Puppies have a lot in common with their human counterpart. Both puppies and babies need physical and mental stimulation, or they will suffer behavioral and developmental difficulties as they grow up. Dogs are very social animals. Like children they rely on interactions of others around them to mold their personality, shape their behavior and provide boundaries.<\/p>\n
Between three and eight weeks your puppy learns what he needs to know from his mom and siblings about the rules of, well, being a dog. If you have a lone puppy, he\u2019s going to be dependent on you for all his education and stimulation. Fortunately, a litter can offer each other some companionship and even some life lessons.<\/p>\n
If Mom is still around, but unable to nurse her puppies, divide up the puppy care responsibilities. You handle the feeding and she can take on the cleanup and home schooling. As most of us know, no one can make you feel cherished, and no one can lay down the law like Mama. She teaches that gentle touch feel good, and biting hard is bad. Siblings supplement Mom\u2019s lessons. Rowdy play is fun; rough play hurts.<\/p>\n
If mom isn\u2019t around to teach these lessons, the job falls on you. Your job is to teach your puppies that great things happen when people are around, and other pets and kids can be fun, too.<\/p>\n
Puppies go through many important developmental stages.<\/p>\n
Between five and seven weeks the puppies begin to develop relationships with people. Orchestrate novel situations and pleasant encounters with strangers and gentle kids. Introduce him to both men and women, folks of different ethnicities and varying ages. Make sure everyone washes their hands before handling the little pooch. Perhaps he can play with a puppy-loving adult dog. Don\u2019t forget to introduce him to dog-friendly kitties. Since he won\u2019t have full immunity to contagious diseases, he should only come in contact with healthy dogs with current vaccinations. Always supervise encounters with animals and kids, both for your puppy\u2019s safety and for the safety of his new friends. Don\u2019t put this off.<\/p>\n
Let him experience situations and noises he\u2019ll encounter later in life: the radio, the vacuum, tennis shoes in the clothes dryer, toilets flushing, babies crying, pans hitting the ground, umbrellas and car rides. (You can buy CDs with thunder recordings or pick up a CD with Halloween sound effects.)<\/p>\n
Around his eighth week, he\u2019ll go through a fear phase. A puppy who hasn't been exposed to different situations, will be timid and fearful. But you don\u2019t want to overwhelm him. Too much stimulation or placing\u00a0a puppy\u00a0in situations that scare the fur off of\u00a0him could turn him into a fearful withdrawn adult. Don\u2019t reward (hold him, pet and comfort him with baby talk) fearful behavior.<\/p>\n
Puppies who\u00a0don\u2019t get the exposure to these things during this critical period are much more likely to be fearful or aggressive adults, than puppies who are introduced to many different people and animals.<\/p>\n
Mother dogs set boundaries and establish manners for their little ones. You don\u2019t want to undermine her lessons. From the very beginning, the unacceptable should always be unacceptable.<\/p>\n
One problem with puppies is that they are so adorable, they can get away with anything. When a five week old puppy nips you it\u2019s cute; when a 50 pound dog does it, it\u2019s dangerous. Fingers and toes are never okay to chew on. There needs to be a consequence for inappropriate behavior. Biting earns a sharp, \u201cNo!\u201d and ends the game. You must be consistent. Biting cannot be okay with the kids and not acceptable with you. Try to get everyone on board. Distracting him with a toy or acceptable chew item is another way to stop inappropriate behavior.<\/p>\n
Never physically punish or hit your puppy. He won\u2019t make the connection between his action and the slap to the nose. He will learn that you\u2019re a crazy person that comes unglued unexpectedly and is not to be trusted.<\/p>\n