Critical stages in your dog's development.

[lucas85]

Just a quick thought I think all of you might be interested in.

There are five stages in every dog development. Once those stages are missed it becomes very difficult to properly train your dog.

* First critical period: 0 to 21 days

During Paul Scott’s researches he found out that all breeds of dogs has exactly zero learning capacity until they are 21 days old. At this time all puppy needs for survival is food, sleep, warmth and his mother. That’s it. Exactly at the 21-day dog’s brain start to function. But before that the only thing that keep a dog going is it’s drive for survival.

* Second critical period: 21 to 28 days

In fourth week of a puppy’s life he needs Mama more than anything else. It is absolutely crucial for his mental and physical development. At this time his brain start to collect first important information from the outside world and his nervous system start to develop. During this period nobody should take a puppy away from his mother because this is the time when emotional and social stress has a greatest impact on a dog’s life.

* Third critical period: 28-49 days

This is a time when a puppy will try to explore the world around him but this time without his mother. At the end of this period both, brain capacity and it’s nervous system is the same as with adult dog, of course without experience. Litter will have a great meaning for his development and it will start to recognize people and respond to voices. One important tip. He should be taken away from his mother and litter before too much of his personality amongst dog’s is formed.

* Forth critical period: 49-84 days

This is the time when you should take your puppy home. After forty nine days puppy’s brain has a form of an adult brain even though it’s physically immature. When you take a puppy away from his mother and litter you become in a dog’s eyes his actual mother. This is the best time to establish strong dog-human relationships. You MUST do whatever it takes to replace his mother. Once puppy notices that you give him food and take care of him you have a powerful bond that will become stronger and stronger once you start his training. Make a note here. Dog is like a kid. He will learn no matter what his situation is and by this I mean also bad habits. Keeping that in mind make sure you keep your dog away from the situations, people or the other animals where he can pick up bad habits.
Lets say that your dog is left in a litter during his forth period of development. How will that affect his development? He will become a litter bully or a wallflower – it all depends how he will be placed into his family structure. He will learn all right, only it will be wrong kind of learning – it is called “kennel blindness”.

* Fifth critical period: 84-112 days

Who is the boss period. During this time dog will try to declare his independence. He will try you for size but job well done in the forth period will make this task a lot easier for you. This is the time when you should stop informal lessons and start those who are formal. It is time for a do to learn a discipline not by playing but through straight lessons about what can and what can not be done. If you prepared your puppy in the previous periods it all will go smoothly. But from experience I know that dogs that were just taken home in the fifth period will never develop to their full potential.

It is a scientific fact. Dr. J. Paul Scott , social psychologist and a director of the Animal Behavior Laboratory at Hamilton Station of the Roscoe B. Jackson Memorial Laboratory conducted a project to help Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc. in their dog training program.

All comments appreciated

Lucas

[afairchild0103]

+1 I'm very new to dog training, but in one of my sources I'm using for training information "Water Dogs", the trainer expressed these stages and how important they are. Dr. Scott wrote about these stages in a book her wrote back in the 60's. It's still one of the highest selling dog training recourses used today. Even though Dr. Scott never trained dogs, his extensive research is still widely used in the dog training field today.

[RoostersMom]

We've come a long way in understanding dog behavior since the old days of "let it go once the mom is done weaning it." I have been reading more and more on puppy development and see a trend for puppies not to go to new homes until at least 8 weeks of age, giving the puppies needed time to learn bite inhibition (from mother and littermates) and to learn more dog to dog socialization skills. From personal experience, I find pups that don't leave the litter until at least 8 weeks old to be bolder and better able to cope in new situations. Now of course, that's based on my personal experiences with only about 10 puppies. That, and long discussions with several breeders has led me to believe pups going home earlier than 8 weeks are at a disadvantage - especially when they are to be more than just companion dogs (ie, hunting or working dogs).

