Nature vs. Nurture
As a professional dog trainer, I have had opportunities to work with a variety of breeds and puppies of various ages. I have also served as a puppy advisor for The Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, here on LI. My role as an advisor was to manage the families that volunteered to raise puppies for a year and help with the training.
This training was on a group and individual basis both in homes and in public environments. This puppy program is specifically designed to build the social confidence and skills required to be a guide dog. In order to accomplish this, it was imperative that training began early and that particular emphasis was placed on exposure to the sights, sounds and odors that they would encounter in their lifetime as guide dogs. This would include such things as traffic, shops, restaurants, elevators, strangers, dogs, cats, and pigeons. We trained in city, suburban and country settings. It also included odors from hair salons, bakeries, restaurants and gas stations. Just imagine all the places a guide dog would be going, as these are the same places a human would go. It became obvious early on, that while many of these puppies carried the strong genetic influences for temperament and trainability, that without proper early socialization and habituation, that they didn't all do as well as others.
As a trainer, but not a breeder myself, I remained very curious about the weeks that I had never experienced - those being the weeks from birth to 6 weeks, before most puppies leave their litter-mates and go into new homes. Fortunately, I was offered the opportunity to "home whelp" and raise a litter of lab puppies for the foundation. The dam arrived a few days before expected to give birth and the puppies were born in my hands! I cared for the litter up until they were 6 weeks old, then they were sent back to the foundation to later be raised in puppy walkers' homes. I must say that that was the experience of a lifetime! I learned quite a bit about the birth process and early canine behaviors. I witnessed the litter interaction and education that is so vital in early development, which influences the future outcome of basic training and behavior.
In addition to that experience I raised a couple of guide puppies, one of which became a guide and the other became a stud dog and still lives with me. As a breeder keeper, I also get to witness the actual breeding process, which puts the whole picture together from start to finish.
What I also found very interesting, was a story about a litter of guide dog puppies, whelped and raised at the foundation, that didn't get out to families as planned. Instead these puppies remained at the foundation quite a long time, well past the early weeks referred to as the "window of socialization". It was a huge surprise to find that they ALL became successful guides in spite of the lack of early exposure to the world outside of the campus. Perhaps it was the wonderful efforts of volunteers who must have worked diligently to work with them during the day or it may be the power of genetics at work that gave them strong "guide bones" so to speak. The nature vs nurture discussion goes on.
Here is a guide to help you understand the various stages your puppy will go through up until he is about 2 years old. Again these are to be interpreted as a general guide, not intended to be precise, since all puppies develop on an individual basis as well.
Birth to 2 weeks
Puppies at this age have no sight or hearing, but they do have the senses of smell and touch. They cannot even regulate their own body temperature. However it's quite remarkable to see how the puppies are able to drag their tiny bodies towards each other for warmth and to find an open nipple to nurse on. They are asleep quite a bit, nursing or making the strangest buzzing sounds that reminded me of bees. The stronger puppies nurse first; they even climb up and pile on one another and push others aside to get to the milk. When you have large litters, you need to tend to all their feedings by rotating them yourself or they would die. You also can see early on which puppies are stronger than others and whom you might have to help out. At this stage, the puppies cannot defecate or urinate on their own without the mother licking them specifically to make that happen. Purposeful human handling all day long is a MUST from birth! It is necessary to keep a chart of all the puppies' weight, suckling time and even bowel movements. The mom is doing a lot of the work so I just changed the papers. She cleaned them and the whole experience was pretty simple. However it is vital that during these specific days that you begin to purposely touch the puppies in specific ways and begin exposing them to specific sensations. Science has proven the effects of this intentional early stimulation with a puppy's improved cardiac strength, stress tolerance and adrenal function. This scientific process is referred to as Early Neurological Stimulation in Puppies....
Learn more here!
2-3 Weeks
This transitional stage generally lasts from age two to three weeks, and it's during this time that your puppy's eyes will open, and he'll slowly start to respond to light and movement and the sounds around him. When I had my puppies originally whelped in a kiddie pool, I saw them the moment their eyes opened.. they rocked back and forth looking up and reminded me of Stevie Wonder ! They soon became a little more mobile during this period, trying to get their feet underneath them and crawling around in the pool. They started to recognize their mom and their litter-mates, and any objects I placed in the pool. This is a very special time because they really begin to look like puppies but you have no idea what breed ! I decided to move them from the pool to a larger area and give them more to see, instead of just a ceiling and the walls of the pool. That and is when they really took off!
