Puppy Care Topics - The Early Days of Puppies

In this latest Puppy Care Topic, Debbie Hill (Chairman for the German Shepherd Dog Welfare Fund) examines some of the key challenges facing young pups when they go to their new homes. This article was originally part of the information provided to the new owners of Lexi's puppies, as well as ongoing support and guidance that is available to the adopters of any of our rescued dogs. 

THE EARLY DAYS OF PUPPIES

The genes of dogs are made up of 2 alleles (genotype), one inherited from the sire and one inherited from the dam. Genes will affect things like size, coat, eye colour etc. The dominant and recessive allele are represented by a series of letters. The phenotype is the physical expression of the genotype which is responsible for the shape, size, health, and general nature of the dog. The phenotype is affected by the environment. Two nervous dogs can produce a pup that is also of a nervous disposition but correct early socialisation may produce a pup who is calm. This was obviously a worry for us because both Lexi and Apollo are very nervous dogs. This said, we believe this was caused by environment and the treatment they received (nurture) rather than genetics (nature). However, we still had to do all we could to give the puppies the best start possible, and prepare them for their future, especially as they were born in rescue kennels.

Most people do not socialise their pups until approximately 12-14 weeks of age, once they feel they are safe to do so, due to vaccinations. This is a worry because it coincides with the onset of the fear period. This means that just as the “fear of the unknown” period is starting, the puppies are taken out into the big wide world to face many novel experiences. Obviously, the puppy will then show signs of stress. Sadly, at this point, many owners tell the puppy it is OK and continue to expose them to these novel experiences. Personally, I feel this is where lots of  the dog’s issues start, especially in a breed like the German Shepherd. It used to be thought that the 8 – 14-week period when the puppies went to their new home was the most important period for socialising a pup. Suzanne Clothier’s “the puppy protocol”, stresses that days 0-63 are crucial for development and the pups should be stimulated according to the development stage they are at during this time. We have followed the puppy protocol with our the puppies so they will be better equipped to deal with life in their new home and more able to cope with novel stimulus. They are given objects to climb on, different texture surfaces/smells/sounds and visual stimulation. A larger whelping box was used rather than the size normally used to give us room to add objects to stimulate the puppies. This also gave them room to move further. Different objects were added regularly to provide novel stimulation.

Clothier tells us that a puppy reared in a larger area with different views will develop better vision. Some breeders’ whelp/raise puppies in sterile kennel environments so they miss out on this important period leaving them ill equipped to cope. During trials, the rats that were given appropriate stimulation from birth had brains that weighed heavier than those that did not have the stimulation.

Although the genetics are the “blueprint” of the foundation, the environment is as important (nature Vs nurture). Our puppies are regularly taken outside (from 3-4 weeks of age) to a play area with obstacles for them to navigate. This means they are seeing further and experiencing new sights and sounds from an early age. They will also be taken on car journeys as part of the rearing process.

Many health issues are inherited from the parents so it is imperative that for a planned litter, both parents have undergone the relevant health tests otherwise the puppy can inherit such diseases. With health issues such as degenerative  myelopathy, both parents must carry the gene. With cases like Lexi, who came into rescue already in whelp, none of the relevant health tests were done. All we could do was give the puppies the best start we could. Feeding Lexi a nutritious diet was imperative for her puppies. If she was malnourished the pup would likely encounter immune issues later in life. Lexi was feed lots of fresh food high in protein and  calcium.

The bond between the dam and pups is important for the puppy’s emotional development. The nursing and licking cause gene expression making the pups more resilient to stress. As Lexi was so young, we were worried that she wouldn’t make a good mum, although she had already had a litter of puppies when she was just 12 months old. We needn’t have worried as she is an amazing mummy.

Genes and the environment meet at a point during this early window of brain development and form the neural circuits that underlay behaviour. During these early periods known as the critical period the nervous system must go through certain experiences to allow them to meet their needs and for the puppy to mature. During this time the puppy is set for high rates of learning, but this diminishes after the critical period. 

Suzanne clothier compares puppies that are reared without sufficient stimuli to children adopted from Romanian orphanages. Although the children are clean and fed, they are often kept in cots with little interaction. Most of these children have difficulties in life even if adopted and given a wonderful childhood. There have been several reports of adopters of Romanian orphans that have had to return children as they got older. It may just be a case of the child cries constantly with no apparent reason but usually the damage causes more troublesome behaviours to be exhibited. Puppies need adequate stimuli to enable the brain to grow. Rearing a puppy in a clinical environment can stop healthy brain development. For a puppy to be able to deal with novel situations in life, neuroplasticity is a must. Puppies that are exposed to traumatic experiences can have issues with development and sensory input. Trauma can cause neurological/physiological changes Not having a positive rearing program will inhibit learning, so we are most cautious that all our puppies’ experiences are 

good ones.

Socialising a puppy is not a to do list. Puppies need to learn at their own pace. If we rush them faster than they are ready to cope with it will have more of a detrimental effect than positive. The first night for the puppy in his new home can be traumatic. He has left his litter mates and then owners expect to put him to bed and leave him for the night. The old-fashioned idea was to put them to bed and then ignore them when they are crying. Going back to them will teach them to cry to get you back. We now know that leaving a puppy to cry causes him to be stressed and stress can kill of neurons. We recommend that these pups have a crate with some soft bedding placed next to their owners’ bed for the first few weeks, so they feel safe. Once the puppy feels secure in the new home, the bed can start being moved gradually towards the area of preference. 

Flooding was another old-fashioned training method that was favoured. We now know the damage that flooding does i.e., stress and fearfulness leaving the pup to feel they cannot cope. Lots of people inadvertently “flood” when socialising a puppy. They think taking it to a park with strange dogs coming up and rolling it over is getting them used to other dogs. For the pup this can have a negative effect, in turn causing the pup to grow and display reactiveness. Instead, puppies should be taken into the vicinity of other dogs/cats/animals and be kept safe with no interaction and made to feel comfortable enough that they can still interact with their handler. They should be rewarded for displaying calm behaviour instead of being asked to go and sniff other dogs or being asked to perform obedience tasks such as sit or down. 

Just being in these novel situations is a big deal for puppies so REWARD them for just being there. All training should be positive and be a  “game” to the puppy.