When should training puppy start?

So many people have asked me, when is the best time to start training my puppy. So let’s look at some of the Scientific concepts on this matter.

The concept of “Critical Periods” in the emotional development of the dog is well documented. Dogs that are denied human contact until they are over twelve weeks of age seldom make good companions. Research on this issue has been carried out since the 1960’s and it has been concluded that socialization in dogs, the ability to learn to live compatibly with dogs and with us, humans, ends at twelve weeks of age and that the most critical period is six to eight weeks of age.

In 1967, it was found that pups raised in complete isolation to seven weeks of age could still recover completely and become socially normal. It was also reported that outside contacts as infrequent as twice a week and for only twenty minutes each time were enough to ensure normal development as long as these outside contacts occurred in the critical period between four and twelve weeks. In the same year, other researchers reported that pups in this age range could form social attachments to another species, rabbits simply by seeing them for as little as two hours.

So, let’s break this down more.

Neonatal period 0 to 2 weeks

Pups are born with immature, still developing brains. Although their brains look like jelly, they’re really more like sponges soaking up what they can from the environment. Their sensory abilities, hearing, seeing and to some extent feeling, smelling and touching are not yet well developed. The pup is almost wholly under the care of the mother and the way she behaves with her pups will influence their behavior in later life.

Transitional period 2 to 4 weeks

This is the period of time when most of the pup’s sensory abilities come on stream. The eyelids open and optic nerve becomes myelinated. The ears open and the teeth appear. The brain is stimulated by the sights and sounds of the world around them. The pup‘s world opens up and suddenly his littermates and the rest of his environment have a dramatic effect on his developing mind.
Also during this time, pups start to wag their tails. They growl and bark for the first time. They notice us. Their temperature regulation mechanism is improved and this means they can start to leave the nest and will now, if possible, eliminate outside of the nest.
Functioning of the pup’s visual system can first be recorded at ten days of age and by fifteen days, it has the basic features of the adult . By 28 days, the pattern is fully developed. What this means is that at about two weeks of age, when the eyes actually open, the pup’s response to light and to moving objects is rather weak and variable, but by four weeks it is similar to that of the adult. It takes another week before the pup readily and easily recognizes from a distance his mother or owner.

Socialization period 4 to 6 weeks to dogs 4 to 12 weeks to humans

The social life of the dog can only begin when he has developed all of his communication facilities. Most of these have matured to near adult conformation by the time the pup is four weeks old. His senses have matured, he can see, smell, hear and touch more than adequately. His brain is well myelinzed so he can process information quickly and efficiently. And although the major hormonal influence on the dog’s mind will have to wait until puberty, the male pup has already had a surge of male hormone course through his body, sensitizing him to behave in a masculine way. This is why, during the socialization period, male pups will mount other pups.
The obvious beginning of the change in relationship from care-dependency to dominance-submission occurs when the mother starts to walk away from the pups as they try to nurse. This usually occurs during the fourth to fifth weeks. It has been observed that the amount of nursing, the time for final weaning and the evolving interaction between the mother an her pups during this period can have a permanent effect on the minds of the pups. What a pup is really learning when his mother snarls at him as he tries to suckle is not fear but compromise. This as been called “sub dominance” rather than submission. Relationships are not as simple as dominant and submissive, but rather are multilayered. This is a sensible hypothesis and it explains how there can be a pecking order within a pack of dogs or within a pack of people and dogs. Neotenized animals have a life-long need for us. We take on the ‘maternal’ responsibilities for feeding, grooming, and housing our pet dogs. This need is tenuous at best. We are the surrogate pack. To understand the dog’s mind we need to understand the complicated relationships that evolve between littermates during their formative socialization period.

So, when do we start training? If you plan to train in a group setting, make sure they have the necessary shots in order to be around other dogs. Usually this time period is 10 weeks of age. They will have their first 2 series of shots by then. If you are going to have a trainer come into your home, then training can start as early as 8 weeks.