Genetic Influences

  • Parents pass on genetic info to puppies
  • Colour – difficult to predict – labs 2 black parents can produce yellow, black & chocolate
  • Inherited health issues – certain breeds can be more prone to certain health issues
  • Parents should be health tested before breeding
  • Pedigrees more at risk from health issues – restricted gene pool, increased inbreeding, conformation to breed standards
  • Designer dogs, although crossbreeds can also suffer from genetic issues
  •  Cross breeds live 1.2 years longer avg
  • Not much difference in pedigrees and cross breeds for common disorders
  • Tame foxes experiment – took the tamest to people foxes and bred; curly tails, floppy ears, longer socialisation period (linked to tameness)
  • Aggressive foxes experiment – bred the aggressive foxes; aggressive passed down
  • Genetic component to some behaviours; social/aggression, flank sucking in Dobermans
  • English cookers studied for aggression, couldn’t find single gene responsible
  • Epigenetics – how events in parents life are passed through genes to pup (at least two generations – need to look at grandparents as well as parents

Environmental Factors

  • Maternal care
  • Bad breeders
  • Pregnant for 9 weeks
  • Maternal diet – puppies preferred what mother ate during pregnancy, effected body condition and condition and conformation
  • Puppies born to stressed pregnant bitches are more likely to have chronic stress, ADHD, impaired learning, heightened stress responses
  • Puppies learn from mother at young age
  • Is mother allowed to be with the pups?
  • Is mother worried about you being there?
  • Same for father

Weeks 0-3

  • Helpless
  • Can find their way to a warm place (can’t regulate their own temp)
  • Kept close to mother so that they can feed
  • Crawl -2-3 days
  • Whine
  • Feel touch
  • Mother licks them to stimulate toileting
  • Sense of smell (don’t over stimulate)
  • 10-14 days eyes open – poor vision
  • Gentle handing
  • Mother and pups need to feel safe
  • 14-21 days teeth
  • Liquids
  • Toileting on own
  • 3 weeks start of sensitive period

Weeks 3-12

  • Socialisation period – John Fisher – days 14-49
  • Weeks 3-5 sight, hearing, smell improving
  • Can leave the nest to toilet
  • Don’t flood with sensory information
  • Weeks 5-8
    • better motor skills, more coordinated, better facial expression, full use of all senses
    • Learn to interact with other dogs
    • Lots of play and biting
    • Learning bite inhibition
    • Pick things up in their mouthes
    • Solid food
    • Wean off mum/mum stop them feeding
    • Mum disciplines
    • Important they are kept with mum and siblings
    • More handling
    • Human contact
    • Separate each pup from litter and mum for 5 minutes a day
    • Access to things to stimulate senses
  • Weeks 7-12
    • Human socialisation period (should be from day 1 anyway)
    • Explore further
    • Need primary attachment figure
    • Developing personalities
    • Social contact important
    • 8 weeks (illegal before 8 weeks) new home
    • After 12-14 pup enters fear period – all contact must be positive

Weeks 12-24

  • 3-6 months – juvenile stage
  • Want to please, want to stay close to their care giver
  • Easy to train
  • Fed 3 times a day
  • 4-6 months
    • Teething
    • Chewing
    • Biting
  • 4-8 months
    • Flight instinct – dog wants to explore further – manage so that recall doesn’t suffer
    • Looking less puppy like – people less tolerant, dogs less tolerant

6 Months Onward

  • Adolescence – still young and still learning
  • Adolescence not the same as physical maturity
  • Small breed 8m, giant breed 24m
  • Sexual maturity, hormones – female 6-9 months, male – 6 months
  • Growth plates should be closed before neutering
  • Reduced self control, reduced impulse control, reduced frustration tolerance
  • Second fear period
  • Secondary training period
  • Socially mature – fully developed – up to 18 m – 3 years