Neonatal Period

During the first two weeks of its life, the newborn puppy’s nervous system is minimally developed.  Its ability to respond to the environment is extremely limited and much of its time is spent sleeping.  Newborn behavior is mainly limited to interactions with the mother involving care-seeking behaviors such as teat-seeking, suckling and awkward movement using the front legs.  Perception of odor, pain and touch is present, but not perception of visual or auditory stimuli.  Reflexes are comparatively slow and motor functions and movement are extremely limited.  Being unable to hear or see, neonatal puppies are effectively shielded from most psychological effects of the environment.  Vocalizations are limited to distress calls and the young pups are completely dependent on the mother for survival. They are unable to control their body temperature, urinate, or defecate without help.  Mild handling at this age is likely good for emotional development of the pup and prepares it for stresses later in life.  Daily weighing of young puppies is an excellent way to monitor growth and health, while providing physical stimulation.

Transitional Period

Toward the end of the second week, the pup enters the transitional stage of its neurological and behavioral development.  This is a relatively rapid period of development during which the senses mature.  It lasts approximately two weeks.  During this period, the puppy goes from a condition of complete dependence upon its mother to one of relative independence.  Recognizable, though rudimentary, adult behavior patterns appear at this time.  At the beginning of this period, the eyes and ears open and a startle response to sound becomes evident.  By day sixteen, the puppy can localize sound and begin to follow moving objects, although vision is poor.

Reflexes and motor capabilities develop and the pup begins walking.  By the end of the transitional stage, the pup’s pain perception is also fully developed.  Many of the patterns of adult social behavior and their accompanying emotions slowly become apparent at this time.  Gently exposing the pups to all types of stimuli for short periods each day during this time is likely to enhance development.  This may be accomplished by allowing them to crawl or walk on surfaces with differing textures and temperatures.  Objects of varying shapes can be set up for the pup to navigate around in order to promote visual acuity and motor skills.  Providing a variety of noise stimuli at low decibels and varied frequencies may facilitate auditory development.  Whistles, rattles, music, recordings of environmental noises, and the human voice can be used to provide a variety of auditory stimulation. 

Socialization Period

Around the end of the fourth week, the pup enters the socialization period, which takes place from the end of the fourth through the twelfth weeks of life.  While the previous periods involved changes in basic sensory and motor capacities, this period is one of rapid development of social behavior patterns.  At the beginning, the puppy begins to respond to the sight or sound of persons or other animals at a distance.  All sensory systems become fully functional during this period and learning capacity becomes more developed.  Teeth erupt and the pup begins taking solid food for the first time.  Weaning begins around four to five weeks of age and is typically finished by seven to ten weeks of age.  By eight to nine weeks of age, puppies are attracted by the odors of urine and feces to specific areas for elimination  This is an ideal time to begin housetraining.

The behavior of puppies during the early socialization period is characterized by a willingness to approach novel objects and, in particular, moving stimuli.  Investigative behavior becomes apparent and puppies begin exploring away from the nest area.  Social following, signaling and early signs of pack behavior emerge.  During this time, there is a marked increase in interaction with littermates, the mother and the environment.  In regard to behavior and temperament development, this is absolutely the most important period in a dog’s life.  It is a time during which relationships are easiest to initiate.  This period is critical in determining all primary adult, social relationships.  A  small amount of experience during at this time can have a major effect on later behavior.  How comfortable and confident the puppy will be in interacting with members of the same and other species is directly related to the quality and quantity of social experiences it has during this time.

Besides being a time for development of social relationships, this also appears to be a period of extreme sensitivity to psychological trauma.  The sensitivity necessary to facilitate the formation of social relationships also seems to make the puppy vulnerable to psychological trauma.  Fear responses are evident at this time.  Startle reactions to sound and sudden movement become much more pronounced.  With time, the puppies learn to discriminate between dangerous situations and those that are nonthreatening.  Toward the end of this period, social interaction gradually shifts away from the mother and the relationship with littermates strengthens.  Frequent, gentle handling is important in order to decrease the fear response shown to humans.  Whatever happens here sets a general pattern that affects almost everything in later life because, by the end of this period, the puppy has formed patterns of response to the major elements of its environment. 

Juvenile Period

This period encompasses the time from the end of the socialization period to the onset of sexual maturity (about 6 to 12 month of age).  By this time, the puppy’s ability to learn has become fully developed, and there is a gradual improvement in social and motor skills.  General activity increases and a significant amount of time is spent in exploration.  The onset of puberty marks the end of this period and the beginning of adulthood.  It has been my observation that some dogs go through an additional sensitive period around this time, during which they are especially sensitive to environmental and social stimuli.  This sensitivity is manifested as a vulnerability to novel or mildly aversive stimuli.  These animals appear to regress socially and exhibit varying degrees of timidity.  It is important to carefully control social situations to prevent problems, bolster confidence and maintain acceptable social behavior.  Harsh punishment at this time, especially in response to fear aggression, can irreparably harm the pet.

