Puppy and kitten socialisation and habituation
Ratification Date: 11 Dec 2024
Policy
- Puppies and kittens bred to be companion animals and compatible members of a household should be appropriately socialised and habituated.
- Effective structured socialisation programs should be implemented while puppies and kittens are under the care of the breeder or rearer, and continued when they are with their new owner.
- Veterinarians and companion animal training organisations should offer or recommend such programs to owners of new puppies and kittens. Owners should commit to these programs for the benefit of the animals as well as the people with whom they interact.
- There should be mandatory codes of practice in each jurisdiction for socially responsible companion animal ownership and breeding.
- Breeding codes should require that only animals who are adequately socialised, vaccinated, behaviourally sound, and suited to life as companion animals, are bred for this purpose.
- Puppies and kittens bred and used in work, sport, entertainment, research and teaching (e.g., racing greyhounds) should also be appropriately socialised and habituated, to enhance rehoming prospects after retirement from use. This should be required by relevant regulation.
Background
Socialisation and habituation – general
Socialisation is the process of an animal learning to recognise and interact with its own species, people, the environment, and other animals. Habituation is the process whereby an animal becomes accustomed to non-threatening environmental stimuli, and learns that these are not a threat.
Appropriate and positive early life experiences (socialisation and habituation) are important in preparing puppies and kittens for successful lives as companion animals. These experiences help animals to be compatible household members and to experience good welfare.
Providing safe positive experiences with a variety of stimuli, including people, animals, noises, objects (e.g., crates, transport vehicles) and places (e.g., tiled surfaces, grassy ground), during this time can improve an animal’s quality of life and prevent the development of behavioural problems (Bowen J & Heath S 2005, Overall K 2013, Landsberg G, Hunthausen W, Ackerman L 2003).
Inadequate socialisation and habituation can lead to dogs and cats being fearful of people, other animals, and their environment. This can have negative impacts on their welfare, and their ability to live comfortably as companion animals, and can be a significant contributor to the development of problematic behaviours.
Puppies and kittens should be in a positive emotional state during learning sessions (Mendl et al 2009, Seksel K 2014) and allowed to experience the world at their own pace. The time and intensity of experiences should be individually adjusted to avoid fearful or negatives experiences. If overwhelmed or scared, puppies and kittens may associate negative feelings with people, other animals, objects or places. This can lead to sensitisation and adverse reactions to these things in future. Puppies and kittens must not be forced into interactions, as this may exacerbate the development of fear during sensitive periods (Hammerle 2015).
Overarousal, whether positive or negative, can cause a negative cognitive bias, a lowered tolerance, and an exaggerated rate and intensity of reaction to environmental stimuli. This is known as the fight or flight reflex (or limbic override/ amygdala highjack) and it is more readily activated in over-aroused individuals. It is important to consider in the context of socialisation and habituation because overarousal can inhibit learning, the formation of positive associations, and can induce a fearful or anxious reaction to stimuli (sensitisation) causing the opposite of habituation (Mendl et al 2009, Seksel 2014).
Every positive outcome to social exposure should be positively reinforced with something the animal finds rewarding such as food, pats, praise or play.
The Sensitive Period
Puppies and kittens are particularly sensitive to experiences in the early months of their lives as the brain is more receptive to noxious and pleasurable inputs. This early period in their life is known as the ‘sensitive period’ and is the ideal time to socialise them (Hammerle 2015).
The sensitive period starts in puppies at around three weeks of age and starts to wane at around fourteen weeks (Hammerle 2015). For kittens it starts at around two weeks of age but starts to wane between seven and ten weeks (Quimby 2021; Karsh 1983; Karsh and Turner 1988; Finka 2022; Hammerle et al 2015; Overall 2013)). Note that these age ranges represent the optimal periods for socialisation, however cats and dogs continue to learn, and benefit from training, throughout their whole lives.
During the sensitive period most puppies and kittens: show a high willingness to explore and play; recover quickly after displaying fear responses (i.e. resilience); will actively approach unfamiliar people, animals, objects or experiences; and show decreased separation distress responses.
During the sensitive period, puppies and kittens are typically with their breeder or rearer for part or all of this key learning period. Therefore, it is vital that the breeder or rearer provides the young animal with diverse and positive experiences, and that this is continued by the owner.
The sensitive period occurs prior to a puppy or kitten being fully vaccinated but, it is still important for socialisation to occur during this time. There is a usually a low risk for most puppies or kittens contracting infectious disease provided:
- they are born to healthy and appropriately vaccinated and socialised mothers;
- they are healthy and receiving age-appropriate vaccinations and care under veterinary advice; and
- precautions are taken such as adequate hygiene practices, avoidance of animals who are not up to date with their vaccinations or who are unsocialised, and avoidance of sick animals and public areas frequented by animals of unknown health status (e.g. dog parks) (Hammerle 2015, De Cramer 2011, Stepita 2013).
If these precautions are taken, the benefits from appropriate socialisation can outweigh these other risks.
Recommendations
- Foundations
Breeders should aim to choose dams and sires who are behaviourally sound and suited to life as companion animals; they should make sure that dams and sires are adequately socialised and vaccinated, as these factors are foundational for their offsprings’ successful socialisation.
- Breeder/Carer Socialisation and Habituation (0-8 weeks)
All puppies and kittens should be raised in an optimised, safe environment that provides diverse and positive experiences of appropriate intensity.
