PUPPYSCHOOLINSTRUCTOR’SCOURSE

UNIT1:UNDERSTANDINGPUPPYDEVELOPMENTANDCANINECOMMUNICATION

Objective This unit is aimed at providing information on the various development periods in young puppies

ranging form birth to adolescent stage, as well as the issues that can arise from lack of or inappropriate exposure. The unit also covers information on interpreting canine communication and body language, what is appropriate play and playing styles and what constitutes healthy play.

Learningoutcomes

After completing this unit, you will be able to: • Understand the development periods in puppies and how they can affect and mould the outcome

of the pup’s behaviour later in life, • Understand the differences of socialisation, neutralisation and negative methods of exposure and

the possible affects they may produce • Identify canine body language and communication signals • Interpret play modes and styles when running a puppy playtime session

Areas to becovered

Puppy Development Periods § Neonatal period § Transition period § Awareness period § Socialisation period § Critical socialisation period § Socialisation vs Neutralisation

Canine Communication

§ Canine Communication (body language and signals)

PUPPYSCHOOLINSTRUCTOR’SCOURSE

PuppyDevelopmentPeriodsWhen a puppy is born, it will undergo an array of changes bothwithin its body as it grows, as well asdevelopmentofitsmainsenses(hearing,sight,tasteandfeel).Everycellwithinthebodygrows,multipliesandmakesnewconnectionseachdayasit’snourishednotjustbyfoodthepuppytakesfromitsmother,butalsobythevariousexternalfactorswithintheenvironment.Frombirth,puppiesundergoanumberofspecificperiodsofgrowthandsensorydevelopmentthatwillseethe pup development into an adolescent and then onto an adult canine. Some of these developmentperiodsareverytimespecific,whilstothersoverlapwithanotherasdifferentpartsofthepuppychangeatdifferenttimes.Herearethemaindevelopmentperiodsinpuppies:

NeonatalPeriod(birthto2weeks)• Puppiescannotseeorhearandcanonlycommunicatebyfeel,temperatureandscent.• Puppieshavenobowelandbladdercontrolandassucharetotallydependentontheirmother

PUPPYSCHOOLINSTRUCTOR’SCOURSE

TransitionPeriodFromnewborntoearlypuppyhood(2-3weeks.)

• Puppy’seyesandearsareopenbutsightandhearingarelimited.• Themovementsaremoreconfidentandcrawlingcanbeginassoonas2weeks• Duringthistimetailwaggingandheadmovementsstarttooccurandthepupisnowbeingtobe

drivenbysound• Agoodbreederwillspendalotoftimewiththelitterduringthistime,ensuringsufficient,gentle

contactwith,andtalkingto,thepups.

AwarenessPeriod(3-4weeks)

• Duringthisperiod,hearinghasdevelopedwithinthepup• Thepup’ssightisalsodevelopedduringthistime• Thepuppyislearningthatheisadogandthereforeit'sagreattimeformorehumaninteraction• It’s also a good time to remove the pups for very short periods and spend time with them

individually

SOCIALISATIONPERIODSPrimarysocialisation(3-5weeks)• DuringtheSocialisationperiods,socialinteractioncommences• AsyoucanseethisperiodoverlapswiththeAwarenessperiod• TheSocialisationperiod isa crucial timewhenpuppy learnsvariousbehaviours thatmakehima

dog,Eg:chasegameswhichteachhimcoordination,greetingbehaviourswhichteachhimcanineetiquette

PUPPYSCHOOLINSTRUCTOR’SCOURSE

• Thebehavioursincludevariousbodyposturesandotherformsofcommunicationtoinclude:o Playfightingo Vocalisation(barking,yelping,yipping,howling)o Facialexpressions(usingeyes,mouthandears)o Bitingandbeingbitteno Learningtobedisciplinedo Biteinhibition(toinhibittheforceofhisbite)istaughtbymotherandsiblingsduringthistime

Note:Puppies thatare removed fromtheirmotherandsiblings tooearlyeg.asyoungas5-6weeks,tendtomissoutonmostofthecrucial learningduringthisphaseofdevelopment. Hencewhysomepuppiespurchasedfrompetstoresrarely learntoinhibittheirbite,andtendtobitedownveryhard.Somealsodon’trecognisebodyposturingandlanguageofotherdogs,aswellasnotunderstandingoracceptingreprimandsordisciplinefromotherdogs.

SecondarySocialisationPeriod(6-12Weeks)• Although thepuppy’s brain is only 80%developed, his brainwaves are the sameas thoseof an

adultdogduringthistime.• Thisperiodisgenerallyaroundthetimewhenapuppygoesofftoit’snewhome• Thisisagreattimeforlotsofhumaninteraction• Crate training is possible at this time and should be attempted as early as possible (most good

breederswilldothis).• Thebesttimeforapuptogotohisnewhomeisbetween7&8weeksofageandnowisthebest

timefortransitioningintoitsnewhomeandbeginhisnewlifediscoveringtheworldaroundhimaswellaslearningbasicobedienceskills.

