CANINE DEVELOPMENT

The critical or important periods are divided into several major time frames from the neo-natal through most of the first year of life.

IMPORTANT PERIODS

1ST Period... Birth to 3 Weeks (0 to 20 days)

2nd Period... 4th Week (1 month)

3rd Period... 5 to 7 Weeks (1 to 1 1/2 month)

4th Period... 8 to 12 Weeks (2 to 3 months)

5th Period... 13 to 16 Weeks (3 to 4 months)

Juvenile ... 5th to 7th month

FIRST PERIOD - 1st thru 3rd weeks (0-20 days)

Needs: Food, sleep, warmth, massage. Responds by reflex, benefits from careful handling. About 10th day eyes open.

SECOND PERIOD - 4th week (21-28 days)

Critical week. Pup becomes aware of environment and occurences. Rapid development - can see, hear, smell, taste and feel. Indicates transition to 2nd period when 'startle' response is evident. Socializing with adults, children should begin. Starts to learn and benefits from being taught simple exercises.

Needs: Food, sleep, warmth, litter, Mother, limited human exposure (gentle). Unaltered environment, do not remove from litter, learning to be dogs. Do not wean suddenly, transition must be easy. Do not permit negative events to occur.

THIRD PERIOD - 5th thru 7th week (29-49 days)

Needs: Personal attention away from litter, slowly and consistantly. Three short periods daily is ideal. Teaching and socializing should be intensified. Housetraining and weaning can begin.

Leave with the litter, they are learning greeting, dominance, submissiveness and play gestures. Do not completely remove the mother or you will become the surrogate mother for care and discipline.

Optimum learning time is 21 to 49 days of age. Things to do in the Optimum Learning Time: Lead break, examine both testicles, ears, feet (caress nails), pose, pill dosing, fingers in their mouth, brush, retreive, come (call,"Puppy Come" at meal times).

FOURTH PERIOD - 8th thru 12th week

The brain is fully developed.

Needs: Socializing with the outside world. Remove from the mother, remove from the litter or rotate with littermates. Dominance is reinforced at this time. Training should continue and socializing with other dogs is imperative. Optimum time for learning, great responsiveness.

AVOID: Fright or pain during the 8th thru 10th weeks. First fear period is during the 8th week. The puppy will remember who hurt it and avoid them.

FIFTH PERIOD - 13th thru 16th weeks

Needs: Training, formal obedience, less exposure to dogs. Dominance and flight instinct is more prominent. Flight period can come at any time between 4 to 8 months of age, depending on the size of the breed.

Emotions are fixed by the 16th week. If training has not been started by the 16th week, the dog will never reach its full potential.

Note: "Permissively trained puppies, upon reaching sexual maturity, will treat owners with complete indifference and, if physically restrained or disciplined. may react with aggressive violence." Fox

JUVENILE - 4th thru 7th month

May show fear of new (even old) situations. Attains sexual maturity. Dominant traits are established.

IMPORTANT considerations: These periods represent average time frames for an average puppy. Not all puppies are the same and one must provide for individual differences as puppies go through each period.