From an article that I read:

For many decades, 49 days was considered the "magic" time to send puppies to their new homes. While the origin of this belief is unknown, a likely possibility is that it is a misinterpretation of the works of Drs. Scott and Fuller, who for over 20 years studied the genetics and social development of dogs. In collaboration with Clarence Pfaffenberger of Guide Dogs for the Blind, they found that guide dogs had the correct amount of person-attachment if they were separated from the litter no sooner than seven weeks[1]. Why this age was taken as an absolute, rather than a minimum, is anyone's guess.


Forty years after Scott and Fuller's groundbreaking research, our knowledge of canine social development has increased dramatically. Seven weeks is still considered the bare minimum, but many behaviorists, trainers, and breeders feel this is far too early. There are vital socialization and communication lessons that puppies learn from their dam and littermates after seven weeks of age. Puppies removed from the litter before these lessons are learned can be fearful or dog-aggressive as adults.

Once the "49-day myth" was busted, eight weeks became the standard age for puppies to leave the litter. Today most breeders still follow this rule, and many states have enacted legislation which prohibits the sale of puppies before eight weeks of age. Further research into the critical stages of puppy development, however, shows that eight weeks is actually a less than optimal time to separate puppies from their littermates.

Puppies enter a fear period at seven to eight weeks of age, which lasts until 10-12 weeks of age. Opinions vary as to the exact timeframe for this period, but 8-10 weeks is common among the majority of sources. Placing a new puppy in a home during this fear period can create life-long issues. Eight weeks is also the recommended age for initial vaccination of most puppies, with a follow-up three to four weeks later. Stress can minimize the effectiveness of vaccinations, and can increase the risk of adverse reactions.

An increasing number of breeders are choosing to keep their puppies until nine, ten, or even 12 weeks of age. They feel that their puppies are better socialized, and have more stable temperaments as adults, if they stay with the litter for a longer period of time. As our understanding of canine genetics and social development increases, our accepted practices should be evaluated and changed where necessary. Producing puppies with a stable temperament should be an important goal of any breeder. Unstable dogs are more likely to bite, and are more likely to be surrendered to a shelter (and often, unfortunately, killed). The best age to separate a puppy from its mother and littermates is still the subject of some discussion and debate. However, there is ample evidence to suggest that the "magic" number is no longer 49 days, and is instead in the range of 10-12 weeks.

Of course it's more work for the breeder - and so many puppies go to new homes before even 8 weeks of age. It's illegal in many states to sell pups younger than 8 weeks of age - but there is no "breeding police" out there so people continue to do what they've always done, most don't even look into the literature to see if there is a better way of doing things. It is a lot more work for the breeder to keep those pups until 9-10 weeks of age and most just flat out aren't willing to take that time with the litter. Maybe if they understood how helpful it is to the puppies in their long-term development.....

[kninebirddog]

I find that if I stimulate the pups nervous system ear feet back roll them around in my hands and set them alone for about a minute then bring them back up warm them and then set back with the litter
these pups are more balanced when the begin trying to walk eat better and over all seem more healthier then ones i do not do this with

Stage two I have music blaring in the room so pup hears constant noise is just a part of life I come in and I am noisy pups are excited to see me I also introduce toys and even bird scent this is when i introduce dead birds to them for them to do what they want at this time

5 weeks I take them out and introduce them to the chain gang and once they settle we go for a walk they get to explore the world do what they want maybe find a dead bird or a weak quail

as they grow up I will put out birds wing locked pigeons then to good flying quail let them bump and chase

if they get a catch or two that is great stuff also at a very young age that is the beginning of a retrieve

after that it is on to check cords and we learn how to point and back watching birds be brought out slowly to tease and excite the pup

I have gotten pups at different ages and I have found those pups that have contact and are exposed to new things blend in to their new homes quicker then those that do not get handled or exposed to new things near as much

[Cajun Casey]

That is a very inaccurate depiction of the Fuller and Scott project and Guide Dogs for the Blind did their own studies, as well as using the F&S data. I have both books and the information is useful, but very dated due to advancements in neurological assessment.