22Feb
We have had an incredible week! This litter have been superstars as I have been able to progress quickly from crate to car socialisation and then to time in the stroller. Tomorrow will be a trip to the shops for new things for the pups. Alaska will come with us, partly as it is the law that the mother dog has to travel with puppies under 8 weeks but she will also demonstrate to the puppies that the outside world is safe and fun.
I love socialising puppies and watching them navigating new experiences and environments. I like to see socialisation protocols as a game or a puzzle. To get to going in the car, there are many baby steps or prerequisite steps to take before we actually get in the car. You can only progress when the puppy is fully comfortable at each step and you have to be prepared to go back a step (back to safety).
These steps include:
🐺gentle rocking when they are young
🐺letting them climb on wobbleboards
🐺using a nest swing for them to get used to motion
🐺make positive associations with the crate
🐺allow them just to be in in the crate in the car
🐺once comfortable, turn the engine on so they can hear the rumble and feel the vibrations
🐺then a small drive down the driveway and gradually build it up
🐺we make sure to go on a variety of roads, go around roundabouts, go in the car during the day and when it is dark, go on short and long drives, and stopping in traffic is a bonus as they learn that stopping doesn't always mean we get out of the car.
Before progressing to the next step, I wait a day or sometimes half a day. The puppies sleep well after each activity and while they sleep, their brain processes what has happened. Good quality socialisation that was positive means that the puppy retains all the positive information and will forget any negative feelings about it (or most of the negativity). I keep new experiences short to increase the likelihood of it ending on a positive note- which is very important for a puppy and an older dog.
If at any point, a puppy isn't happy about being in the car then I have a plan. After disinfecting the boot area (it's a 7 seater with a large space when the 2 rear seats are down), I would put puppy pads down, a familiar vet bed and put toys and chews in the space. I would then play with the puppy in that area and do this many times before going on a drive. My goal is to make this space a safe, fun and I can create many positive associations with it before making the car move and make sounds.
This litter have been so awesome that I felt we could skip a 2 steps before going on a short drive. Like I predicted- they fell asleep and showed zero signs of worry. I am in the car nearby so we can see each other and I can monitor any puppy for signs of worry. I will be getting them accustomed to the car seat in the house and then the car before going on a journey with them in the seat. I put the puppies in the stroller in the house (keeping it still), then the garden, then the street and then I build it up so we can venture to new places.
Before we go to the vet, the puppies have to be comfortable in the car, the stroller and I socialise the puppies with the grooming table as well as doing thorough vet checks. I like to think that I can build their experiences up so when they encounter something new, there will be many similarities still around them and they will have the skills to feel safe and confident within themselves despite some new things in their environment. The grooming table is there to get the height of the vets table as well as for grooming. I can mimic what the vet will do so when it comes to the vet check up and injection, the puppy will remember being touched, had ears, eyes and gums checked and I will hold the back of the neck in preparation for the injection. As I am going to Vets4pets within a Pets at home store, I take the puppies to the shop near the vets waiting area so they are already familiar with the scent days or weeks before the first check up.
Disco enjoyed grabbing the net cover when I got each puppy out. I like to get them out, keep them safe in my arms and they can look around at the new, big world. It is a lot to process when they have been so used to he house and garden so I keep the time out very short. Dakota fell asleep in the stroller during our short trip out and when we got back to the car, only Disco was awake. They all went back in the crate in the car and by the time we got home, every puppy was fast asleep. They made the cutest groaning noises when I got them out.
In a week, they will be microchipped and a few days later they will receive their first injection. I am going to get the puppies their first and second injection to make it easier for owners.
I am not sure what my next blog post will be but it may be about one of our little adventures with the pups.
~ Claire 🐾
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