16 weeks ...No Fear exhibited in relation to people, places or things

As Puppy Madonna approaches the "end" to the sensitive period... she still exhibits an open curiosity to enviornmental sitimulus. She also shows no reservations interms of contact with new persons ( strangers).

She exhibits a wide range of play behaviors with other dogs very much conditioned by their size, degree of aggressiveness and age.

Also, there seems to be a coorelation with the loss of some of her baby teeth and a very noticible increase in retrieve "drive".  Her object oriented play has definitely taken a definitively new direction. She is much more intrestested in chasing objects, and retreiving them. This was also stimulated i belive by some "clicker training" conditioning.  But that seems insufficient to explain the large "quantitative and qualitative" increase in these behaviors.

Her "prey" kill/shake behaviors seem about the same level of intensity. She will continue to growl and kill/shake toys aggressively.  No big change there but the retrieve is definetly up.

NO fear stage observed (14 weeks old)

She is now 14 weeks old and has still exhibited no fear stage.  Interesting, can this be due to the continuously intense postive socialization since her birth? This has been a "streight line" chained experiences for her with almost no negative factors at all. There was only the slightest hesitancy observed over this course of time and only 2 or 3 times. The hesitancy was almost imperceptable. She continues to run up to males and females of different ages (people that is) with no hesitancy at all.

OBSERVATIONS

We need to know what to expect from the puppy if we are to recognize and encourage its physical and mental develo

pment. It all begins with whelping the puppy in a creative and stimulating way. week 1: Puppy has minimal seeing and hearing, stays close to mother and littermates; cannot yet regulate body temperature. Handler should have physical contact with puppy every day.

 week 2: Eyes may open by the end of week 2; puppy can hear sounds, can walk but is very unsteady. Handler should continue picking puppy up, providing sensory stimulation.

 week 3: By end of week 3 eyes should be open and puppy might start when hearing sounds. Handler should put new things in whelping box for puppies to play with; by end of week 3 puppy starts to be able to learn. Handler should introduce puppies to new sounds, surfaces, possibly friendly other animals. The window for learning social skills in the litter has opened and puppy starts to learn from mother and littermates how to get along.

 week 4: Puppies start to learn and practice "doggy" behaviors through playing with littermates. Puppies learn biting, barking, basic social rules, through playing with each other. Puppies will hump each other. Through active play with each other they start to learn bite inhibitiion. Puppies will also recognize their handler and other folks they have been exposed to. Mother dog will wean puppies and handler can introduce other food. Puppies also start to learn doggy manners from mom and their littermates.

 weeks 4 through 7: This is a time period in which puppy learns many social skills including how to handle new experiences and how to get along with other dogs. The handler should expose puppy to new sights, sounds, places on a daily basis. Puppy should also have some experience of being alone for short time periods. Puppy should have time alone with handler. week 7: Research indicates that by the end of week 7, puppy's brain waves are the same as those of an adult dog. The puppy, however, has very little life experience except for what has been learned in the litter and taught by the handler. How the puppy faces the world has in many ways been shaped by this time. week 8 to 11: Puppy has hopefully moved to a permanent home by

 week 8, and a good handler will continue puppy's early learning by adding more opportunities for socialization and exposure to the outside world. Puppy's bladder control will be developing more and puppy is more likely to make it more of the way through the night without having to go out. There is also a "fear phase" that occurs during this time period.

 weeks 12 to 16: During this period, puppy is beginning to figure out ordering within the new family, and may do things to challenge the handler. Also during this time period teething begins in earnest and the handler needs to pay attention to the chewing needs of the puppy as the adut teeth begin to come in.

 Observations weeks 11 to 12 and 12 to 13: Nov 11 (12 weeks +1 day)

 Noticed Madonna was a bit more hesitant when meeting our friend Gary the plumber. His behavior was very inviting and very positive. She just hesitated a minute and then ran up to him and was most social. The point is we are beginning to see a little bit of preliminary apprehension when encountering new people. This change, although almost imperceptible, has surfaced mid 11th week and now into 12th week of developmental behavior. Also she clearly is developing coordinated physical skill as observed in her running, jumping, biting and playing with our one year old male Austrailian Shepherd vistor and our six month old visitor, a male golden retriever. In researching dog development during this age range, we found the following which is quite interesting and seems to suggest what the timing is in her newly observable behaviors. The following information is from The Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training, by Steven R. Lindsay, Iowa University Press, 2000; pages 46-47. "...It has been speculated that the sharp dip in heart rate between weeks 3 and 5 results from the integration of the corticohypothalamic neural connections and the development of increased sensitiviy to emotion-eliciting stimuli and social conditioning. A sympathetic rebound between weeks 5 and 7 is followed by autonomic equilibration and fine tuning over the ensuing several weeks, with a leveling out of heart rate toward adult levels by 16 weeks of age. After week 5, puppies become progressively more cautious and hesitant about making new social contacts--a growing fearful tendency that appears to peak with the close of the socialization period at 12 weeks. .... This pattern of development culminates in the emergence of adultlike brain activity and the appearance of a particularly sensitive period for fear imprints around 8 to 10 weeks of age (Fox, 1966c.).......A fear of strangers appears between 5 and 7 weeks of age and quickly develops over several weeks, culminating in the close of the socialization period during week 12. This developing social fear and reactive avoidance of new social contacts complements the overall solidification of previously established social contacts and bonds." We need to know what to expect from the puppy if we are to recognize and encourage its physical and mental development. It all begins with whelping the puppy in a creative and stimulating way.

Summary Stages Of Development

week 1:  Puppy has minimal seeing and hearing, stays close to mother and littermates; cannot yet regulate body temperature. Handler should have physical contact with puppy every day.

week 2:  Eyes may open by the end of week 2; puppy can hear sounds,  can walk but is very unsteady. Handler should continue picking puppy up, providing sensory stimulation.

week 3:  By end of week 3 eyes should be open and puppy might start when hearing sounds. Handler should put new things in whelping box for puppies to play with; by end of week 3 puppy starts to be able to learn.  Handler should introduce puppies to new sounds, surfaces, possibly friendly other animals. The window for learning social skills in the litter has opened and puppy starts to learn from mother and littermates how to get along.

week 4:  Puppies start to learn and practice "doggy" behaviors through playing with littermates. Puppies learn biting, barking, basic social rules, through playing with each other. Puppies will hump each other. Through active play with each other they start to learn bite inhibitiion. Puppies will also recognize their handler and other folks they have been exposed to. Mother dog will wean puppies and handler can introduce other food. Puppies also start to learn doggy manners from mom and their littermates.

weeks 4 through 7:  This is a time period in which puppy learns many social skills including how to handle new experiences and how to get along with other dogs. The handler should expose puppy to new sights, sounds, places on a daily basis.  Puppy should also have some experience of being alone for short time periods. Puppy should have time alone with handler.

week 7:  Research indicates that by the end of week 7, puppy's brain waves are the same as those of an adult dog.  The puppy, however, has very little life experience except for what has been learned in the litter and taught by the handler.  How the puppy faces the world has in many ways been shaped by this time.

week 8 to 11:  Puppy has hopefully moved to a permanent home by week 8, and a good handler will continue puppy's early learning by adding more opportunities for socialization and exposure to the outside world.  Puppy's bladder control will be developing more and puppy is more likely to make it more of the way through the night without having to go out.  There is also a "fear phase" that occurs during this time period.