What Sets Noble Woof Puppy Socials Apart
Written by Christina Gray, PhD, IAABC-ADT
Why We Do What We Do
Our puppy socials require guardians to actively participate some of the time, and to step back and observe at other times. We want guardians to be able to help soothe and comfort their puppies when the puppy needs support. This helps build a trusting relationship and a confident dog. It also allows guardians to learn by observing as well as through active practice under the guidance of professionals.
Our puppy socials prioritize the emotional experience of the puppy and the arousal state of the puppy. This means that you may not see much long, extended physical contact play between puppies. Instead, we take lots of breaks and do lots of alternative activities such as training and tricks. This helps to build a well-balanced dog that can engage with people, dogs, and the environment with flexibility and calmness. It also allows guardians to see how to help their puppies practice calm and controlled play in everyday situations.
Our puppy socials are small in size. This allows us to guide and work with each team. Puppies learn and grow at fantastically rapid rates, and we do not want to miss an opportunity to support a puppy through a learning moment because we are too busy elsewhere. We leave space for learning and discussion as well as play and exploration in each puppy social class!
What we do not do:
Let puppies get all or most of their exercise needs met with social play with other puppies (ask us why, or read more below)
Let puppies rehearse being separated without support in place
Let puppies continue to be frightened in our space, hoping they will “adjust”
Sciency-y Background
Puppies and adolescent dogs have brains that are still “becoming”. When dogs experience stress, it literally changes the brain - this change is especially fast and powerful during puppyhood. Stress experiences can change the brain in good ways (if managed properly) or in bad ways (if poorly managed, traumatic, or chronic).
Fear is an intense type of stress. When dogs learn through fear during puppyhood, it changes the brain so that their social skills, learning skills, and calming skills, and health and lifespan are profoundly and negatively affected.
While we cannot avoid stress for our puppies, we can manage stress and arousal and avoid fearful responses so that we are less likely to see big behavioral surprises in adolescent and adult dogs. (Read The Stress Factor in Dogs by Kristina Spaulding for more of the research on this)
One of the key elements of our socials is that we strictly practice installing and using the “on-off switch” for all puppies. Even puppies that LOVE EVERYTHING need to practice regulation and self-calming. The neurobiology of what affects aggressive behavior and fear in dogs is directly related to this: in puppy developmental stages, did the puppy develop healthy brain-neural-hypothalmus-hormone-pituitary gland responses? Puppies and young dogs that practice getting aroused and then quickly calm down again over and over again can change their brain and become more resilient to stress in adulthood! What we do not want is for the puppy to stay in high arousal states for a long time (for more on this, check out Dr. Tim Lewis’s The Biology of Dogs).