Puppies should receive short periods of gentle handling as neonates. Gazzano et al (2007) showed benefits in the emotional development and welfare of puppies which were gently handled from 3 days of age. Other studies showed that handling and exposing puppies to very mild stressors during their first 10 days to 3 weeks of life, can have positive results for their temperament and resilience as adults (Howell et al, 2015; Battaglia 2009). A new socialisation program developed by Vaterlaws-Whiteside and Hartmann (2017) showed long term positive effects of various types of “nest stimulation” from birth to 6 weeks of age. The AAHA Canine Life Stage Guidelines recommend neonatal socialisation and handling (Creevy et al, 2019).
For kittens, the AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines recommend pleasant interactions with people for 30-60 minutes per day during the socialisation period which begins at 2-3 weeks of age (Quimby et al, 2021).
By two to three weeks of age each pup and kitten should receive the following daily:
- individual gentle human handling and positive interactions away from their littermates
- exposure to a variety of familiar and unfamiliar people of different age groups, in a safe, calm, and predictable environment; the individual puppy or kitten should be allowed to actively engage and solicit attention from the people and receive a positive response
- exposure to a variety of new objects, toys and environments to encourage play and exploration.
Puppies and kittens should remain with their mother (and littermates) until at least eight weeks of age (Hammerle 2015, Pierantoni 2011, Martínez-Byer 2023). The recommended earliest age of puppy and kitten separation from their dam is eight weeks of age and this is enshrined in regulations in some states and territories. Breeders and veterinarians should be aware of these regulatory obligations and requirements.
- Prospective or New Owner Socialisation and Habituation (8 weeks and beyond)
Puppies and kittens of this age are more mobile. New activities outside of the home environment using a structured diverse range of exposure to unfamiliar people of various ages, especially with children (Arai 2011), places, sounds, objects and animals should be undertaken.
Prior to full vaccination, a good source of partially vaccinated and similarly isolated individuals includes puppy and kitten classes held indoors, and fully vaccinated healthy pets in their residences. The balance between disease risk and socialisation benefit will depend on the animal’s individual circumstances and should be discussed with the veterinarian.
Appropriate socialisation guidance is available from reputable sources online and preferably guided by veterinarians and positive reinforcement trainers at puppy and kitten classes.
Interactions must be carefully supervised to avoid injury or trauma by over exuberant pets or people, including children. Learning sessions at this life stage should be kept short with frequent rests. Owners should be encouraged to positively respond to their pet with praise, pats and treats, to encourage the puppy or kitten to remain in a comfortable and relaxed playful state. This includes allowing them agency to choose not to approach or interact and to withdraw if fearful or anxious. Owners should familiarise themselves with the signs of fear and anxiety for cats/dogs (see resources section below).
Owners should be taught to redirect their pet’s attention away from fear-inducing stimuli, and to reward them when they recover from a fearful to a neutral or positive state (resilience). Rewards may include pats, praise, play or food. It is important to recognise development of resilience, and if this is not occurring the owner should seek veterinary help.
Guidance for the veterinary profession
Veterinarians and veterinary nurses should provide behavioural training inhouse, or recommend reputable puppy and kitten schools where new owners can be taught:
- the basics of positive reward-based training and avoiding punishment;
- the basics of neurotypical dog and cat behaviour;
- the canine and feline fear, anxiety, and stress spectrum (see resources section below);
- reading puppy and kitten body language;
- and the relationship between positive and negative arousal states and the stress response.
A simple method that can be explained to owners is the use of the traffic light analogy to help focus them on socialising their puppies and kittens when they are in a positive emotional state or “in the green” or “below fear threshold” (WSAVA Animal Welfare Guidelines 2019). Teaching the traffic light analogy, especially to inexperienced new owners, can help avoid sensitisation due to traumatic adverse experiences and conditioned overarousal, especially during exit and entry home routines.
Use of pheromone products
The use of pheromone products may be helpful in reducing stress, and decreased stress may help support socialisation efforts for puppies and kittens. There have been benefits demonstrated in the use of pheromone analogues (dog-appeasing pheromone) to improve socialisation of puppies attending socialisation classes (Denenberg and Landsberg, 2008). This specific use has not been specifically studied in cats and more research is needed on feline pheromones. However, based on the evidence for the use of synthetic feline pheromones to help create a more reassuring pheromone environment and reduce stress in adult cats, and considering that feline-appeasing pheromones are produced by the queen during the nursing period (including part of the sensitive period for socialisation in kittens), these could be considered as part of a socialisation program (DePorter et al, 2018; Vitale, 2018; Pereira et al, 2016; Taylor et al, 2022).
Monitoring
Monitoring puppies and kittens for signs of insufficient or subquality socialisation experiences, including issues they may have as a result of inappropriate sensitisation and/or punishment, is a key role of veterinary healthcare providers and behavioural trainers. This monitoring can be conducted at any contact point, for example during routine vaccinations and puppy and kitten schools.
It is acknowledged that despite ideal breeder and carer rearing and handling, and appropriately trained owners, some puppies and kittens may still show repeated fear responses to low intensity experiences. These puppies or kittens do not habituate over several weeks of approach and withdraw sessions (e.g., at weekly puppy or kitten classes). These individuals may have an epigenetic reason for their anxiety and may benefit from an individualised training plan and behavioural medication under the supervision of a veterinarian.
Resources
- Fear Free Pets: https://fearfreepets.com/
- https://www.fearfreehappyhomes.com/kit/cats-101/download/19067/
- https://www.fearfreehappyhomes.com/kit/dogs-101/download/19078/
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