Fifth Week
Puppies begin spending
less time with their dam and become more interested in socializing with humans.
This is their most intensive learning
phase.
They should have plenty of opportunities to investigate and explore.
Sixth Week
Puppies should be introduced to
basic training and grooming concepts. They will accept new experiences
very willingly at this age.
This is the optimum time to begin socializing them to other pets.
Seven
Weeks
This is the best time to begin introducing them to a crate to enhance their natural housetraining
habits.
Begin hand feeding treats to help them learn social interaction.
Weaning is complete but puppies
should not be separated from their dam. Puppies become very suseptible to fears as their memory skills and life experience
improves. This is an essential part of the learning process and they will instinctively run to Mom for protection. They
require social interaction with their mother and siblings for for at least three more weeks to build their confidence, learn
canine social cues and bite inhibition.
Eight Weeks
Puppies
should have their first DHLPP (distemper, hepatities, lepto, parvo, parainfluenza) vaccination this week.
Short daily training sessions will help to build their confidence and attention span.
Their teeth should be checked daily. Males should have two descended testicles.
Ninth Week
As they gain confidence the puppy's fear
responses begin to subside. Their mother will encourage this by ignoring them and avoiding them when they try to nurse.
If necessary, she will growl and nip to discourage unwanted attention from them. This discourages them from
unnecessary whining to demand attention.
The puppies begin to exhibit a better undertanding
of hierarchization. They will start to protect food and toys from their littermates. This is a good time to introduce
them to experiences outside of their home territory for socialization.
Tenth Week
The puppies' dominance issues for food, toys and attention
become more intense with each other.
They are responsive to basic commands.
Their primary
social attachment should be transferred from dogs to humans at this age.
Eleventh Week
Retained deciduious teeth may need to be extracted.
Each
puppy's unique personality begins to stabilize.
Their socialization phase will begin
to close soon and they should have increasingly challenging
social and learning encounters.
Twelfth Week
Puppies should have their second DHLPP vaccination
this week.
This is a good time to enroll them in a puppy socialization class.
They should
be fed individually in crates to prevent food guarding and encourage housetraining habits.
Thirteenth Week
Their period for spontaneous learning wanes
between 13 and 16 weeks.
It is important to offset tendencies to natural wariness by
reinforcing socialization during the coming weeks.
Watch for displays of territorial dominance
towards
humans or dogs- which should be discouraged as soon as they start.
Fourteenth Week
A puppy becomes integrated into a adult canine social pack and
starts to be treated like an adult rather than a puppy.
Adult dogs will become less tolerant of juvenile
behavior.
Sixteenth Week
Check for signs of teething problems as adult teeth begin to emerge.
Puppy should receive final DHLPP vaccination
Puppies may become
temporarily distracted and cranky during teething. It may help to cut back on formal training during these weeks.
Five Months
Adolescence
approaches and hormonal surges can cause territorial displays, eg lifting, and challenges to human or canine pack members.
Provide a structured routine to reassure the puppy of its pack status and prevent social rank issues
from developing.
housebreaking/lead training/crate training should be complete by this age.
Six Months
Rabies Vaccination
Training
and socialization should be continued and reinforced until one year of age.
