Index 1. Puppy Development 2. Housetraining 3. Care - Misc

PUPPIES

If I had a choice on which age group is most enjoyable to work with, I would have to say puppies. They are an energized muscle of joy to work with. Certainly they are challenging but they have but one single purpose to have a good time. They are more then willing to follow direction and under careful guidance, try anything and of course, they just want to be with people. They are so outgoing, they wear their heart on their shoulder but if you step on it, they will retreat to protection. So you have to be careful, baby steps is just as important to a puppy as it is to a real baby.

One of the first things I try to explain to new handlers/owners is, from zero to eight weeks, or depending on when you pick up the puppy; their mother takes care of everything. Now, certainly there are some female dogs which do not make good mothers BUT, by in large they DO! When you get the puppy from the litter, ALL of the important information is already hard-wired into the puppy. MEANING their mother has already laid out the MASTER PLAN OF LIFE and all you have to do is pick up where she left off.

What the mother provides

Until the puppies are old enough to venture forth, the female will nurse the puppies [FOOD] and because they can not regulate their body temperature at first, they stay warm at night by cuddling close to her for warmth[SHELTER] and because the mother is the main focus in their life, [LEADERSHIP]. The mother cleans up after the puppies when they [ELIMINATE], she makes sure they don't stray too far [SAFETY] and [DISCLIPLINE] when need a correction.

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PUPPY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES

In the world of dogs and their training, there rarely is an across-the-board agreement on any topic. While a certain percentage of the training maybe subjective, the core thesis is grounded in fact. Consider the periods of development in a puppy. There is a general agreement that the puppy goes through different phases of development but there are wide variations from one day, to four weeks of when they occur. If you look around, you can even find a division that agrues against relying on specific time periods to train a puppy. So, you assess an statement of worth, I would direct you to the article on Puppy Socialization and Habituation by David Appleby, http://www.gsdhelpline.com/pupsoc.htm.. It states that his pratice treated 773 dogs in one year, of which 10% or 79 dogs showed signs of fearfulness and 4.5% had problems relating to other dogs. He further explains that of the reason for the behavioral problems was the result of the puppies not be socialization until well after the critical periods had passed.

I prefer to agree with people like Dr. J.P. Scott, Dr. J.L. Fuller, who wrote Genetics and Social Behavior of Dogs. Clarence Pfaffenbeiger, who wrote, "The New Knowledge of Dog Behavior", about working with guide dogs for the blind breeding program and using a puppy aptitude test which resulted in a 90% success rate. Joachim and Wendy Volhard who designed the widely used Puppy Aptitude Test, http://www.volhard.com/puppy/pat.htm. Konrad Lorenz who advanced the theory of imprinting and instinctive behavior in animals.

The website http://www.ccc.govt.nz/animals/CriticalPuppyDevelopment.asp lists information on the five critical periods of puppy development. Zero - 21 days, 21 - 28th day, 35th - 49th day, 56th - 84th day and 91st - 112 days. or the same information but as a weekly calendar would be, Zero - 3 weeks, 3rd - 4th week, 5th - 7th week, 8th - 12th week, 13th - 16th week. If you take anything from these dates, I suggest using them as a guideline, I do not suggest they are written in stone. Again, some websites list these times differently, this is a general evaluation.

These time periods are also known as.

You may want to check these sites for further

Birth - 7 weeks.

Puppies are born with their eyes and ears closed, limited mobility and they can not eliminate without stimulation. Can you think of a more vulnerable state of 'being'. Until they leave the litter, they are totally dependent on their mother for everything necessary to sustain life. Their ears sound off first around the 10th day and the eyes open around the 12th day. The gift of life and the development into a state of being is truly amazing. Rather than line the puppies into a minature boot camp of indoctrination, the good lord has made everything very simple. Puppies learn the order of the hierachy, social graces and interaction during much of their daily routine of play. Orphan puppies, especially those without a mother or littermates are suspectible to behavior problems. Those with a mother but no siblings will need special 'counseling' with other puppies if they are to become socially well adjusted.

Puppies are conditioned to when or where they eliminate. At first they eliminate when stimulated by their mothers tongue. Before 7 weeks they are mobile enough to leave their litter bed. Whatever the surface is in the area they eliminate, such as dirt, grass, linoleum or newspaper, this is the same type of surface they will look for when they come to your house. It is something to remember, although you will ultimately train them to go in the backyard, I assume?

7 - 8 weeks.

Considered the ideal time to take a puppy to a new home and research actually suggests that the 49th day is the best day. Now, I can attest to the fact that even these perimeters are NOT set in stone. As recent as this year, 2006 I met a very well adjusted Jack Russell that was taken home at 5 1/2 weeks. Normally, I would expect problem but I never saw one problem with either adults, kids or older dogs. In fact, there is an article, "ANOTHER LOOK AT THE 49TH DAY", which you can read at http://my.execpc.com/~crzy1ess/49daymyth.htm. It has been suggested that the best socialization period with people is 6-8 weeks and while this may be but this is usually when the puppy is at the breeders. While it is always a good idea to visit the breeder more then once before you pick up your puppy and view the sire and the dam, it might not be possible. I have not seen any problems if the introduction to strangers does not begin until the eight week. You will want to remember that socialization training is with both animals and people.

8 - 12 weeks

Dr. J.P. Scott and Dr. J.L. Fuller have advanced study which suggest that this is the optimum time period to familiarize, socialize and train the puppy. It is the time period in which you want to expose, with thoroughly careful guidance, to as many positive experiences. CAUTION. The period between 8 - 10 weeks is referred to as the 'fear period', which means negative experiences during this time CAN have a lasting effect. Whatever you do, do it s-l-o-w-l-y, don't rush into anything and THINK about what you are doing. Be READY to turn any negative experience into a POSTIVE one. The point being there WILL be, seemingly innocent acts, actions or episodes that, for whatever reason startles the puppy.

