E Litter: The Socialization Period 3 to 12 Weeks
Part 1: Puppies 3 to 4 Weeks
From 3- 12 wks of age is the Socialization Period. This period can be divided into 4 divisions. Each important to the next stage. It is during this period that the puppy’s primary social relationships develop. It is important that the primary association is with people so that they can develop lasting relationships, especially in the later stages. A puppy that receives little human contact during this time will find it difficult to adjust to humans their whole lifetime.
During this time the puppy also needs to be with littermates and the dam, especially during the first weeks of the socialization period. They need to learn how to act around other dogs and puppies or they could be become a dog that picks fights easily or have problems mating.
The first stage of the Socialization Period is referred to as:
The Period of Becoming Aware(22-28 days; 3-4 wks)
During this time, the pups can hear, see, and their sense of smell is becoming much more complex. They begin to eat food, and begin to bark, wag their tails and bite the other pups. By the end of 4 wks the pups are beginning to develop sight perception of distance and their sense of smell is becoming more complex. Between 3-4 wks, the puppy is experiencing a shower of sensory stimulation. The bitch should remain as much as possible with the litter at this time as they are experiencing so much awareness of the world around them and things are happening so fast that they need a stable home environment.
It is also during this time that you start to see adult behavior patterns with their play fighting, scruff holding and prey killing (head shaking) movements and they begin to bark, growl and snap at each other.
This past week has been fun with Tikka and the pups. They are progressing in their development quickly and each day you swear they are learning and growing!! The pups are wagging their tails when I call them and cuddle with them. They are giving me lots of kisses and interaction. They are playing with each other, tugging on their ears, biting their necks, and pouncing on each other. I have heard growls and barks coming from the puppy room on several occasions. They are starting to pick up toys, grabbing my pant leg and tugging as well as grabbing the blanket and toys for some tug games. They are really starting to explore their environment more and more. We have allowed them into the family room for interaction and play time. Tikka is also trying to play with them more…it is so cute to watch her getting down on her front legs to engage them in play. They are all using their legs VERY well and you will often find them running or trotting! They are also starting to use their paws more and will often paw at me in play.
It has been fun watching each one go through the development stages. No collar girl is the ‘explorer’ of the bunch at the moment. You will often find her out on her own exploring every corner she can find. She will also come to me and will want to cuddle and have attention. She is likely the most independent of the pups at the moment. She is quite ‘thick’ in the neck and a good size as well.
Lime green collar girl is a sweetie right now. She can take on any of the other pups with no problem but also seeks out human contact readily. She will wag her tail as I hold her and give her kisses and as she licks my face. She loves to sit on your lap. She is also the most feminine girl in looks.
Red collar girl is in-between no collar and lime green. She is on the larger size, will explore and play with the pups but will also come readily to you for human contact.
Orange collar girl is also a cuddler and attention getter. She will sit in front of you and look at you, then cuddle up on your lap. She is not a push over though. You will find ALL the girls taking on any of the other siblings and having fun playing, interacting and jumping each other.
Green collar boy is still the largest. He is a funny guy. He will often get up, talk for a bit as he walks around. Think he is looking for the food source! He is a go-getter, but also likely sleeps the most out of the pup’s…lol.
Yellow boy is likely the most independent out of the boys. He is medium size, loves to explore, will grab your pant leg, or hand, and interact with you. He is also the one that will bark once in awhile.
Purple collar boy is also a grabber and go-getter but I think is also the boy who seeks out human contact the most out of the boys. He is the smallest of the boys but….not necessarily small!
As I write all this down, I sometimes hesitate. I will notice one thing about one puppy and then the next day will see something different. They are all doing very well. They all seem to really enjoy human contact, interacting with each other and playing with each other. At one moment I will see one picking on another and think….oh….maybe more dominant…and then I will see the bottom pup on top of the other being dominant. They all seem to be able to handle themselves no problem with each other. I haven’t really noticed one as being the ‘top’ puppy or one that is the ‘bottom’ puppy. Most, if not all, have also shown a good interest in some of the toys, in ‘tugging’ at each other, the blanket or the pant legs. I have seen the scruff grip on the neck of the pups and even a bit of the head shaking from some.
I started them on some goat’s milk at 3 wks. of age. They took pretty good to that. As they seem to be ahead somewhat in their development, I decided to give them a wee bit of tripe (ground) in their milk 2 days ago. Amazing to see the difference! They could definitely smell that something else was in the milk. As this seemed to go well, I continued with the wee bit of tripe. Yesterday I decided to put more tripe and less milk into the bowl. WOW….they gobbled that up!!! Today they have had tripe several times and they lick the puppy saucer CLEAN! I also started to put a water dish into their living area so that they get used to drinking this. Tikka is still a great mom and feeds them when they ask!! She also licks them CLEAN after their meal of tripe! I will start to add some different meat to their meals soon. After that will be some lamb bones. They have a good set of teeth in now and they can be sharp!
I haven’t taken them outside yet as the weather has not been very warm or dry, but we are expecting some nice warm weather at the end of the week, so will then take them on their first outside visit.
Although we are having fun with some play periods with the pups, they still spend a lot of time sleeping! They are also defecating on their own but Tikka is still cleaning up after them. These next weeks should be fun!!
Puppies First Outing - 4 weeks
We finally had a break in our weather and the puppies can enjoy the outdoors. These are photos of their first outing. As you can see by the photos, they are quite comfortable relaxing in and exploring the great outdoors for their first time.
Indoor & Outdoor Photos at 4 Weeks +
Puppy fell asleep with toy in mouth!
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