Sometimestermed“FearImpactPeriod”,theperiod

between8-10weeksofageiswhentheneuralpathwayforfearisformedandpuppylearnsaboutfearand/or‘scary’things.Thisistheonlysingleperiodoffeardevelopmentandtherearenoscientificstudiestoproveanyothers.

PUPPYSCHOOLINSTRUCTOR’SCOURSE

IntegrationPeriod(6-12Weeks)(12to21weeks)

• AsyoucanseethisperiodoverlapswiththeSecondarySocialisationperiod• Duringthisperiodofdevelopment,allformsofbasictrainingshouldcommence• Thisperiodisatimewherepuppywillformslastingsocialbondswithhumans,dogsoranyother

animalitspendsalotoftimeexposedto• Puppiesarealso findingouttheirplace in thehouseholdandwheretheyfit inwiththeirowners

andanyotheranimalinthehousehold• Thisisalsothetimewhengenetictendenciesinbehaviourmayshow• Somepuppiesmaystarttolosetheirbabyteethfrom16weeksofage

Images of development period graphs derived from “Applied Dog Behavior & Training, Vol 1” Steven. R. Lindsay

PUPPYSCHOOLINSTRUCTOR’SCOURSE

The“Critical”SocialisationPeriodThe “Critical” Socialisation Period (between 5-16 weeks) overlaps a number of development periodscoveredpreviouslyandisnotedasbeingacrucialtimeinthepuppy’sdevelopmentbecauseit’sthetimewherethepuppy’sbraingrows,involume,bythenumberofcellconnectionsmadewithinthebrain.Duringthesefirst16weeks,80%ofthese"connections" incells(neuralpathways)arebeingformed.Thenumberof"connections"variesonwhatthepuppyisexposedto,seesandexperiencesduringthegrowth(critical)period.Themoreenvironmentexposureandsocialisationthepuppyreceivesduringthistime,thelarger thebrainmass. It isnotapsychologicalphenomenon,but rather thegrowthof thebrainand thedog'scapacitytolearnandtakeininformation.Therefore,thisisthetimewhendogtrainerswillstressthatsocialisingthepuppyisnotonlyimperativeforaconfidentandfriendlydog,butalsoimperativetocreateadogthatiseasilytrainable.(Fox1968-LindsayVol1,2000)Muchofwhat is learnedduring thisearlyperiod is lasting,providinga foundation formanyadultbehaviourpatternsandproblems.Allexperiences(whethergood,badorabsent)duringthecriticalperiodofdevelopmentarepermanentlylearned.Thesewillcontributeheavilytowardsthepuppy’spersonality,behaviourandconfidencelevelsSomeofthebehavioursyouseeinadultdogscanbeattributedtothistimeindevelopmentThe remaining20%ofbraingrowthoccurs from17weeks to12months. This iswhen learningstarts toslowdown.

PuppyDevelopment

0-16Weeks

17wksto12months

PUPPYSCHOOLINSTRUCTOR’SCOURSESocialisationvsNeutralisationWhenapersonobtainsanewpuppy,thefirstthingthat’sexplainedtothenewowneristheimportanceofsocialisationforthatpuppy.Thisisagreatbitofadviceandit’sgoodtoseeourbetterunderstandthesedaysoftheimportanceofsocialisationforpups,butyoumustbemindfulthatyoudonotcreateasituationwherethepuppybecomes‘over-socialised’withotherdogs.Socialisationmustbedonecarefullyandwithconsiderationplaced innot creatingeapuppy thatplacessuchahighvalue inplayingwithotherdogs that it ignoreseverythingelse. Evenworse that itbecomesextremelyover-excitableanduncontrollableuponseeinganotherdoginthedistance.ThedifferencehereisSocialisationvsNeutralisation.Caremust also be taken that the puppy does not have a frightening or stressful experience around theotherdogs,whichcanthencausefear inthepuppy.Forthispuppy,seeingotherdogs isnowfrighteningandthepupmaystartreactingaccordingly.Herearesomeexplanationsofeach:

Socialisation• Develops a POSITIVE (+) relationship/association with the animal/person you are exposing the

puppyto.• The value towards the other animal/person/item will depend on the level and amount of

reward/reinforcement, whether self acquired by the puppy or provided to the puppy whenexposedtotheitems.

• Thegreater the reward/reinforcement, thegreater the valueplaced, also thegreaternumberofsuccessions,thegreaterthevalue.

Neutralisation• Puppy develops a NEUTRAL (0) relationship/association with the animal/person/item you are

exposingthepuppyto• Neithergoodnorbad• Thepuppyneitherlikes,nordislikestheplace,item,personoranimalandassuch,whenexposed

tothem,willmerelylookatitandlookaway.

