Why Does My Puppy Do that?
by Susan Engel, Certified Trainer

Stages of Development

Puppies, just like children, go thru stages of development. During each stage learning and new behaviors are taking place that will be critical to their overall well-being as adults. It is important for owners to understand each developmental stage so that they may interact and guide their pup appropriately. Understanding the limits of your pup will assist you in having realistic expectations.

Canine Socialization - 3 Weeks to 7 Weeks

21 Days to 48 Days - count puppies age in days This is the time when puppies need to be with their mother and litter-mates because this is when they learn behaviors specific to dogs. The puppy’s greatest teacher during this time is his/her mother. Up to the 49th day, every 24 hours is an important and continual learning experience.

Beginning at age 5 weeks, the mother teaches the puppies good dog behavior. One of the most important lessons is accepting discipline and submitting to her leadership. So you can see why puppies that are removed from the mother too early may tend to be shy, more prone to barking, aggression and not understand the pack hierarchy. They may be aggressive with other dogs.

“Generally speaking, a puppy taken away from its mother and litter mates before seven weeks of age, may not realize its full potential as a dog and companion. To maximize the mental and psychological development of puppies, they must remain with their mother and litter mates until seven weeks of age.” Sue St. Gelais - Hundmeister Reg'd Dobermans

Socialization Period - 7 Weeks 49th Day to 12 Weeks

This is a time like no other, when puppies are like little sponges and the concepts they learn at this time will have a lasting impression. This is when most puppies go to their new homes and families take over the job of guiding and teaching the puppies. We recommend bringing a new puppy home between 8 weeks to 10 weeks of age.

Socializing your puppy around different sounds, people, and situations is very important. Socialization should always be done positively and without overwhelming the puppy. Overwhelming your puppy could result in an unusual fear to that situation/object. Remember, puppies at this age are soaking up the information intentionally and non-intentionally conveyed by their owners.

At 9 weeks, puppies will be able to absorb the patterns of the rules…so set the desired rules and behaviors now that you would like from your adult dog. They will be able to understand concepts including housebreaking, playing and appropriate interactions with their families yet they are not able to fully connect all of the dots at this age…meaning you need to give them some slack. For example: they may go to the door to go outside to eliminate one day but not for the next two days. Remember, realistic expectations and understanding what your pup is capable of is important to raising your puppy fairly.

“Puppy Crazies”- All puppies go through a daily ritual of something we call “puppy crazies”. They run around as if the devil is chasing them…this is normal. Recognize that you are watching your puppy ‘test drive’ and develop their natural skills of running, coordination and speed. This phase usually stops around age 6months, so enjoy it while you can. It may be helpful to have them do this outside or use Ron’s 'puppy crazies' toy basket exercise to minimize play biting.

It is most important during this time that owners train their pups with voice tones (low tone), distractions and guiding techniques. Training should NEVER consist of yelling, swatting or hitting puppies.

Fear Imprint Period - 8 Weeks to 11 Weeks

The term Fear imprint Period refers to how a frightening, traumatic or painful experience may have more of an impact on your puppy, with a lasting effect, during this period. This is an interesting period and one that needs some understanding by owners.

Pups need fair, positive and not overwhelming interactions, during this period. Example: When going to the Vets office during this time, bring treats and a toy and play with your pup in the office. Try to make all experiences fun and playful.

Pups at this age will need assistance with their behavior, be sure the training used is distraction, voice tone (low) and guidance based. This is important to your pups overall mental soundness. You can see how yelling or hitting a pup may doom him/her to a life of fearfulness.

Fear Imprint Period is not a reference to puppies having a shyness or fearful personality. Shy/fearfulness of the environment, object and/or people may be a sign of a hereditary temperament defect. Generally, puppies should not be fearful of new situations, however, it is normal for them to be curiously cautious; there is a big difference.

No need to be obsessed or over protective of your pup in his/her experiences during this time…just keep the experiences positive and fair. Training should NEVER consist of yelling, swatting or hitting puppies.

Seniority Classification The Age Of "Cutting" - 12 Weeks to 16 Weeks

This is the time when your pup begins to feel confident and ’cuts’ the apron strings. You will notice a big change in your puppy during this time. They have more coordination, many find their bark and some will try to tackle steps.

Since all dogs see themselves as a member of a ‘pack’ (your family) this is the time to begin to show your pup that he/she is low man on the totem pole and that all human pack members are leaders not siblings. Play biting becomes more intense as the puppy tries to challenge your authority with their little needle teeth, but more importantly, he/she waits to see how you will address these advances.

It is important to remember that a dog’s natural instinct is to live thru a ranking system. Dogs view fair, firm leaders with respect; while they view wishy-washy, over-affectionate pack members as weak and inconsistent. Dogs ultimately enjoy the leader’s company more.

It is important to send clear, consistent messages to your pup that humans are the leaders and that dogs are the followers. Sending mixed message will only set up a lifetime of dominance battles between dogs and people and may result in aggression towards people. This is the time when rough play and tug of war games are strongly discouraged, for it teaches the pup how to dominant it’s pack members. Children are usually the ones that are the puppy’s targets.

It is at this time that fair, firm training is needed. It is at this time that you may need a professional trainer to assist in the technique of effective training. Training should NEVER consist of yelling, swatting or hitting puppies.

Flight Instinct Period - 4 Months to 8 Months

This is the time when pups begin to feel their independence. They begin their first ‘flights’ as little birds would. They will go from room to room poking their little noses into every nook and cranny searching for new experiences.

They begin to explore their surroundings and those that stayed close to people before are running down the driveway without a care in the world. Many owners are lulled into a false sense of security that their pups will not leave their side because when the pup was younger; their pups could be “off leash” and would listen to them. This is very dangerous for puppies. Be sure that your pup is always on a leash when not in a fenced in area. Reliable off leash training is only achieved after effective obedience training.

The very best time to begin formal obedience training is during this period. True, effective, reliable obedience means: when you ask you pup to “Sit”, he/she will Sit and STAY seated UNTIL given a command to get up; no matter what environment they are in. This is the only obedience The Dog Training Company teaches. Training should never consist of yelling, swatting or hitting puppies or dogs.