PUPPY DEVELOPMENT AND PUPPY PRESCHOOLS IN PRACTICE
Steve Thompson, DVM, DABVP (canine/feline certified) Purdue University Primary Care Service
1. Puppy Development
Puppy development can be described in terms of stages of development. These may vary somewhat
between authors, but are roughly the following:
Neonatal Period: Days 0-13. Complete dependence on mother for thermoregulation, food and
elimination. Tactile sense, sensitivity to temperature and smell are already developed. Puppy is blind and
deaf. Mild stress of the neonatal such as induced by handling or by placing puppy on a cool surface will
increase the puppy’s ability to cope with stress later in life.
Transitional Period: Days 14 – 28. During this time the puppy develops its senses of vision and of hearing.
During this time a complex environment should be provided to allow for optimal development of the
nervous system. Also at least from three weeks on, the puppy can already be desensitized to potentially
frightening sights and sounds.
Socialization Period: Weeks 4-12. Socialization to dogs (weeks 4-6) and to people (weeks 6-12) has to
occur during this time. If this opportunity is missed, the puppy will most likely always be fearful of dogs
and/or humans. During the socialization period, the puppy should also be exposed to all situations that it
is likely to encounter during its life. The best prevention of behavior problems is to take the puppy to
puppy classes during that time. During the socialization period, the puppy can already learn some
commands, particularly the “off” command. It should learn a biting inhibition, and should start to learn
to fit into a social hierarchy.
Fear Period: Weeks 8-10 (-12?). Within the socialization period lies the fear period. A traumatic
experience during this time may render the puppy a globally fearful, neurotic dog. This should be
considered when arrangements for shipping a puppy are made.
Juvenile Period: Months 3-6. A time of rapid physical development. A particularly difficult time to train
the young dog, if a basis has not been established early on.
Second Fear Period (?): Several authors have described a second fear period, lasting about three weeks,
and occurring somewhere between 4 and 12 months, likely depending on breed. Many dogs show
fearfulness during that time, but recover spontaneously. Do not punish the fearful behavior, you might
ruin the dog!
2. Problem Prevention
Problem prevention consists of pet selection, providing the appropriate conditions during the respective
stages of development (especially socialization and exposure to stimuli), teaching a biting inhibition and
the off command, and training some basic obedience commands at an early age. The single best thing
that can be done for a puppy is to take it to a high quality puppy class. The puppy can also be taught to
tolerate or even like human presence near its food dish, by adding food into the bowl while it eats.
Dominance exercises are controversial. If done properly, they are useful as a desensitization to handling.
If done improperly, they may cause fear and fear aggression.
3. Pediatric visits
See attached
4. Puppy Classes
These lessons are included in a 5-week program.
Orientation: without puppies, interactive lecture format
 Common behavioral problems of dogs
 Developmental stages
 Body language
 Vaccination requirements
 House training tips
 Operant conditioning and Lure-Reinforcement training basics
Class Sessions: theme-based sessions include some or all of the following every week.
 Group puppy play
 Socialization with strangers. Participants to handle puppies other than their own.
 Desensitization to novel sounds. Tape recordings, noise making devices such as vacuums and hair
dryers.
 Desensitization to novel surfaces, obstacles, elevators, staircases. Metal surfaces, plastic surfaces,
unstable surfaces, tunnels.
 Desensitization to handling and restraint. Gentle handling while puppy is restrained on someone's
lap. Gently turning puppy to side (this is not to be a forceful "roll-over"). The puppy is rewarded for
tolerating the handling. Puppies are brought to the exam room and desensitized to handling and
examination (including ears, eyes, mouth, taking temperature) and rewarded with food treats.
 Desensitization to grooming and veterinary exam tools
 Desensitization to costumes (participants are asked to dress up), wheeled items (strollers, skate
boards, toy cars, etc.).
 Bite inhibition training. The puppies are encouraged to play with the owners and grab the owner's
hand. As soon as they put any pressure on the bite, the owner "yelps" and ignores the puppy for a
while.
 Food bowl safety training. Owner holds food bowl and adds food and treats while the puppy eats.
 Basic obedience commands. The lure-reward method is used to teach the puppies to sit, lie down,
stand and come on commands. Attention exercises are done as well. The "leave-it" or "off"
command is practiced. Leash manners and appropriate behavior at the door are instructed.
 Grabbing the collar. Owners are asked to go to their puppy and grab the collar, give a treat, and
release the puppy.
