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Tips
for Raising Well Adjusted Puppies
During the first 8-12 weeks of a puppy’s life he/she goes through many developmental stages in which his/ her feelings about the world are formed. While raising puppies you have the opportunity to influence what the puppy experiences. Having certain good experiences this early in life will improve the puppy’s ability to adapt to changes, ability to be trained, and may even make them physically healthier by promoting good mental health. Careful raising of infant puppies will help ensure that they grow up into well-adjusted adult dogs.
During the first 10 days of life puppies are blind and deaf. They cannot regulate their own temperature and are completely dependent on their mother for much of their bodily functions. Mild stress during this time period will help the puppy develop an ability to cope with all sorts of stresses later in life. Examples of mild stress include handling by humans and placing the puppy on a cool surface, such as a linoleum floor, for 30-60 seconds. Throughout the puppy’s first few months of life all parts of his/her body should be handled. He/she should also get used to gentle restraint that should be presented in a fun manner. This will make keeping him/her well groomed and treating any illnesses easier.
During the second to third weeks of life, puppies begin to develop hearing and sight. As early as three weeks of age puppies can begin to be exposed to a variety of sounds so that they will not find them frightening later on. You may wish to purchase an audio recording of sound effects to make sure your puppy does not grow up to be afraid of fire crackers, truck noises, hair dryers, and any other sound that you can think of that he/she may encounter in his/her adult life. Beginning about this time it is important to supply a complex environment to encourage full development of his/her nervous system and, therefore, increasing his/her ability to learn. Examples would include soft toys, platforms, and tunnels. All of these should be available outside of the whelping box as if they are in the whelping box the mother may accidentally crush the puppies against them.
During their 4-12 week of life is a good time to begin socializing puppies to dogs, people, and situations that they will encounter later in life. Between 4-6 weeks of age is a good time to introduce puppies to other dogs. Make sure that the dogs that they encounter are well vaccinated and healthy so they do not transmit any diseases to the puppies. This will help reduce that chance that the puppies will grow into adults who are fearful of other dogs. Between 6-12 weeks of age is the time to introduce the puppies to all sorts of different kinds of people. This means people of different ages and races as well as people with different accessories (hats, beards, glasses, canes, uniforms, etc.). Doing this will reduce the chance that the puppies will grow into adults who are fearful of people.
Puppies should stay with their mother until they are 7.5 weeks of age to facilitate social development. However, puppies should be shipped before 8 weeks of age or after 10-12 weeks so they do not develop a fear of traveling. This is because between this time period the puppies go through a developmental stage where they learn to be fearful of things. If they have frightening experiences during these weeks they will be fearful of these things for the rest of their lives. This is not a good time to punish a puppy as they may find it frightening. Unwanted behavior should be ignored and good behavior praised liberally. Basic training should be undertaken in a spirit of fun and happiness. Early behavior training will make it easier for puppies to learn later in life. *For more behavior training information please see the article Training Tips by Bob on our web page, or ask us for a copy.
*Puppy Development and Problem Prevention by Andrew U. Luescher of Purdue University at the Western Veterinary Conference 2004
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