Puppy Development Program
How a puppy grows up is very important, it is the foundation of the making of a great adult dog.
If not done properly or at all, you will end up with a dog with lifelong behavior issues.
Most dogs are surrendered at a shelter between the ages of 6 to 13 months. This is a big problem and a lot of the potential issues can be fixed before the puppy reaches adolescent age. We want to help turn puppies into great, socialized and well rounded dogs that have the skills to handle anything that life throws at them.
Puppy Program Options
Puppy Development Stages
Neo-Natel Period (1-14 days old) A newborn puppy is born helpless and completely dependent on it's mother, they only learn what warmth and touch is from their mother and what she smells like. The mother dog starts teaching her pup behavior skills that they will use for the rest of their lives during cleaning and interactive times. Also breeders or shelters that do early neurological stimulation have positive lasting effects during this stage.
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Transitional Period (14-21 days old) At this stage their eyes start to open and they hear noises. They start crawling around more, show interest in their littermates, and begin to learn about potty training. Also the mother starts leaving the pups for short periods of time to help teach the pups it is okay to be alone.
Awareness or Identification Period (21-28 days old) This is the first time the puppies will use all their senses, now they need a stable environment and the influence of their stable mother. They should be around very enriching things such as various sounds, toys and things that move. A fear response has not yet developed and it's the perfect time to expose them to as many things as possible.
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Second Awareness/Identification Period (28-35 days old) During this week, play behavior becomes much more sophisticated, including growling, chasing, and bite inhibition. they start eating real food, they need more physical and mental challenges.
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Socialization Period (5-16 weeks old) Studies have shown that this is one of the most important stages of all. At this stage the puppy needs to be exposed to anything and everything that they my encounter in the real world such as new people, places, other puppies/dogs, animals, sounds, textures, and more. By doing this socialization we are more likely to have a dog that is more stable or that bounces back quicker if they are startled or another behavior response. Many things happen during these weeks of life like, curiosity period (5-7 weeks), behavioral refinement period (7-9 weeks), fear imprint/impact period (8-11 weeks), environmental awareness period (9-12 weeks), and seniority classification period (13-16 weeks).
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Flight Instinct Period (4-8 months) This is where the cuteness factor starts to wear off for most people and the puppy can tend to get into trouble. Because they will start becoming more independent and may not respond to you if you call them.
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Second Fear Impact Period (6-14 months old) the teenage stage Many things happened during this stage in the puppy's life, such as a super social pups that loves people may show fear out of the blue for a few days. A well mannered puppy may act out and not listen. They may start chewing on things all over again. Some puppies may even show a dominance style behavior during group play with another dog. Then we also add hormones that are still developing, regardless if you have a male or female dog.
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Maturity Period (1-4 years old) We made it to the finish line of raising your puppy! Now full maturity can vary depending on the breed and sex of the dog. Don't think that your training is done here. You still have to practice and teach new skills to keep your dog sharp and responsive.
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To read much more about puppy development we highly recommend purchasing the book,
Another Piece of the Puzzle Puppy Development
by Pat Hustings and Erin Ann Rouse