These three words are the most important ones in the life of a young puppy if you want him to have the best start in life that he possibly can. Socialisation cannot be stressed enough ! Many Basenjis are naturally aloof with strangers & can sometimes be wary of strange people and unusual sights and sounds. They need regular exposure to many different people, sights & sounds while they are still young to ensure they grow up to be able to cope with different situations, otherwise they could become fearful when out of their normal surroundings and this could lead to problems later on. |
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Young Basenji puppy playing with visiting children & adults
One of the most important things you can do for your puppy is to socialise him well. The most important time for socialising your puppy is between 3 and 12 weeks of age but the window for socialising closes at around 16 weeks old. So this means that after you take your puppy home at 8 or 9 weeks of age you only have a few weeks to do as much socialising as possible with your new puppy. It is a very busy time but be assured that the work you put in with your puppy at this time will be rewarded a hundred fold as you will be sure to have a grown dog that is well adapted to many different situations.
Basenji puppies playing with other breeds at Puppy Kindergarten
Expose your puppy to as many different environments and experiences as possible while he is still at this impressionable age. Just make sure that all these experiences are positive ones and that he doesn't get frightened by being swooped up quickly into someones arms. It's a good idea to ask any children that handle your puppy to first sit down on the floor. That way if the puppy does manage to squirm free he doesn't have far to fall. Visit friends homes, play with well behaved young children, go to the park, watch trains, buses and cars go by, visit shopping centres. Listen to the vacuum cleaner, lawn mower etc.
Basenji puppy playing with American Bulldog puppy
Take lots of nice enjoyable trips in the car with the puppy safely contained in a crate of course. Go to the park and have some fun with your puppy. If the only car trips your puppy has are to the vet he will soon learn to associate unpleasant experiences with car trips. Not a good idea, we want him/her to enjoy travelling with you. This will ensure that you have a dog that loves being with you and will not get stressed or nervous about noises and can cope with new experiences. A well socialised dog in other words.
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Socialising with children and other healthy puppies
We also strongly recommend that you enrol your puppy as soon as possible (preferably before 12 weeks of age) in a Puppy Kinder or Puppy Pre-School Class. Most vets run these for their clients.
First of all make sure your puppies immunisations are up to date then take him out to meet other healthy immunised puppies or FRIENDLY older dogs. Do your best to make sure that these first experiences with other dogs are good ones.
All this will help your puppy to be a social butterfly when he/she grows up.
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