Another way that is becoming more practical to get across this information to new clients and pet
owners is through the use of miniseminars. These are short sessions (½ - 1 hour) you or a staff member
can give once or twice a month to provide some of this information. Puppy preschools with weekly
classes have been a wonderful way to educate clients while socializing the puppies. I believe that
perhaps the best way to promote proper puppy development and responsible pet ownership is through
the use of puppy preschools. Veterinary hospitals are an ideal setting, whether run by a local trainer or
staff member, since they promote a well-behaved puppy socialized to hospital visits and an educated
owner. This will allow future examinations to proceed smoothly and allow your veterinary exams to
more accurately reflect the true nature of the pet's illness. All too commonly, we have to interpret
excitement and anxious parameters like elevated temperatures, tachycardia, and physiologic murmurs,
or in extreme cases, sedated pets that cannot even be truly examined for evidence of pain or discomfort.
In the long run, clients benefit from shorter, less strenuous veterinary visits, a more socialized pet with
an improved quality of life, and hopefully a welcome addition to society. Veterinary facilities offer a good
opportunity for trainers to assist you with this mission. Those trainers with an established facility and
programs may be an ideal setting where a veterinarian or hospital staff member could participate in
providing the veterinary education or handling and exam demonstrations that should be a part of their
puppy preschools.
Whether called puppy preschools or kindergartens, the role of these classes is not classical
obedience training. While it is very easy to train basic obedience commands like sit and down to these
very impressionable puppies, it can be very frustrating for all involved to have extended training sessions
at these ages. This is one reason that most trainers won't work with puppies until 4-6 months of age. The
critical period, also called the socialization or investigative period of dogs, ends by 14 - 18 weeks of age.
In order to maximize the benefits of these classes, puppies are encouraged to start them at 7-10 weeks
of age if possible, the sooner the better. Some recent research observing wolf and jackal behavior
indicates some of the socialization occurs very early in life, even before the eyes are open and may need
to become a more standard part of a breeder's responsibility. One example was the denning routine of
the bitch. Pups were routinely moved from one den to a newer den and this has previously been
attributed to cleanliness. Observations revealed that in a litter of four pups, the den was moved four
times and a different pup was the first one moved each time. This pup would then have to be alone in a
new, foreign environment until the rest of the pups were moved. Likewise a different pup was left for
last each move, having to be alone until its final turn. Each den site was in different terrain, with varied
surfaces and vegetation. Rough handling and "playing" by other pack members at 4-6 weeks of age
ensured socialization with the pack and may help contribute to a dog more accustomed to stressful
situations.
I worked with student leaders of the OSU Student chapter of the American Veterinary Society of
Animal Behavior to develop a unique Puppy Preschool primarily geared to education of clients and their
puppies. The program with Dr. Andrew Luescher, DVM, DACVB and Julie Shaw, RVT followed a similar
education focus. Somewhat modeled on the Lamaze method of childbirth education, our classes
provided information, both medical and practical, in addition to active behavior lessons. Classes start any
time after 7 weeks of age and at least 10 days after initial vaccination series for the Distemper/Parvo
combination, Corona, and Bordatella. We encourage the use of an intranasal Bordatella/Parainfluenza
combination and the use of a high-titer, low-passage Parvo vaccination. Several vaccines are currently on
the market that meet these requirements. Trainers and veterinarians have had concerns about placing
puppies at risk in an environment where they may pick up a disease. As with anything, one must always
weigh the risks and benefits. Statistics have indicated two out of three puppies will be in another home
or dead by age 2 unless the family unit works out. “Puppy cuteness” only lasts so long. While the critical
period in children is until about 5 years of age, children receive their last DPT and Polio series at age 5
and their boosters for Measles and Tetanus after age 10 . . . years. I am aware of only two Parvo
problems in a preschool class in over the past 25 years. Low level exposure to pathogens, like what might
occur in a clean although not completely sterile environment, promotes a “stronger” or more responsive
immune system. Preschools and kindergartens are an essential component of proper child development
and socialization, not necessarily for academic reasons, but development of motor skills and societal
manners. These classrooms are modified to include short days with short activities to correspond to the
shorter attention span of 3 or 4 year olds. Puppy preschools and kindergartens should reflect the same
thinking. Establish a controlled environment with well-vaccinated puppies and a knowledgeable trainer
and good things will happen. Preschools should encourage the development of motor skills through play
time and activities, promote learning of bite inhibition through the playful interactions of the puppies,
reward acceptable handling and people interactions, and teach some basic verbal commands so that
owners are aware of effective training and discipline techniques. We have incorporated a great deal of
information to be available to the owners during the activity times of the puppies. Key elements to
these classes include:
Introductory class: This class can be held with or without puppies. Our initial class session is held
without puppies to give us the undivided attention of these new puppy owners. Some hospitals have
offered this first class as a free community service type program and it promotes the hospital or training
facility to the general public. During this class session, a brief introduction to wolf and dog behavior is
covered with emphasis on understanding canine development and how rapidly it occurs compared to
children (socialization to 4 months vs. 5 years). There is not much time to wait until after the busy,
holiday season or when school lets out. Pediatric medical and health guidelines are also covered so new
owners know what to expect during their many puppy visits. Our health topics include most of those
listed on the checklist earlier. At the end, a brief description of what the benefits of puppy classes are is
covered with slides and video to compliment it. The Ian Dun bar video Sirius Puppy Training has some
good footage and is a valuable resource. A local bookstore underwrote some of the publicity costs and
had resource books available at our classes. You may consider having a lending library for your paying
participants with books or videos returned at the end of the class series. Peter Vollmer's book entitled
SuperPuppy is an excellent primer that is easy to read and not too long.
