Dog Breeders

The socialisation period for puppies is approximately 3 to 14 weeks with a peak at 4 to 8 weeks so you can see that the owner of the dam has a real responsibility to get the puppies off on the right foot. 

Situations experienced during this socialisation period in a non-threatening context are accepted as normal, while novel situations experienced later can cause fear or anxiety which, in the worst cases, can lead to aggression and the breakdown of the relationship with the dog’s family.

This should be gentle to avoid frightening the puppies but should be carried out daily and by a selection of people with a minimum of four different people being involved. A ten minute session is probably about right but this can be repeated during the day. Start with people who are well known to the mother to avoid stressing her and gradually introduce less familiar people. 

You should aim for: 

• Various age groups and both sexes 
• Different ethnic groups if possible
• Different appearances e.g. wearing glasses/sun glasses, hats, beards 

It is very important to involve contact with children in order to produce a rewarding family pet. All handling by children should be under adult supervision and control; it is possible to hurt puppies by picking them up roughly and this can result in a fearful dog. The aim at all times is to give the puppies pleasurable experiences so that they enjoy human contact. 

Handling should include gently examining feet and ears so that this becomes an accepted part of the puppy’s life. 

The puppies should be housed in an area of the house where they will experience family life, it is tempting to shut them away in a spare room, but this will lead to them missing out on vital early socialisation. Ideally they should be able to see and hear all the normal day to day activities e.g. washing machines, vacuum cleaners, radios etc. If this is difficult, it is possible to find good quality recordings of these on YouTube. It is thought that puppies can respond to sounds in the womb, so you can start this during pregnancy. 

The puppies can also be carefully introduced to other pets, keep the atmosphere relaxed and make it a pleasurable experience, if your cat is aggressive towards dogs then avoid contact or you will give the wrong message!