Normal Canine Social Development
All puppies develop at different rates, just like
children, but they do all go through the same general phases
Newborn 0-2 weeks
The pup is blind and
almost deaf, and spends most of his time sleeping, eating and growing.
The pup cannot control its own body temperature and relies on
huddling together with Mum and littermates for warmth.
The eyes open at 10-14 days, but vision is poor for a few weeks
Transition Period 2-3
weeks
The
pup learns to walk and lap liquids. The ears open towards the end of the
third week, vision improves and the pup develops a sense of smell.
The pup develops the ability to urinate and defaecate for itself
Socialisation Period
3-12 weeks
This is the critical
period. The pup is ready to
venture away from the nest and explore the world.
At seven weeks of age, the puppy is capable of learning as much as
it ever will be able to during its life.
Puppies at this stage are like living sponges – they learn form
everything going on around them, developing good (and bad habit which will
last a lifetime. More than
any other stage, the experiences a pup has during the transition period
can affect how it will cope with the world as an adult dog.
The socialisation period
can be divided into several stages;
Phase 1 , weeks 3-5
The puppy learns to play
and starts reacting to sound. The
mother will begin disciplining the pups with a low growl when necessary.
The first teeth are erupting and towards the end of this phase, the
pups will start to play chasing and pouncing games with each other
Phase 2 , weeks 5-8
The puppy begins to use
facial and ear expressions and becomes more coordinated. Play becomes rougher and the pups start to establish a
dominance hierarchy within the litter. The puppies are weaned and, in the
wild would be starting to learn to hunt for themselves.
This is the ideal time for a pup to leave the litter and start life
in its new home.
Phase 3, weeks
8-12
The pup continues to
explore the world around it. It
will begin to assess its position in its new family and is eager to
please. The pup forms strong
impressions of people and objects it meets and should be experiencing and
enjoying a wide variety of new situations, including puppy playgroup.
The puppy continues to learn through play and will have to learn
`human` games
This is an ideal time to
form a strong bond between owner and puppy, to teach the puppy to respond
to its name and other signals and to commence basic training. The puppy should be
house trained early during this phase and
should learn its position within the family structure – as a much loved
bottom of the heap!
Juvenile Period 3-6
months
The puppy continues to
learn through experience and becomes increasingly independent.
The pup will go for its first walks and will initially stay
close to the owner but will start to explore further afield as it gains in
confidence. The pup starts
changing teeth and chewing behaviours develop.
The early walks are an
ideal time to continue exposing the pup to a wide variety of pleasurable
new experiences, and to encourage it to develop a habit of not wandering
too far off during walks.
Adolescent Period 6
months – 1 year/18 months
The puppy is a teenager!
This is the time that, in the wild, the pup would be leaving the
mother and developing a life of its own.
The pup becomes increasingly independent and will test its position
in the pack hierarchy. The
pup becomes sexually mature, bitches will have their first season and dogs
will develop an interest in the opposite sex.
The adult molars are growing and the pup has a strong desire to
chew.
This is a testing time, and this is the age when
most dogs appear at rescue centres for rehoming.
If the ground rules have been firmly established during the early
days, it will be far easier to cope with.
As a general rule, the bigger the dog, the longer it remains
adolescent, but they do all grow out of it (eventually)
Maturity 1 year/18
months onwards
The dog has developed its basic character, although behaviour patterns will continue to be refined for a few years. The dog is still capable of learning new things, but is less flexible than the younger puppy. This is the time when all the hard work put in during puppyhood should pay off and you can relax a bit and enjoy life with a well rounded, happy adult dog!
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