Social Distancing and Pomsky Puppyhood
In mid-March when lots of us started working from home, there was a sudden surge Pomksy adoptions. Families who had always wanted a pomsky but didn’t have the time or weren’t home often enough suddenly found the chance to be home with their puppies 24/7 . It exploded into a sales boom! Breeders had significantly more interest and inquiries into available puppies. Some breeders now have waiting lists well into 2021. There’s nothing like a Pomsky puppy kiss to help with the mental impact of social distancing! It’s the perfect time to introduce a puppy into our lives, right?
Well… yes and no!
Social distancing efforts have created different challenges for new Pomsky owners.
You see, one of keys to ending up with a well behaved Pomsky is to make sure that they learn to enjoy new experiences and get comfortable with social interactions beginning at a very young age.
How young? Over the course of your Pomsky’s first few months of development, he or she will go through stages of mental and emotional development (much like a baby) where they will be more receptive to new things or more likely to become afraid of things.
The earliest stage of physical curiosity is when a puppy’s eyesight is developing at around 2-4 weeks old
At around 4-8 weeks old the puppy will be more receptive to mental and emotional curiosity. Breeders often work on basic training during this period to prepare puppies for their new families.
At 8-9 weeks many puppies start what is referred to as a “fear period” where puppies are more likely to develop fears and anxieties as their fight or flight instincts develop. This period can last until they are 3-4 months old.
What can this mean for a Pomsky puppy during this time? It means that our puppies are in danger of growing accustomed to their unique environments, and social distancing can mean fewer opportunities to take them to different places, meet new people and other dogs, and practice good behavior-building activities.
We can end up with a dog who is fearful of new people and/or other dogs or unable to handle alone time. Because the key socialization for desensitization happen within a puppy’s first six months, we can’t wait!
What can we do?
The good news is that introducing your puppy to weird surfaces, sounds, and situations is pretty much the same. Introduce them to sidewalks, gavel, dirt, hardwood floors, carpet, tile —all surfaces that are weird to a dog!
To get your puppy used to being alone, plan some time away from the house and your puppy—even if you are working in a home office or are able to be with the pup all day. If your situation should change during the course of your Pomsky’s life, they will be able to cope with being left alone thanks to the work you do with them as a pup.
However, while social distancing and other limitations are in place, you’ll still need to modify certain parts of a typical socialization plan. A creative approach can still provide the benefits of socialization while also following recommendations for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here’s some ideas from ultimatepuppy.com!
Car Rides - If you have a car and the puppy enjoys rides this is another great way to get him out and about and show him the sights. Keep the food and fun flowing and ta. Please do not allow your puppy to ride with his head out the window. There is the potential for injury to his eyes, as well risking other injuries.
In the car he can experience the sound of traffic and construction. Perhaps he can see different people and sights. If it is safe to get out of the car and experience an environment such as a parking lot or a lake, you could hop out for a minute. When you take these short stops, you can feed and/or play a quick game and then head out again.
The Socialization Game - This is a fun game from the original Ultimate Puppy Toolkit. Take the overall concept of this game and tweak it to fit these crazy times we find ourselves in right not. Get your kids involved! Get them thinking of fun ways to do safe introductions to things around the home. The kids could play dress up with wigs, sunglasses and big hats. They could play toned down versions of the scary monster game. Remember to play it safe, keep it short and keep that puppy set up for success.
Distanced Introductions - If anyone stops to chat and admire your puppy (from afar), you are going to feed your puppy treats. Be mindful that your pup continues to be relaxed about this alternative intro. What does relaxed look like? Wiggly body, relaxed facial muscles, relaxed opened mouth and a gently wagging puppy tail are all good signs for you.
While engaged in conversation with your socialization helper, from the safe six foot mark, keep your leash relaxed and a rapid fire stream of treats coming. This will help prevent the pup pulling and jumping toward the visitor. A major bonus of this technique is that we will have puppies who learn to look at their people and get delicious treats versus pull toward strangers and inadvertently get reinforced for jumping up!
The pandemic has created many challenges that call for flexibility and creativity in training our beloved Pomsky puppies. If you are socializing a puppy and have tips you want to share we would love to hear from you!
