The Second Stage of Socialization is called the Period of Curiosity. (5-7 wks) This period is where weaning begins, the puppies are curious, they have little sense of fear, the participate in group activities & play and is usually when the dominance order begins.
This is an extremely important time in the puppy’s life. The puppy is totally dependant on the environment; what ‘we’ provide for them to stimulate and develop their genetic qualities. It is also very important for them to receive attention from humans. There will be rapid change and growth in this period. During this period the puppy acquires full use of their eyes and ears, and their legs become stronger and more coordinated. At the beginning of this stage the puppy still have little sense of fear and is quick to approach anything and anybody. By the end of the two weeks though, they will begin to be more cautious in their approach, which is part of learning to discriminate among sites, sounds and smells.
Sexual play is also evident at this age. Mounting is quite common among males and sometimes females. This is a normal part of puppy play and is important in teaching puppies what is normal sexual response as they mature.
The puppies turned 5 wks. old yesterday! It all goes so quickly. The pups are exploring more and more of their environment. I have added some new things to their environment this week. The first being some bones to chew on. They are enjoying these. I also added a few crates for them to sleep in. They took to these VERY quickly. You will always find a puppy or two in the crates sleeping or playing with another pup. They also are going outside on the porch more often. I will also add some other ‘play’ things for them. I introduced a ‘kong’ today. It is too big for them to pick up but they like to chew on it. I will put in some boxes with holes in them for them to go in and out of. They are showing no fear at approaching anything or anyone! We have had lots of visitors! Some very small young children as well as adults. The pups enjoy their interactions with everyone!
Blue Paw & Girl
Girl
Raw Meaty Bone
This is the time you often see some sexual play, but I have actually been seeing this for several weeks. Mounting on each other etc. Brink’s pups seem to do this at an early age but also outgrow it.
Some of the pups have met the other dogs for very brief moments. Tikka still is a bit apprehensive of them being too close to the pups, but she will likely relax in this very soon. The weather had not been very cooperative, so right now their outside outings have been limited to the porch area. Soon, I will let them go on the gravel area closer to the sheep and the grass area....although this has a lot of mud in it right now! I am sure they won’t mind playing in it, but I don’t relish cleaning them all up!
Will update more later!!! I hope you enjoy our photos ~ more photos below!
Blue
Red
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