3-4 Weeks
A glorious time for visitors. This is when the puppies begin to look and act like puppies. During this time, the puppies undergo rapid sensory development. Fully alert to their environment, they begin to recognize you and other family members. It's best to avoid loud noises or sudden changes during this period - negative events can have a serious impact on his personality and development right now. Puppies learn how to be a dog during this time, so it's essential that they stay with mom and litter-mates. Do you know where your puppy was at this stage of his life and what experiences he had?
4 -7 Weeks
During these weeks puppies experience the most critical social developmental period of their lives - they learn social interaction with their litter-mates including how to play and especially learn bite inhibition, which means how hard they can bite one another safely in play. I do recall many times hearing my puppies SCREAMING like they'd be hit by a train and when I got to them, I saw one puppy playing tug with the other puppy's ear and NOT LETTING GO ! As soon as the puppy let go, the sore, frightened puppy walked away and that told the bully to NOT bite so hard or you won't have any friends! Puppies that are taken away from their litter-mates at this stage miss this opportunity to learn about biting and will often be very mouthy or nippy when placed in their new homes. It's extremely important to leave your puppy with Mom and his litter-mates during as much of this period as possible. Don't discipline for play fighting, housebreaking mistakes or mouthing - that's all normal behavior for a puppy at this stage. This stage also teaches discipline - Mom will begin weaning the pups around this time, and she will begin teaching them basic manners, including accepting her as the leader of the pack. You can begin to introduce food to the pups starting around the 4th week - Mom will begin to get longer breaks from nursing and will comfortably spend a bit more time away from the puppies. Handle the puppies daily, but don't separate them from either Mom or litter mates for more than about 10 minutes per day. Puppies that are removed from the litter group too early frequently are nervous, more prone to barking and biting and have a more difficult time with socialization and training. Puppies need to be left with Mom and siblings until at least 7 weeks of age - and preferably a little longer - many breeders keep their puppies until 12 weeks for optimum social development. How old was your puppy when you brought him home? Did you get a rescue dog and not even know where he'd been for all his early weeks of development?
8 Weeks to 3 Months
This time is referred to as the FEAR PERIOD, and you must be careful when introducing your puppy to things that might startle or even terrify him. Actually this stage lasts from about 8 weeks to 3 months, and is characterized by rapid learning, so take advantage of this significant time. Reputable breeders will not ship puppies without someone accompanying them on the flight to prevent trauma, particularly during these weeks. Not all dogs experience a traumatic event or behave especially fearful during this time, but watch out for him to possibly seem concerned about things he once took in stride. This is not a good time to engage in harsh discipline (not that you ever should anyway!), loud voices or traumatic events. What do you think might happen to puppies that are shipped during this time??? What could you do to help prevent trauma at this time? Perhaps you could postpone getting your puppy until later on or certainly arrange to drive or fly to get them yourself rather than ever allow your puppy to be shipped alone! At this time your puppy's bladder and bowels are starting to come under much better control, and he's capable of sleeping through the night. (At last, you can get some rest!) You can even begin teaching simple commands like: come, sit, stay, down, and leash training can begin. It's important not to isolate your puppy from human contact at this time, as he'll continue to learn behaviors and manners that will affect him in later years. Puppies that have "learned to learn" at this age are amazingly biddable and interactive throughout their lifetime. Remember when we used to think we should wait until 6 months old before beginning our training? Experts say that the optimum time in a puppy's life to best learn social skills is between 3 and 16 weeks of age - that's the window of opportunity you have to make sure your puppy grows up to be a well-adjusted adult dog. Realize that pet shops purchase their puppies during these early weeks and certainly do NOT address these stages with any effort or education. The puppies found in pet shops were from puppy mills and most of them grew up in a cage without any space to move about, no one to interact with them and taken from their litter-mates too early. It always a surprise to find a pet shop puppy that doesn't demonstrate aggression, timidity or poor social skills with people and/or other dogs and certain environments. No reputable breeder would EVER , EVER, EVER sell puppies to pet shops or brokers, no matter what the pet shop tells you!
