Socialisation: More Than Just Dogs Meeting Dogs

Most  peoples interpretation of the term socialisation is in reference to  exposing a dog, or most commonly, a puppy, to direct interactions with  other dogs so to ensure they are able to learn how to be happy and  confident in socialising with them one on one or in social groups…but  not only can this be detrimental, the term socialisation encompasses  much more than dog on dog learning!

The  term is often thrown around, particulrly in reference to puppies,  because of the importance of socialising during their early  developmental stage, to ensure they learn key life skills and take in  new experiences.  
Sadly, the expectation for a lot  of people in ‘socialising’ their puppy (or dog) is to take them to the  local green space, let them off lead and let them ‘socialise’ to their  hearts content without any training, encouragement to be neutral or  recall…but this isn’t actually what socialisation means at all, and  please don’t do this.  Don’t be that person.

While  largely applicable to puppies, conversations around the importance of  socialising is very frequently carried out in reference to greyhounds.

The  reason for this is that greyhounds have a very narrow understanding of  the great wide world, having lived very sheltered and routine lives  within the racing industry.  Their critical developmental period, and  subsequent years, are contained within a very set structure, when  compared to dogs raised in more 'traditional' settings.

While  full of experiences that often mean they are good at travelling in  cars, happy being groomed, picked up, having their nails done, being  seen by the vet and other such things…in comparison to what a dog,  raised in a home setting with an ever changing enviroment, a greyhound’s  experiences, knowledge and understanding doesn’t even touch the sides.   

So, when a greyhound leaves the  racing industry and is adopted into a home environment, everything is  foreign to them.  When trying to explain this to adopters, in how to  positively settle in and socialise their hounds, we explain it in a  fairly simple way:

When adopted, a  greyhound, in effect, goes through a secondary developmental period.   This is otherwise referred to as the settling in period, which can be a  few weeks up to a year.  Not only do they need to re-learn all they  thought they knew about the world, they are also experiencing  everything, that we and other dogs know to be normal, for the first  time.  Much like how a puppy would…only on fast forward!  

The  only catch is that any adult dog, greyhound or otherwise, can typically  act more worried in response to things they didn’t encounter or learn  about as a puppy…which for greyhounds, is quite a lot!

They  leave that kennel life behind and are faced with other dog breeds,  other species like cats and wildlife, people, traffic, buses, pubs and  cafes, the beach, an endless list of new noises, and even just the sofa!   The list goes on…

That endless  list, all those different places, people, animals, objects and all the  social interactions and exposures that go alongside them…that is ALL  socialisation.

Socialisation  encompasses far more than interactions with other dogs.  Socialisation,  also sometimes referred to as habituation, is the development and  learning of key life skills in response to all stimuli.  By exposing  your hound to diverse environments and social interactions with humans,  various animals, and novel objects, you provide them with the tools and  skills necessary to thrive in what they will soon come to know as a  complex and ever-changing world.

The  critical socialisation period for puppies occurs in the first three to  four months of life, but they continue learning long after this.  If not  adequately or positively socialised, a dog will be more likely to  present with fearfulness, aggression, difficulty communicating and  forming social bonds with both humans and other dogs as they grow.  This  can lead to issues down the line…and we have found the exact same in  adopted greyhounds.

As we all  know, greyhounds don't leave the racing industry until well past their  puppy stage, sometimes not until they are 5+ years old, so they've  already developed their personality and learned all they need to learn  (in their heads anyway!).  But in being adopted into a home, just like a  puppy, those first three months are absolutely crucial in positively  socialising your greyhound to set them up for success.  And, just like a  puppy, their socialisation and environmental learning goes on long past  this period and needs to be reinforced all throughout the settling in  period and beyond this.  

A greyhound will still be experiencing 'firsts' and fully developing their character anywhere up to a year post-adoption.

Effective  socialisation lays the foundation for a well-adjusted, confident, and  socially adept hound, which will enhance their quality of life by  reducing fear of the unknown and strengthening your bond with them as  their owner.  When you take on a greyhound, you are effectively taking  on a fully grown puppy and they need the same love, guidance, and  patience as they take in all the new experiences.

However,  in saying this, we must emphasise the importance of ensuring that all  socialisation be carried out in a positive manner, at your hound’s pace  (not yours!) so to ensure they have time to adapt, learn, make positive  associations, and become confident, calm, and adaptable in the face of  both known and new situations.

Because,  while socialisation is crucial, there are several barriers that can  impede a hound’s ability to be appropriately socialised such as  genetics, early experiences, previous trauma or neglect, environmental  factors, health, diet, and individual temperament.

Every  hound is individual, and while greyhounds are known to be fairly  adaptable dogs, they all have years of past life experience that we, as  their adopters, have very limited knowledge of.  
Some  dogs are just naturally anxious, others have lower tolerances or  thresholds for new environments or experiences, and others may start out  confident but go on to develop irrational fears seemingly out of  nowhere, but more than anything…it is so easy to trip your hound up by  overexposing them during the settling in period.

Like  many others, we love to hand out the advice “don’t do too much, too  soon”.   There is no need to take your freshly adopted hound straight to  the beach or the pub, let them settle in, learn the routine,  familiarise themselves with what would be their typical day and normal  walking routes.  This is all socialisation.  Then, dependant on your  hound, you can start to broaden their horizons by gradually exposing  them to new experiences in a controlled manner over the following weeks  and months.  Where, regardless of the situation, you are vigilant of any  subtle signs of stress, fear, over excitement or playfulness, or  difficulty settling and resting.   These are all of these are signs that  can suggest they aren’t coping quite as well as you think they are.  

By  socialising in a controlled and gradual manner, at their pace, you will  prevent overwhelming them.  To consistently overwhelm them, or  repeatedly push them past their comfort zone, during those early weeks  of socialisation you can very easily lead them to exhibit negative  responses such as reactivity to communicate any stress or discomfort  that has previously gone unnoticed.  This will lead to setbacks in your  hound’s socialisation and impact their ability to respond positively to  similar situations in future.

It's  also important to remember that socialisation does not mean you have to  force your hound into direct interaction with something.  For instance,  they don't NEED to meet every dog they pass.  Positively socialising  your dog can be as simple as quietly observing from afar, while  rewarding them for neutrality or choosing to disengage from something of  interest.  While socialisation is important, mismanaged or forced  interactions can have the same impact as a lack of socialisation.   Especially if that interaction results in a negative consequence...

It  can sometimes feel like you’re walking a fine line between exposing and  overexposing…but thankfully greyhounds are a surprisingly adaptable  breed that largely respond very positively to their new lives  (particularly if treats are involved)…though they do still like to act  like over emotional toddlers at times!  But that just adds to why we  love them so much!