![\"\u201eBlack\u201c](\"https:\/\/skraidanciosausytes.lt\/wp-content\/uploads\/qn-foto\/black\/2241317039513331.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nHe can notice something new, assess it, withdraw if needed and return to normal after a surprise.<\/p>\n
Sometimes contact is needed. Sometimes the best socialisation session is five minutes watching a bus stop from a safe distance, and then going home.<\/p>\n
It may look to you as if \u201cwe did nothing\u201d. For the puppy it may have been just right.<\/p>\n
The first months of life really are very important. That is when a puppy forms an early sense of whether the world is manageable, whether people can be trusted, and what happens when he meets something new.<\/p>\n
But the sheer number of experiences guarantees nothing.<\/p>\n
You can honestly tick three boxes: met a child, a bus and five dogs. But if the puppy was tense the whole time, could not move away and did not recover for an hour afterwards, your list records an excellent day of socialisation. From the dog\u2019s point of view \u2014 perhaps not.<\/p>\n So we look not at what the puppy saw, but at how he experienced it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Neutrality is a very important part of socialisation too.<\/p>\n In a city your dog will pass thousands of people and dogs in his lifetime. He will never need to interact with the vast majority of them.<\/p>\n Being able to see another dog and simply walk on is an excellent social skill. Sometimes better than wanting to befriend everyone.<\/p>\n If from puppyhood every dog he meets means a game, we very quickly create an expectation: \u201cA dog! Let\u2019s go!\u201d And then one day you say \u201cno\u201d.<\/p>\n The dog does not understand why the rules suddenly changed, and at the end of the lead we have a very sincere protest.<\/p>\n What is more, we know almost nothing about a dog we meet by chance. Perhaps he does not want to interact. Perhaps he is in pain. Perhaps his play style does not suit your puppy at all.<\/p>\n A few good, safe dog friendships often give far more than thirty random greetings.<\/p>\n And socialisation is not only about people and dogs.<\/p>\n That means different surfaces underfoot, the car, city sounds, grooming procedures, nail trimming, a vet examination, unfamiliar places, and even the ability to lie calmly while something is going on around him.<\/p>\n![\"\u201eLucky](\"https:\/\/skraidanciosausytes.lt\/wp-content\/uploads\/qn-foto\/luckysix\/2016_lucky_six__post__facebook_post__2018-03-23__016__fbid_19138579822.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nNeutrality is a social skill too<\/h2>\n
![\"\u201eLucky](\"https:\/\/skraidanciosausytes.lt\/wp-content\/uploads\/qn-foto\/luckysix\/2016_lucky_six__post__facebook_post__2018-11-05__029__fbid_20652288437.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nIt is not only people and dogs<\/h2>\n
![\"\u201eDuplo\u201c](\"https:\/\/skraidanciosausytes.lt\/wp-content\/uploads\/qn-foto\/duplo\/2021_duplo__post__facebook_post__2021-04-21__013__fbid_275017605529409.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n