 15 12 minute soundtracks of a variety of sounds your puppy will need to desensitise to in order to live a stress free life).

• Experiencing various surroundings.

• Learning to accept everyday things such as the postman coming to the door, people walking outside the window, cupboards opening and closing, being in the car, being near a road, settling in a café.

• Self settling to avoid separation anxiety.

• Not everyone wants to be their friend! This seems harsh but is a vital life lesson.

We want them to have these key lessons/exposures WITHOUT external interactions, in order to teach them that they do not need to interact with everything and everyone all the time. The only interactions they need are calm and positive reassurances from you.

Why is it important?

It is paramount for all dogs to have these skills in place to help reduce the risk of anxiety and reactivity, because lets be honest here, no one wants an overactive, overwhelmed, overzealous, hyper, wound up dog jumping about in a shop, unable to settle when you're eating at a café, can't leave other people or other dogs alone and who barks constantly if you leave them for 2 minutes.

It is stressful for everyone and you don't know if someone around you, including a child, is scared of dogs or if you have a traumatised dog/young puppy in the vicinity, who really does not need to have any bad interactions harming their confidence.

You can't beat having a well-adjusted, well-rounded, easy going dog, who can take everything in their stride!

When to start?

Typically we encourage this phase of learning in the first few weeks of your puppy coming home. As your puppy settles with you, you will get to know how much they can cope with in terms of new experiences, if you have an extrovert confident little chap, you will know they are more robust and will be able to deal with more than an introvert reserved little chap! It is all about balance and patience, they must never be rushed.

In the first two weeks, before they have their second vaccination (this is based on the UK vaccination system, please follow your vaccination programme as directed by your vet) you need to take your puppy out and about in your arms/a carrier/wrap whatever you decide, and help them to get used to things, short and sweet sessions only, your puppy will become tired very quickly as they will be computing and processing the entire session. Build up as they get older until you can have sit and enjoy a coffee, or a conversation with someone on the street etc.

- If they show any signs of distress or overwhelm, retreat to a distance where they feel more comfortable, when they are calmer and happier, give them a treat, praise and go home. As with any type of training, we never ever want to end on a sour note, as that will be the last thing they associate with the experience and the first thing they will remember the next time you attempt that specific situation. -

At Embark we encourage owners to think 'PEERS'

Positive - Positive thoughts with relaxed body language

Expectations - Keep your expectations low

Energy - Steady and comfortable energy

Reassurances - Calm voice, treats, no loud excited 'yessss' or 'what's that???'. A simple 'good girl/boy' or just plain 'good' is all you need.

Short and Sweet - little 5 min sessions (time them if you're not good at keeping time) and build up as they get older.

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Rescue Dogs...

Rescues need a huge amount of time and patience to adjust to their new surroundings and people. They say to go by the triple three guide...

• Three days to start to settle and decompress.

• Three weeks for things to start to feel comfortable and familiar.

• Three months to fully acclimatise and be bonded with their new owners.

Whilst we're not about to tell you to not take the dog anywhere, you will be limited to where you can go in the early stages of your journey together. You are both learning to trust each other, the surroundings to the dog are all new, new smells, sounds and so on, that's pretty stressful for the dog and attempting any kind of habitualisation shouldn't be too high on your list of priorities at this point. You should be focused on toileting, a routine and building trust with some calm games and spending quiet time together without expectations of the dog or pressure to interact.

Once you have gotten through this initial period, starting to introduce situations from afar is a fantastic way to integrate them into your world. Treating the dog like you would a new puppy, in terms of PEERS, is absolutely perfect. If you encounter any issues please do contact a force free, experienced behaviourist who has excellent experience in rehabilitating rescue dogs.

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If you take away anything from this blog today, let it be this;

Don't skip this stage in your puppy/dog's life, but also, don't think it is a one time thing. Habitualising a puppy/dog is a lifelong lesson, frequently revisiting these sessions throughout their lives, particularly in times of mental and physical development or changes in their lives (e.g. puberty, fear phases, new house, new baby, getting another dog/other animal) will help keep that foundation you set as a pup, secure throughout their life.

So there we have it… a run down of what habitualisation means and why it is so important.

Over and snout!

P.S This is not a how to guide, merely a breakdown of what habitualisation is and how it should be part of every canine's life.