Effects of Isolation on Behavioral Development

Should a puppy be isolated from other dogs during the socialization period, there is a high probability that it will encounter problems interacting with other dogs when it’s older.  It may be frightened or aggressive in the presence of other dogs.  Puppies isolated from other dogs from early life have been reported to be very subordinate, less competitive, more withdrawn, and fearful of novel objects.  They are less likely to exhibit acceptable social behavior, play behavior and successful breeding.  Adopting a puppy before seven weeks of age is not desirable because this can deprive it of needed socialization with its littermates.  Pups that grow up without adequate, early social interaction with other dogs are also less likely to exhibit acceptable social interaction with other species, including humans. This is a risk for hand-raised orphan puppies.

Puppies that have been completely isolated from all human contact between four to twelve weeks of age tend to be fearful of humans and are virtually untrainable.  The effects of this deprivation may be partially or wholly irreversible.  Puppies adopted after twelve weeks of age from a situation where they received minimal human contact generally make poor pets. They are likely to exhibit fearfulness, aggression and are difficult to train.  They may also show exceptionally high levels of activity and a reduction in the intensity of social contacts.

Puppies reared in a restricted environment with limited auditory and visual stimuli during the socialization period may respond poorly in new situations and have difficulty learning. 

Providing for Optimum Socialization

Socialization with all types of people in a wide variety of situations is important so that the puppy will behave appropriately in a variety of settings when it gets older.  Food is an excellent tool to help facilitate the socialization of your pet.  You should the puppy out into the world armed with small biscuit treats or a bag of its puppy kibble.  Whenever the pet meets someone new and shows no sign of withdrawal or anxiety, you should request it to sit and give it a treat.  As the pup gets the hang of this game, it should be encouraged to approach people it meets along the way.  You can then give each person a treat to give to the pup. The same approach should be used at home.

Socialization should also be done with other animals, but exposure to other dogs should be limited until the vaccination series has been completed.  The ideal dog with which to socialize the puppy would be a healthy, vaccinated pet that does not leave its fenced-in yard, is frequently tested and treated for internal and external parasites, and has a social, nonaggressive personality.

Socialization before 12-14 weeks of age is critical, but continued socialization throughout the first year of life is also very important.  Puppy classes and obedience classes provide excellent opportunities for continued social learning.  You can begin training your puppy as early as 8 weeks of age, but group classes are best avoided until there has been time for adequate response to vaccination.  Your veterinarian can advise you about this.

Learning about the World

Since pups don’t arrive with ready knowledge about our world, we need to take the time to gently educate them about it and build confidence.  Puppies that mature in a limited environment may have difficulty handling new situations, so it is essential that you begin teaching at an early age.  They need to learn about noisy vacuum sweepers, car rides, bicycles, motorcycles and more.  If a puppy doesn’t get an early opportunity to learn about all the things that will be a part of its environment, it may grow up to be a fearful, anxious adult.  Problems can usually be prevented through repeated exposure to various situations, provided there is nothing unpleasant associated with them.  Regular and frequent exposure of your puppy to a variety of sights, sounds, odors and circumstances can help prevent timidity and build confidence.  For example, anxiety associated with car rides can usually be overcome by repeated, short car rides, when no disagreeable events occur during the ride.  The puppy should be exposed to any stimuli that it might encounter at a later age, such as the sound of traffic, vacuum sweepers, alarm clocks, children playing, sirens, airplanes, bathing, elevators.  Whenever the pup is calm, occasionally give it a mock veterinary exam by looking in its mouth, checking its ears and handling different parts of its body.  If you pet will require frequent grooming, be sure to introduce it to gentle brushing very early.  Dinner time is usually a great time to do this because the pup is likely to be distracted while eating.

If the pet seems to be exceptionally cautious when first introduced to new situations or stimuli, it is best to back off and repeat with a milder exposure.  Food rewards can be given for non-fearful responses.  The puppy can then be gradually “built up” to more intense exposure.  Never console the pet or give rewards while it is exhibiting fearful behavior, since you can actually reward the very response you are trying to eliminate.  Tape recordings of a variety of environmental sounds are available if you find it impractical to expose your puppy to sufficient stimuli in your own neighborhood.   

Early Obedience Training - The Easy Way!

Don’t wait until you pup is older to begin obedience training. You’ll want to start right away, since young puppies learn very quickly.   It’s better to start out by teaching them what you want right away, rather than leaving the curriculum up to them.  A relatively small amount of time each day is all that’s required to teach the puppy to come and sit on command using food-lure-reward training.   To teach it to come and sit, start by standing two feet away from the puppy, show it a piece of food held between your thumb and forefinger, and wiggle your fingers to lure it to you.  As the pup approaches, say its name and the word “come.”  When the pup reaches the food, slowly and deliberately move it over the top of its head.  As the pup moves its head back to follow the food, it will move into a sitting position.  When it does this, say “Sit.”  Give the food as a reward for a correct response.  As the puppy learns the command responses, the food should gradually be withdrawn.

Teaching the pet to obey simple commands at a very early age can have many important benefits.   It can help you establish leadership, gain control of the pup and serve as a tool for socializing.  Teaching the “Come-sit” command decreases jumping-up behaviors because the pup learns to approach and greet by sitting.  It also decreases hand-shyness when meeting new people by associating an outstretched hand with a food reward.  Requiring the dog to sit before it gets anything it desires also helps define a leadership role for you.

In summation, the social care and education provided for the puppy during the first three months of its life is extremely important.  We must make certain that our young pups are not only receive appropriate medical and nutritional care, but we must also provide for their social needs.