Aversion/Negative• DevelopsaNEGATIVE(-)relationship/associationwiththeanimal/person/itemyouareexposingthe

puppyto.• Theseverityoftheaversionassociatedtowardstheotheranimal/personwilldependonthelevel

andtypeofexposure/experiencereceivedfromthatanimal/person• The greater the aversive, the lower the value placed…sometimes with severe and permanent

psychologicalscarring

-Negativeassociation(Aversive)

Neutralassociation(Neutralise)

+Positiveassociation(Socialise)

- +0

PUPPYSCHOOLINSTRUCTOR’SCOURSEWhilstmostownersarehappytoseetheirpuppieshappilyplayingwithotherpuppiesordogs,they’llalsotellyouthattheywouldlovetoseetheirpupsometimesignoretheotherdogsandnotbecomesoover-excitable upon seeing them. Further, over-excitability due to over-socialisation canproduce an array ofunwantedbehavioursandevenaggressionduetoabuildupfrustration.Aspuppyschoolinstructors,ouraimistosocialiseandexpose(withaviewtoaddingadegreeofpositivevalue)tootherpuppiesanddogssothatwecreateapuppythatishappytobearoundstrangepeopleanddogs, as well as creating a puppy that has a degree of neutralisation towards them so that they don’tbecomedogsthataredifficulttohandlewhenadultdogs.Inadditiontotheabove,thepuppyschoolinstructor’saimistoexposeandhabituate,aswellasneutralise,thepuppiestoasmanyeverydayitemsandexperiencesaspossiblesothatthepuppywillnotreact(eitherexcitedlyorfrightened)whenitseesthem.

PUPPYSCHOOLINSTRUCTOR’SCOURSE

CanineCommunicationThis section covers the variousways inwhichdogs communicate and interactwith eachother andwithpeople.Youwilllearnhowtointerpretwhatapuppyisfeeling,tryingtocommunicate.Dogs communicate by various displays of body language and vocalisation. They aremasters at readingeventheslightestofsignalsandwillcommunicatewithotherdogsusingaseriesof:Facialexpressions These include lip curl, showing the whites of their eyes (or whale eye), staring,

foreheadcreases,yawning,tongueflicksBodyposturing Theseinclude:tip-toe,standingupright,stiffenedbody,tailcarriage, bodycarriage,headpositioning.Vocalisation Theseinclude:growlinginvarioustones,barkinginvariouspitchesEach individualsignal istermedasamicro-behaviour.Microbehavioursarechainedtootherbehaviours,formingclustersthatmakea‘sentence’thatisusedtocommunicatedtootherdogsandhumans.Interpreting body language is crucial to all puppy trainers to ensure that you are reading each puppycorrectlyandinturnkeepthesessionssafeandfunforallinvolved.Sometimeswhatyoumaythinkisfunplay,mayactuallynotbethecaseandyoudon’trecognisetheverystressedpuppycryingoutforhelpwhilstanotherpracticesbullyingbehaviour.

AvoidanceandCalmingsignalsUsedbyfearfulpuppiesand/orthosebulliedorpushedtoofarbysomeotherpuppiesmayshowavoidancebehaviours.Thesebehaviourscanbe:avoidance(lookingaway),hidingbehindowners,chairs/tables,lowbodyposture,tailtuckedandliplicking,yawning,nilinterestininteraction.LipLicking(tongueflicks)Liplickingisadistinctdisplacementsignalindogsthatarestressed.Whilstdogswillliplickeveniftheyareevenjustmildlystressed,it’simportantthatyouwatchandrecogniseit.LiplickingisalsousedasacalmingsignalWhaleeye(showingwhite’sofeyes)Thisbehaviourisasignthatthedogisuncomfortableandwaryoftheapproachingthreat.It’salsousedasanavoidancesignal.Closed,pursedmuzzleA closed and pursedmuzzle indicates tension and orientation towards the threat. Tight facial musclesusuallyaccompanythisbehaviourandthedog’swhiskersareforwardTensebodyWatch for tenseposturing in thebody. Threateningdogsmay tenseupand face the threat, othersmaymoveawayfromthethreat.

PUPPYSCHOOLINSTRUCTOR’SCOURSEYawningYawningisusuallyasignofstressandanxiousnessinadog.Puppieswillyawnwhentheyareunsureofthesituationandliplickingandavoidancemayaccompanythisbehaviour.YawningisalsousedandanappeasementsignalTailWagging

Howadogwagsit’stailisextremelyimportantasitenablesus,andotherdogs,ameansofinterpretingthedog’sintention.Awaggingtaildoesn’talwaysmean“friendly”.Neutraltail(waggingornot)Thisisgenerallyarelaxeddogwithnomajorconcerns.Loosewagging(sidetoside-sometimeswholebody)Thisdogishappyandperhapsexcitedtobegreetedbysomeone,ishappytobegoingoutforwalkordosomethingexciting.Heldhigh(waggingattipornot)Adogwithtailheldhigh,sometimeswaggingatthetip,isaroused.Thearousalcouldbetheprospectofafight,dominanceposturingordefence.Manypeoplemistakethisforfriendlywaggingofwhichitisnot.Low–tuckedtailThisisgenerallyasignofthedogbeingafraidorfearful.Atuckedtailthatiswaggingmeanssubmissiveapproach.