The tails of joy Peterborough

Dogs Trust and the Kennel Club

have come together, with trainer/ behaviourist  Carolyn Menteith, to launch a unique new initiative that aims to give every puppy the very best start in life. At tails of joy we follow this plan from week one, and supply new puppy owners with all of the information and the step by step process that we have worked through with the pup in the first 8 weeks of life.  We encourage and support new owners to continue this plan for the next 8 weeks, this achieves fantastic results for the puppy and the owners and puts in place strong bonds and boundaries.

From birth to 16 weeks of age is a vital window in a puppy’s life, dogs learn more in the first 16 weeks of their lives than at any other point thereafter

A dog’s outlook on life is largely determined by its experiences during this period. 

A puppy who is properly reared in their early weeks will be far more likely to grow up confident, calm, more open to learning new experiences.

Below is a check list on things we cover with the pups before they reach 8 weeks

•Separation

•Sounds

•Routine 

•People

•Handling 

•Other dogs

•Training 

•Objects and experience’s 

•Stimulation activities

The brain of a 16-week-old puppy has exactly the same number of brain cells as a newly born puppy – but it is roughly 10 times bigger. This extraordinary increase in size has nothing to do with the brain cells themselves but the number of connections established between them. These connections can only form as a direct result of all the experiences the puppy has in these first critical four month of life.

Every single thing your puppy sees, hears, feels, smells and tastes, every meeting he has and every new thing he discovers produces trillions of new brain connections in those first 16 weeks, and they will last for life. He is learning what things are part of his new life and his new family, what is safe and who his social group is. A puppy who is properly brought up in this period, will be far more likely to grow up to be more confident, calmer, learn new things easier, be less likely to respond to new things fearfully or aggressively – and in short, be the perfect family dog.

 A dog who has not had this good start in life is more likely to be over-reactive, unable to concentrate, fearful, a slower learner, develop preventable behaviour problems – and in fact have a less well developed brain than his well socialised siblings 

So why is this? All animals are by nature scared of new things. It is this self-preservation instinct for a newly-born animal to be cautious and fearful as everything is new to them.

 In most wild animals, this fearfulness starts at around three weeks old. What an animal hasn’t met by then is regarded as scary and they will avoid it or if unable to do that, it’s likely they may behave defensively.

In domestic dogs this sets in at about five to seven weeks old. What the puppy hasn’t experienced by then, is far more likely to be perceived as scary. For this reason, it is really important that breeders do a lot of socialisation long before the puppies go to their new home.

Up to the first 16 weeks of age however, the puppy is also learning who his social group is. He is learning who the people and animals are that are his family and that he is social and friendly towards. The new owner has to carry on this socialisation to teach the puppy about his new family and what his life with them is going to contain.