Start the sounds quietly, for short durations, only increasing in duration and volume when your puppy is not showing any awareness of the sound. If your puppy appears tense at any point, stop the exercise. Later, play the sound so that is barely audible, then offer your puppy their meal. Stop the sound just before they finish eating. Continue with this process until your puppy shows relaxed body language when they hear the noise.
You can also help socialise your puppy by changing the pitch and volume of your voice or by recording your voice, or other voices, on your phone and playing it back. Have a few pieces of kibble in your pocket or treat bag, change your voice and then offer a piece of kibble (or a toy if the puppy likes to play). Your puppy will learn that your out of character antics mean kibble (or play) is on its way and it’s therefore a good thing! The aim here is for your puppy to hear you being out of character, and then show relaxed body language. As with the sounds example, start low key and build up. If at any point your puppy shows tense body language, go back a step.
To replicate medical equipment sounds, try cutting spaghetti with nail clippers, opening tablet bottles, letting your puppy hear a thermometer beep, and crinkle paper or plastic to replicate opening needle packs. Turn on electric toothbrushes, hairdryers and electric razors so your puppy can hear them, but please don’t touch your puppy with any of them. With each noise, offer a piece of kibble (or play if your puppy prefers this) after the sound. Again, start low and far away, gradually working up to being close to the puppy.
Continue to let your puppy to hear every day sounds in the home such as the radio, TV, hoover, washing machine, putting the ironing board up etc. If your puppy does not show any reaction to these, you don’t need to complicate things by adding treats or toys. If they react, use their body language to understand whether they are worried. Use the tips in this section to help them overcome this, and if you are unsure, please speak to your Puppy Training Supervisor.