3 Months to 4 Months
This juvenile stage typically lasts from 3 to 4 months of age, and it's during this time that your puppy is most like a toddler. He'll be a little more independent - he might start ignoring the very requests and instructions that he's only recently learned - just like a child does when they're trying to exert their new-found independence. As in "I don't have to listen to you!" Firm and gentle reinforcement of commands and training is what's required here. He might start biting you - play biting or even a real attempt to challenge your authority. Be sure to avoid situations that INVITE a bite like playing on the floor with your puppy without a toy to share. Supervise your kids and teach them how to interact properly with puppies. Remind puppies NOT to mouth or bite, as their litter-mates would do, by getting up and leaving as soon as he acts mouthy and end that game by teaching him that that kind of play stinks and you won't be a part of it. It's not a good idea to leave young children unattended with puppies particularly during this stage.. that's when we trainers get the most calls of concern for puppies using their teeth too much. Do continue to play with him and handle him on a daily basis but realize that rough wrestling games will only encourage this undesirable behavior. There is a right and wrong way to play TUG, and you will want to get those instructions before you play that game! Don't reward your puppy with nice toys AFTER he has nipped someone.. instead BEFORE he Nips someone, give him appropriate toys.. or he will learn to NIP in order to get new TOYS !! As your puppy's strength grows, he's going to want to play-fight to see who's stronger - even if you win; the message your puppy receives is that it's ok to fight with you. And that's not ok.
4-6 Months
This stage is all about "you can't tell me what to do" and starts about 4 months and runs until about 6 months. It's during this time that your puppy will demonstrate even more independence and willfulness. You may see a decline in his urge to please you - expect to see more "testing the limits" type of behaviors. He'll be going through a teething cycle during this time, and will also be looking for things to chew on to relieve the pain and pressure. Freezing doggie bones and wet dishtowels can help sooth him during this period. You may want to wet his food and avoid hard biscuits. He may try to assert his new "dominance" over other family members, especially children. Continue his training in obedience and basic commands, but make sure to never let him off his leash during this time unless you're in a confined area. Many times pups at this age will ignore commands to return or come to their owners, which can be a dangerous, even fatal, breakdown in your dog's response to you. I like to use a lightweight drag line about 15 ft or a retractable lead during these times when a puppy needs to move about and explore and reward him with a treat when he turns and comes closer to me. That way he learns about the world including how wonderful it is to CHOOSE ME instead. If you turn him loose in a public place, and he bolts, the chances of injury or even death can result - so don't take the chance. He'll now begin to go through the hormonal changes brought about by his growing sexual maturity, and you may see signs of rebelliousness. Speak with your vet about neutering or spaying your puppy in the upcoming weeks. This will not impact your puppy's behavior unless the behavior itself is related to hormones in the first place. There is some thought to wait a bit longer these days before neutering, so read up on it and then discuss it with your vet. Hormones have value too!
6-18 Months
This young adult stage lasts from 6 months to about 18 months, and is usually a great time in your dog's life - he's young, he's exuberant, he's full of beans - and yet he's learning all the things he needs to become a full-fledged adult dog.
Be realistic in your expectations of your dog at this time - just because he's approaching his full growth and may look like an adult, he's not as seasoned and experienced as you might expect. Gradually increase the scope of activities for your dog, as well as the training. You can start more advanced training during this period, such as herding or agility training, if that's something both of you are interested in. Otherwise, extend his activities to include more people and other animals - allow him to interact with non-threatening or non-aggressive dogs.
I prefer training my dogs in the moment.. I don't just wait for a "training session" unless there is a game to teach or a specific position that needs to be practiced.. Instead I wait and watch for behaviors I like all day long, and then reward them in a big way so that these behaviors are repeated. I pair the words I will be using with the behavior that is presented and eventually they will naturally begin to associate all the words with the day-to-day behaviors. such as "outside.. upstairs, let's go, thank you..and in the car.".
Be Sure to check out this month's companion article by Dr. Ellen Leonhardt on Vaccines
Next Month: Balancing Socialization and Immuninity!
Up to 4 months of age is referred to as "the window of socialization". This window is said to SLAM SHUT at or about 4 months old so make sure you expose your puppy to the world during these weeks. This is frustrating as it also is the period of time that natural immunity waxes and wanes and that our vets give vaccines to keep our puppies healthy and free of disease. They often instruct us explicitly to NOT allow our dogs to mingle with other dogs or be out and about before all the vaccines are completed which is about the age of 4 months as well! While you certainly don't want to compromise physical health for mental health or vice versa, you will want to plan out a way for your puppy to grow up being protected from disease as well as emotionally and mentally balanced.
Remarkably there are always those dogs that survive this period no matter what we do or not and there is the nature vs nurture conflict at work, just as it is with children. Just how to accomplish this balance without risk will be discussed in an article next month called Socialization and Immunity- a discussion between Dr. Ellen Leonhardt, a veterinarian, and me, Sass Levine, a dog trainer.
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