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Stages of Puppy Raising Development

    1. NEONATAL
  • First 21 days – unable to learn. Startle to noise
  • Birth to two weeks – no awareness of environment
  • Needs warmth, food, sleep
    2. TRANSISTIONAL
  • Two to three weeks
  • Eyes and ears open and begin to function; becomes mobile
  • Some interaction with littermates
  • No learning is possible until about 21 days
    3. BECOMING AWARE
  • Three to four weeks
  • Startled by sudden noises; suddenly aware of sights and sounds
  • Needs dam and littermates to imprint canine behavior
  • Playing and fighting will littermates begins dominance order
  • Humans are seen as part of the litter
    4. CURIOSITY
  • Five to seven weeks
  • Exploring the physical environment and litter relationships
  • Needs continued interaction with littermates
  • Needs a rich environment – physical challenge, stimulus
  • Begin short periods of separation, with individual attention
  • Expose to varied human handling, including children
    5. BEHAVIORAL REFINEMENT
  • Seven to nine weeks
  • More sophisticated awareness, including humans
  • ** Fear period in 8th week – monitor environment carefully
  • Needs to develop human bond
  • Needs to leave litter to avoid permanent setting of rank
    6. SOCIAL AWARENESS
  • Nine to twelve weeks
  • Ready to interact and learn social behaviors, dominance
  • Needs intense, regular interaction with humans, one on one
    7. PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
  • Twelve to sixteen weeks
  • Independence, teething, development of territoriality
  • Begins to explore rather than trail humans or other dogs
  • Needs more formal obedience training, reinforce pack rules
  • This stage ends with another avoidance/fear period and then adolescence begins; Obedience should be well established
**** This information is taken from Pfaffenberger, The New Knowledge of Dog Behavior, Howell Book House, Inc., 1963 and Rutherford and Neil, How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With,, Alpine Publications, 1981

Neil and Anne Evans
Duckback Labs