EXAMPLE

While a puppy is suspectible to disease anytime after birth, the risk are much higher when you are doing socialization and familiarization training. You will want to know that familiarization training is referred to as habituation. It is training which acclimates the puppy to its environment. There are some places you will want to avoid.

You are probably saying this doesn't live much of anything if you live in a big city. I use to live in Las Vegas, which you might imagine doesn't have a lot of open fields of green grass but I managed. I am not in agreement with ever taking your pup to a Dog Park, where the dogs are allowed to roam free and interact. If it worked like it was suppose to, it WOULD be a good place to go once the puppy was fully vacinnated but I have been to those places, more then a dozen times and I will avoid them like the plague. That's my experience, things might be better for you.

The general concept of what you are attempting to accomplish in socialization and familiarization training is..

Anytime you go out, be sure to have some treats and his favorite toy and keep them with you at all times. Take plastic baggies and paper towel for cleanup. Water in plastic bottles from home, small tin bowl to put it in. More then one leash in cases you lose one. I highly recommend investing in an airline dog crate, one for the house, one for the car. More on that later. I can not over stress the importance of watching for HAZARDS, the puppies of no idea what can kill them. It can happen in a second. Some of the places which I will mention, are EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS, you need to keep a tight lead, NEVER venture forth with the puppy off-lead it should be ON, BEFORE the puppy steps out of the vehicle. These are areas, within the boundaries of city or county ordinances, state laws, etc. that you might consider taking the puppy to.

Not all of these places may accept puppies on the premise. If you contact them before hand and explan what you are trying to do, especially if its for search and rescue or police work, they often will be more then happy to accommate. Ask FIRST and respect all signs posted otherwise. You might ask why I left out Pet Stores, as some of the bigger chain stores encourage bring your pet in; too many other pets, not all of which may have been vaccinated. Later on yes, great place to go, but not at first. Plus, you can count on every shrub or tree outside this store has been 'watered on' by every dog that has entered the store.

Now, during this time period you will want to give the puppy exposure to some of the following. PLEASE use common sense. Don't drop the pots and pans on the puppy, or next to them the first time. Don't take the puppy right up next to a person who is holding a shotgun and have them fire off a round. Use any fireworks, if at all, with great CAUTION. Concerning livestock, the puppy may be very startled at horses or cows, which may have an interest in checking the puppy out.

For the more advanced location, Approval First, Safety Second and Slow Approach Third.

Check these articles on socialization of puppies for further.

13 - 16 weeks

When you are looking for a dual-purpose dog, one of the primary drives you want is the retrieval drive. By this time period you should have a good assessment of their retrieval drive. While there are other instincts, such as tracking or protection which take time, a true retrieval is instinctive and should be present. Not in polish room but very apparent. German Shepherd, not known for retrieval drive, will fetch items, but prefer to play with them once the get the item, rather than return it to the person who threw it. This is known as prey instinct.

By this time, some degree of formal obedience training can begin. At the least, it is time to take the lessons from inside the house, to a training area. It also goes along with the fact this period is Social Hiearchy Period or Seniority Classification period, whereby the puppy may find an interest

Unless you have a lab, the first time you take the puppy swimming, he may not jump right in. If he is reluctant, it usually doesn't last but don't throw his favorite toy 10 feet from the shore and hope that will entice. Put the toy next to the water's edge, then a little farther but it really only takes a few times and their in.

Some authors will report that most MAJOR LEARNING is CONCLUDED by the 16th week. Do not take this as training is over.

17 - 24th week

The interesting thing about familiarization exposure is, Michael Fox did experiments which showed that dogs which received exposure to exercises which cause some level of stress early in life, were better able to cope with stressful situations later in life, then those who did not receive the exposure. Even with that said, the 17 - 21 weeks and even later, the puppy can experience its second 'fear period'. While not as potentially impacting as the first period, it is still important. It would not be the time to board the puppy in a kennel to ship him via an airlines. There are three things you want to avoid doing if the dog is startled, scared or shows avoidance, even if its something totally harmless.

25 weeks - 12 months

The pup still has to grow into its body and gain mental maturity. The could be considered the Adolescene Period and it will depend on the size of the breed. The males should begin lifting their leg to urinate but there is no set day and it could have begun earlier.

12 - 24 months

Mental maturity may occur around 1.5 years but certainly should have happened by the second year. It has been my experience and also confirmed that large breeds usually mature later. Most dogs are physically mature at 1.5 years, larger breeds longer, the most you will see after two years would be muscle definition or larger chest if the dog is extensively exercised.

Don't set yourself or your dog up for failure. Ever seen those people who yell at their dog for ten minutes and then go get the dog and drag it home. Did they accomplish anything?

 

Don't give a command, unless you can back it up. If you are a hundred yards away and you have been having problems with recall, don't call your dog.

 

All social animals understand that there are members of their circle who's social status is greater then, less then or equal to their own. An understanding of social status begins in the litter. The dam provides leadership and the handler is expected to carry on the traditional. In some household, where there is a lack of a designated leader, the dog may choice to challenge those within their pack. It is for this reason that you will often read where the author emphasis that you MUST show the puppy who is boss. They often outline the structure of wolves or wild dogs, which has an alpha member in each group. While the principle is correct, the handler is the leader in-charge, I believe in SHOWING one's leadership then demonstrate one's role by always resorting to force to show who is boss.

 

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