Learning and Development Periods

From birth to the adult stage of a dogs life, there are critical development periods during which the dog is deeply and lastingly impacted by its experiences.

Neonatal Period

During the first two weeks of its life, puppies cannot see or hear, and their movements are awkward and limited. They rely on their mother for protection, food and warmth; and if separated, will try to locate her by vocalising. The mother then will nuzzle the distressed puppy to let it know she is there. Very little learning occurs this young.

Transition Period

Between two and three weeks old, puppies' eyes open and gradually adjust to the light. Their inner ears begin to function, and they hear their first sounds. They also develop more coordination, and begin crawling and almost-walking with more purpose. At this stage, puppies begin to become accustomed to different sounds such as people talking, laughing or listening to quiet music. Regular, gentle handling is important, as other physical and sensory capabilities develop rapidly.

Primary Socialisation Period

From 3 to 5 weeks, puppies' senses become fully functional. Puppies grow more emotionally attached to their mother as they can see and hear her clearly, and want to be with her. During this time, events that the puppy experiences are likely to be remembered for the rest of their life – positive and negative. It is critically important that stimulation is gentle, positive and varied gradually without being overwhelming.

Secondary Socialisation Period

From 6 to 12 weeks, the pup will be learning crucial activities such as playing, greeting, barking and biting. The puppy will also learn how to accept discipline from the mother; this could be as simple as leaving her alone when she wants quiet time, or not biting her hard when they are drinking. This is also the time when puppies learn about social hierarchies, and the concepts of dominance and submission. The puppy must stay with its litter and mother during this time to learn these essential social skills. Puppies who are removed from their mother and littermates during this time often grow up to have difficulty communicating clearly and amicably with other dogs.

Critical Period

Roughly between 8-16 weeks is the most critical period in a dog's life, as everything they learn during this time will be permanently etched in their minds, affecting their lifelong behaviour.

This is the time when it is critical for breeders and new puppy owners to positively expose puppies to as many different sights and sounds as possible both in and around the home, and outside in the wider world. Kitchen sounds, vacuums, visitors of different ages and wearing different types of clothing and accessories, other household pets and livestock, car trips, veterinary examinations, grooming, thunder, mowers, umbrellas, balloons popping, unusual/uneven/slippery/unstable/noisy walking surfaces... the list is endless. The difficulty comes from striking the fine balance between broadening the pups horizons, but at the same time not overwhelming it or exposing it to pathogens against which it is yet fully vaccinated.

Frightening or painful experiences can lead to lifelong phobias. Significant things left out of their experience at this age may be difficult for them to accept later in life (ie. small children).

Juvenile Period

This next developmental stage is referred to by many names, but it helps to think of it as the "troubled teens". It varies in timing - dependent upon the breed of dog. As small dogs tend to mature more quickly than large breeds, it generally commences at 7 months smaller dogs and closer to 10 months for a larger breed, and continues until 18-24 months. Its onset may be gradual, or sometimes seemingly overnight, leading to a formerly happy-go-lucky pup suddenly becomes apprehensive - or even combative - not only about new things, but sometimes about things which have never bothered them before. Hormones are raging as sexual maturity is attained, and many previously rock-solid obedience commands seem to fall on deaf ears.

As a result, this is the most common age at which most dogs are surrendered to animal shelters, as inexperienced owners mistakenly believe their dog has permanently "gone bad".

Nothing could be further from the truth! As Canine Attendants, it is our job to reassure owners that this stage of a young dog's life is normal and more importantly - just like the teenage phase in humans - IT WILL PASS!

If this significant developmental stage is handled correctly, the young dog will come out the other side a happy, well-behaved and emotionally stable adult. It simply requires patience, understanding, and above all, consistency.

Young dogs going through this stage should be handled with quiet confidence and calm reassurance. However, it is essential to understand the line between giving reassurance - and coddling. Reassurance means showing you are in charge of the situation, and you will not let anything bad happen to them, and teaching them to trust that wherever you go, they can safely follow. It means breaking hard things down into smaller steps, and ending time together on a high note. It means performing simple exercises like eye-contact, sit or down at a manageable distance from stimuli they are wary of, and teaching the dog to associate such stimuli with good experienced like praise and treats, rather than bad experiences, like stress and fear.

Conversely, coddling can often seem like reassurance - but in fact in reinforces the dog's fears. If the dog is frightened, and you pick it up and carry it away, it can believe it had every reason to be afraid. If the dog barks and growls at something, and you stroke them and tell them "it's ok", the dog can think you are praising them for their aggressive behaviour, and will do it more often.

Similarly, becoming angry with a juvenile dog for being afraid or aggressive towards something only reinforces that emotion - as the dog blames the stimulus rather than their own behaviour - for your reaction. As a result they will begin to despise the object or event even more, as every time it has appeared you have become angry.

Understanding the way in which dog associates cause and effect is crucial to the Canine Attendant's approach to handling through the Juvenile Period.

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