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Combative play gets more intense
among siblings, which helps develop a ranking order within the litter. These
interactions have a lasting effect and help shape a puppy’s permanent
personality into a dog who falls somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of timid,
even-tempered or overtly aggressive.
Puppies do best in adapting to their
new homes if they are removed from their litters between eight and twelve
weeks. The benefit of this is that you avoid developing a puppy with a
personality extreme from the effects of a dominance order from rough play—other
littermate(s) dominate him into subordination—which is not helpful to living
with people. It is for this reason that researchers have determined that when
people are socializing puppies, the dogs should be removed from the litter to
be handled (see below, under “Fear-Imprint Period”).
♦ Staying with the Litter Past Twelve Weeks of Age
Puppies kept in a kennel by a breeder
until they are twelve weeks and older can suffer from “Kennelosis” or “Kennel
Syndrome.” Staying too long with his littermates can be a problem for a dog who
is naturally shy. Staying with the litter past twelve weeks can actually have a
downside for any dog: even three weeks past this time can result in dogs that
lack confidence. This was proven by a study of guide dogs for the blind, which
showed a disproportionate failure rate in those puppies who were left with
their litters past twelve weeks: the dogs did not have the self-confidence to
make independent decisions necessary to protect a blind person, who might give
a command that could endanger him.
Being kennel-bound also means the dog
has missed her socialization period with people: she will never really learn to
fully identify with humans. Kennel Syndrome can also make a dog unable to handle
stressful situations later in life. These dogs will most likely develop a
general fearfulness of strange environments and new situations and be overly
excitable or overly withdrawn. You can eventually overcome some of this
deficit, but it takes patience, persistence and buckets of time and love.
Puppies that remain in the litter
from the twelfth to fifteenth weeks develop into a dog pack, with their
positions and a dominant-subordinate pattern established. If a puppy who is
naturally not as strong and assertive as her littermates stays in the litter
during this period—and if the others bully her and force her into a subordinate
position—she may develop a shyness that will stay with her for life. To avoid
the problem of chronic shyness in an adult dog, steer clear of any puppy who
remained with the litter past sixteen weeks of age.
♦ Eight to Twelve Weeks Is the Fear-imprint Period.
This period is an especially
sensitive stage of the puppy’s growth: it is called the “fear-imprint” stage
because if the puppy has a frightening experience now, the circumstances
leading up to the scare will become deep-rooted, with the fear often staying
with the dog for life. For this reason you should avoid even the possibility of
the puppy having traumatic experiences during this month. During this four-week
fear-sensitive period, most puppies (and especially those that are particularly
sensitive to new and “scary” things) should stay home, rather than run the risk
of encountering something especially spooky. That may sound extreme, but
whatever frightens a young dog during the fear-imprint period may very well
frighten her for the rest of her life, so you might want to give her the extra
measure of security by staying on familiar turf.
These four weeks are usually a
puppy’s first weeks in her new home. Stay home and let her continue to play
with you, your family and friends, and whatever dogs you already have that are
the puppy’s new pack.
It is important that all contact with
humans—including social visitors and service providers—be positive experiences.
Avoid giving any corrections or reprimands to the puppy in these early weeks.
Under no circumstances should you hit or even threaten to strike the little
pup. Physical punishment of a dog is never a solution to a problem with a dog
of any age, but it can be especially harmful at this stage of a puppy’s
development.
Copyright © Tracie Hotchner – Originally appeared in The Dog Bible: Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know by Tracie Hotchner
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