Socialisation
Socialisation starts when the puppy is born as a neonate, through puppy hood and all through adulthood.
Socialisation is defined as the process which the animal learns how to recognise and interact with its own species and species it interacts with. This statement defines the whole process so as a dog owner this process is down to you. Picking the correct puppy for your lifestyle from a responsible breeder that recognises this process will help you greatly in this task. How you socialise your puppy will have a great impact with how it copes with life. Genetics will play a part in this process as will the environment the puppy is raised in. Again obtain your puppy from a RESPONSIBLE, KNOWLEDGABLE breeder and avoid puppy farms (see key considerations when buying a puppy).
Puppies go through development periods combined with sensitive periods. These can differ from breed to breed and may not be defined.
Before Birth
The environment the mother is housed in will have an effect on the puppy. The hormone levels affect some of the development of the puppy, a stressed mother may produce a stressed puppy. If the mother doesn’t receive the correct nutrition and care this will also have an impact on the puppy such as worming and flea treatment.
Birth – 2 weeks
Gentle regular handling seems to be a benefit at this age to encourage a confident puppy. Although the puppy’s ears and eyes remain closed they experience touch and smell.
2 – 3 weeks
When the puppy’s ears and eyes start to open they begin the transition into the socialisation period. The puppy becomes more active and starts to develop skills such as standing and walking. Interactions with litter mates will increase with play fighting seen. This starts the development of communication skills and signals. They can learn quicker and can keep this learning on board into adulthood.
Socialisation Period 3 – 12 weeks
This will be seen when interaction with the mother, littermates, other animals and humans are observed. The puppy is sensitive to bonds and will form attachments easily to other animals, humans and locations.
3 – 5 weeks – Puppy will accept gentle handling and will approach and interact with unfamiliar things.
8 – 10 weeks, first FEAR STAGE – puppy is extra sensitive to anything negative so it is vital to avoid any negative experiences. Anything negative experienced at this time can stay with the puppy long term and it can be hard to overcome it. It would be preferable to place a puppy in its new home before this stage.
Juvenile Period 12 weeks – 6 months
This stage can be hard to define from the previous stage. It can be determined by the presence of leg lifting in male dogs, and the increased ability to learn. The end of this stage can be determined by sexual maturity. During this stage the puppy will be less tolerant to change and the unfamiliar.
During this stage the puppy will also go through other periods:
Seniority stage 12 – 16 weeks: confidence is growing and the puppy will start to test you out, it can be defined as the age when the puppy is cutting teeth.
Flight stage 16 weeks – 8months: this will be seen when the puppy starts to ignore the owner on walks defined as ‘not coming when called’. Careful handling and prevention of this happening in the first instance will help a lot.
Adulthood 6 months +
Every breed develops and matures at different rates, this will effect what age your dog is defined as an adult. As stated above it can be determined at the point of sexual maturity and between 18-24 months will reach social maturity. Learning carries on through this stage and adulthood continues until the notice of decline.
Second fear stage, can happen at 5/6 months up to 11/14 months: Determined by the hormonal changes going on in the body which will be influenced by genetic, breed and sex. Things that the dog was previously fine with may suddenly become a problem which will come as a shock to the owner. At this age the dog may have the confidence to face anything that is ‘scary’, the owner may be shocked by an aggressive outburst. How these situations are handled will affect how the dog approaches it from then on.
Senior hood (dependant on individual)
This is determined by the decline in physical or mental state.
The most important stage noted is the socialisation stage. During this period the puppy should only be exposed to POSITIVE experiences in a constructive way. Too much information will flood the puppy which can be detrimental also. If this isn’t carried out then the puppy or dog may become wary of situations. A puppy that is exposed to a structured socialisation program is more likely to be confident and less likely to display any behaviour problems. Please see the guide for ideas on socialising your puppy or dog.
