The development
stages of a puppy
THE
PRENATAL PERIOD - before birth - adverse experiences for the
pregnant mother may affect the behaviour of the offspring.
These include thelack of a balanced diet or a stressful experience
such as being hit by a car.
THE
NEONATAL PERIOD - birth to 2 weeks - a constant human interference
will interrupt the instinctive relationship between mother
and puppy and can have a detrimental effect on the pup in
later life. A puppy who has never had a human touch or external
stimulation can grow up less confident and emotionally stable.
The need for a happy balance is important if future stability
is needed. The needs of a puppy at this stage are; food, warmth,
rest, urination and defaecation.
THE
SOCIALISATION PERIOD -3 to12 weeks - This happens rapidly
and is when particular responses are acquired most readily
and bonds are made. The socialisation period is characterised
by interactions with family, people and its surroundings.
The pup learns how to dominate or submit during this stage.
Environmental issues at this stage have the greatest effect
on the behaviour as an adult.
THE JUVENILE PERIOD - 12 weeks to 2 years - This happens at
the end of the socialisation period but the timing is not
clear cut. Many puppies regress at around 6 months old when
they have a heightened awareness of stimuli previously tolerated
such as traffic or strangers which can provoke a fearful response.
The puppy is now old enough to start training to heel and
stay on command. This can only be for short periods at a time
to begin with at first.
THE
ADULTHOOD PERIOD - 2years old is generally accepted as the
age of adulthood. This is when entire male dogs make a bid
for dominance, either challenging the owner or other dogs
in the house. Traumatic experiences which occur during the
socialisation period between 3 and 12 weeks of age can have
a detrimental consequences and attribute to behaviour problems
during adult life. This period is characterised by interactions
with it's litter mates, it's mother, with people and the surroundings.
The
more POSITIVE experiences that the puppy encounters during
this time, the more stable the puppy will be going into adulthood.
It should be remembered that this is usually a very stressful
time for a puppy as usually they are re-homed at around this
age and if the move is traumatic it can have an affect on
the adult dog.
The best circumstances in which to buy a puppy include;
HOME-REARED - where the puppy has been exposed to human handling
along with a variety of everyday sights, sounds and smells.
HEALTHY
AGE - no younger than 6 weeks of age.
TEMPERAMENT
- of both bitch and dog should be observed and the bitches
behaviour with the puppies.
THE
NEW HOME - should be as similar as possible to the old home
to minimise stress. Most of these points are common sense
but people still buy puppies at 4 weeks old, without seeing
the mother, from a pet shop, or a puppy that has been ill.
They then wonder why they experience problems later.
There
are arguments for and against the BEST age to separate a puppy
from its mother.
Puppies
bought from pet shops or puppy farms are likely to have problems
as adults as are puppies who have suffered illness, they suffer
from fear induced aggression or excessive barking; this is
a result of forced isolation and painful experiences.
Puppies
that leave their mother at a relatively late time such as
16 - 24 weeks can show an increased fear of other dogs and
traffic. This may be due to a kennel - reared upbringing or
a lack of stimuli.
Some
psychologists believe that puppies should stay with the mother
until 12 weeks of age as before this time puppies are very
vulnerable but this is also after the crucial stages of socialisation.
Puppies
removed at 6 weeks showed a loss of appetite, increased distress
and a susceptibility to illness.
The
optimum time for socialisation is between 6 - 8 weeks when
the puppy's instinct to make friends with strangers overcomes
its natural wariness and is why it is advocated the ideal
time to remove the puppy from its mother and litter mates
to a new home.
There
are gaps in our current knowledge of the early development
of behaviour problems. We do not know a great deal about what
crosses the placenta to the unborn puppy and this may affect
behaviour.
Research shows that puppies are particularly vulnerable to
psychological damage resulting in behavioural problems. With
children we can monitor progress through interview, dream
interpretation and free association but with our puppies we
can only guess at what might have occurred.
Any information above is given in good faith
by our Nutritional advisors and may not necessarily reflect
the opinion of Burns Pet Nutrition. The advice of Burns Pet
Nutrition or a qualified veterinary surgeon should always
be sought before changes are made to the diet in the nutritional
management of health problems. Burns is a food and not a medicine.
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