Post by Admin on Jul 23, 2009 11:28:08 GMT -5
Establishing the Bond
A good relationship with your puppy is more than his obedience
to a string of commands. It's all about bonding, respect, and understanding. This lesson will help you understand your puppy's behavior and give you ways to guide him and develop in him
a strong trust and desire to please.
Puppy Development
Puppies have definite stages of development and windows of learning. Experiments have shown that puppies who lack
appropriate socialization during these “imprinting” periods may have permanent psychological dysfunctions. They may be overly fearful, submissive, hyperactive, or aggressive. Raising a puppy properly to be a well-adjusted pet and family member can require a lot of time and effort, but is well worth it.
During the first two weeks of a puppy’s life, he depends completely on his mother. He cannot see or hear. He crawls, nurses, and makes noises but depends on her to stimulate his urination and defecation. He can feel warmth, cold and pain.
The third week his eyes open, he cuts teeth, attempts to stand up and walk, and may try to lap water. He will begin to venture further away from the brood and begins to urinate and defecate without the mother’s help.
The fourth week his hearing, sight, and sense of smell improve. He will bark, wag his tail, and nibble at food. This is the age at which he will begin to learn acceptable doggy behavior from his mother and littermates. He will learn how to behave with other dogs and how to keep his den clean. In order to later bond with humans and make a good pet, he also needs personal attention from humans. Puppies isolated during their first seven weeks may have behavior problems or trouble bonding with humans.
The fifth and sixth weeks, he will learn to walk and run quite well. He will play and growl with the other puppies.
Around six weeks, weaning begins. He will explore everything with a strong curiosity and very little sense of fear. Beginning with this age, the more things he has to explore, the more adventures he can experience and the more people he can meet, the better his socialization and the more confident he will become.
Most dog behaviorists agree that seven weeks is the best age for adoption.
Around eight weeks, he will enter what is sometimes called the “fear” period. For the next two or three weeks, he will be more cautious and show fear of sudden or loud noises or motions. If he is frightened or overstressed during this period, the emotion is likely to affect him for a very long time or for his entire life. At this age he should be protected from frightening experiences and allowed to investigate things at his own pace.
From nine to twelve weeks, he will be into everything, exploring and investigating. He will learn sounds and scents and your routine. He will follow you around and learn to respond to his name. This is also a good age to begin housetraining.
Around four months of age he may enter another cautious period where he is hesitant or fearful of new things. Allow him to take his time investigating things but do not encourage his fear. Make learning fun and keep all experiences positive. This is also the age when his permanent teeth will begin to replace those sharp baby teeth.
Sometime in the second half of his first year, your puppy may enter a clumsy and rebellious phase. He may behave as if he’s forgotten everything he has ever learned. This is his transition from a puppy to a mature dog. The best thing you can do is to be very patient and continue with his training until the phase passes.
www.suite101.com/lesson.cfm/18373/1628
A good relationship with your puppy is more than his obedience
to a string of commands. It's all about bonding, respect, and understanding. This lesson will help you understand your puppy's behavior and give you ways to guide him and develop in him
a strong trust and desire to please.
Puppy Development
Puppies have definite stages of development and windows of learning. Experiments have shown that puppies who lack
appropriate socialization during these “imprinting” periods may have permanent psychological dysfunctions. They may be overly fearful, submissive, hyperactive, or aggressive. Raising a puppy properly to be a well-adjusted pet and family member can require a lot of time and effort, but is well worth it.
During the first two weeks of a puppy’s life, he depends completely on his mother. He cannot see or hear. He crawls, nurses, and makes noises but depends on her to stimulate his urination and defecation. He can feel warmth, cold and pain.
The third week his eyes open, he cuts teeth, attempts to stand up and walk, and may try to lap water. He will begin to venture further away from the brood and begins to urinate and defecate without the mother’s help.
The fourth week his hearing, sight, and sense of smell improve. He will bark, wag his tail, and nibble at food. This is the age at which he will begin to learn acceptable doggy behavior from his mother and littermates. He will learn how to behave with other dogs and how to keep his den clean. In order to later bond with humans and make a good pet, he also needs personal attention from humans. Puppies isolated during their first seven weeks may have behavior problems or trouble bonding with humans.
The fifth and sixth weeks, he will learn to walk and run quite well. He will play and growl with the other puppies.
Around six weeks, weaning begins. He will explore everything with a strong curiosity and very little sense of fear. Beginning with this age, the more things he has to explore, the more adventures he can experience and the more people he can meet, the better his socialization and the more confident he will become.
Most dog behaviorists agree that seven weeks is the best age for adoption.
Around eight weeks, he will enter what is sometimes called the “fear” period. For the next two or three weeks, he will be more cautious and show fear of sudden or loud noises or motions. If he is frightened or overstressed during this period, the emotion is likely to affect him for a very long time or for his entire life. At this age he should be protected from frightening experiences and allowed to investigate things at his own pace.
From nine to twelve weeks, he will be into everything, exploring and investigating. He will learn sounds and scents and your routine. He will follow you around and learn to respond to his name. This is also a good age to begin housetraining.
Around four months of age he may enter another cautious period where he is hesitant or fearful of new things. Allow him to take his time investigating things but do not encourage his fear. Make learning fun and keep all experiences positive. This is also the age when his permanent teeth will begin to replace those sharp baby teeth.
Sometime in the second half of his first year, your puppy may enter a clumsy and rebellious phase. He may behave as if he’s forgotten everything he has ever learned. This is his transition from a puppy to a mature dog. The best thing you can do is to be very patient and continue with his training until the phase passes.
www.suite101.com/lesson.cfm/18373/1628