D From three weeks to three months: the period of socialization and impregnation
The balance of future adults is played mainly, if not exclusively, during this phase of development. This period will serve as a frame of reference throughout the life of the dogs, it will condition their future reactions.The impregnation period is a key learning period where the dog must learn to communicate with its species, to discover other species ( including ours), to adapt and react to novelty.There are three distinct learnings during this period: sensitive impregnation, intra-specific socialization and inter-specific socialization.
1 Sensitive impregnation
Hearing is arguably the most important sense to develop. Without making an exhaustive list of the noises puppies should be used to, the breeder should work with his puppies as if they were all going to live in a town center. Besides the doors slamming, the sounds of falling pots, vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, music of all kinds and at high sound levels, city noises are very important. There are sound recordings for this. So that puppies are not terrified by fireworks, thunder and firecrackers it is very important to get them used to the detonations. Firecrackers of different sizes allow you to vary the intensity of the detonations. Although sight is used almost exclusively to detect movement in dogs, the repercussions of not stimulating this sense should not be overlooked. An adult may be terrified at the sight of an out of place trash can on the sidewalk or an umbrella that opens in front of them. It is very good that the puppies are faced with different scenes. They can be locked up while the breeder completely changes their usual setting. The breeder will be able to place garbage cans, a bicycle, a stroller in their living space ... It is very good to rehearse these scenes by completely varying the placement of the objects.
To touch it, puppies have to get used to surfaces of different types. For example: grids and metal plates on which they can be made to walk.
Smell is a highly developed sense in dogs. Odor phobias in dogs are quite rare and are usually associated with a particular event. However, it can be good to get puppies used to the rather strong smells of a house: perfumes, cleaning products ...
2 Intra-specific socialization.
Puppies, from a behavioral point of view, are not born dogs but learn to be dogs. Communication between dogs is not innate but acquired. It is acquired very quickly since by the age of 6 weeks puppies will have acquired 80% of the behavioral patterns of their species. During this period puppies learn hierarchy. Puppies start to learn that adopting a submissive posture (lying down, lying on their backs or running away) from around one month onwards stops aggression from their mother or a member of their siblings. . The appearance of baby teeth makes breastfeeding painful and causes the mother to repel her puppies. We will therefore see the mother submitting the puppies more frequently and in a more virulent manner. She can also start to defend her bowl and various objects. It is essential that the puppies stay with their mother at all times. Above all, do not remove the dog from your puppies to relieve it or for fear of bites. The limits they place on their puppies are part of learning submission but also the beginnings of detachment. Puppies will also learn inhibited bite. The inhibited bite is the control of the pressure a dog exerts with its jaw. It is a capital learning. Puppies will learn to modulate the pressure they exert on their jaw by their mother and siblings' reactions to their biting. When a puppy bites too hard a member of his siblings he will be attacked in return or be sanctioned by the mother.The puppies will also learn what the different body postures and facial expressions mean to associate them with a message. 6 weeks old, it is advisable to put the puppies in contact with other adult dogs. Dogs with different temperaments, reactions and tolerance thresholds it is good for puppies to familiarize themselves with adults who react differently.
3 Inter-specific socialization
Puppies should be put in contact with people of different ages and builds and, if possible, young children. If the puppies only see the breeder, they will not be socialized to the human species but to a specific person. They may fear people who stray from the build, attitudes and intonations of your voice.