Socialization Biscuit Assignment: Wayne Hunthausen, DVM has been a pioneer in promoting the
use of Socialization Biscuits to encourage puppies to have a positive view of people. General guidelines
are that the new owners receive a bag of 5-10 dog treats or biscuits when they leave the hospital. Some
hospitals have incorporated this into their standard puppy kit for all new puppy clients, not just those
attending Puppy Preschools. The owners must get rid of all the biscuits prior to their next visit. The only
rule is that the biscuit must be given to the dog by someone who is not a family member or household
resident. Receptionists and technicians enjoy demonstrating the part of the stranger prior to the puppy
leaving the hospital and this helps bond them to the client. A sample handout has been included in the
Supplemental Information part of the new AAHA manual by Wayne Hunthausen and Gary Landsberg
entitled Practitioner's Guide to Pet Behavior Problems.
Shaping and the use of Positive Reinforcement: The basics of learning theory are explained to
the new puppy owners while demonstrating how to shape a behavior before actually giving the behavior
a name. Some trainers use click-treat training here to demonstrate this point. Positive reinforcement is
relied upon as the primary training aid. Food treats should be very small and can include small bits of hot
dog, cheese, or liver treats. They must be very small so they can be gobbled up readily. Too much time to
eat and the puppies may not associate it with the behavior they just exhibited. Emphasis is on proper
timing to reward calm and submissive behaviors so owners will have these as basic tools for future use.
These sessions are no longer that ten minutes and the emphasis are on training or establishing desired
greeting behaviors so that problem attention getting behaviors don't rapidly develop. The benefits and
power of not rewarding undesired behaviors are usually easy to demonstrate in these easily molded
puppies when desired behaviors are rewarded and encouraged. The importance of progression to an
intermittent reward schedule is emphasized.
Proper Discipline. Exclusive training using only food can be very slow and tedious for changing
unwanted behavior if all that is relied on is counterconditioning The use of negative reinforcement and
various modes of punishment can have applications in many situations. An understanding of normal wolf
reprimands including the top of the muzzle and top of the neck are explained. A firm "No" with an
associated scruff hold or muzzle pressure is sufficient for many puppies. However, some respond to this
physical "play" with rough play including biting. These pups respond much better to loud startle sounds
(remote punishment) or asocial punishment in which the pup is ignored. Direct punishment is not
encouraged beyond a muzzle or scruff hold and alpha rolls have no place in dogs more than four months
of age or people may be injured. The primary tool that clients are equipped with is the training of
submissive behaviors like sit and down that can be used to prevent aggression from escalating. Training
collars like slip leashes are very effective if placed on correctly and used only when a dog is on the
handler's left side. Otherwise any snap does not occur at the top of the neck. Pinch collars and no pull
harnesses depend exclusively on pain to transmit their message. Head harnesses like the Halti and
Promise System are much better for large or head strong dogs in that they allow the handler to
constantly provide muzzle and neck pressure while the behavior is inappropriate and remove it when
calm or desired behaviors occur. They can accomplish this without requiring physical strength on the
part of the handler. This is actually a form of negative reinforcement when used appropriately.
Establishing a program like “Nothing in Life is Free,”“Say Please” or “Sit for Everything” goes a long way
towards establishing people leadership and preventing annoying attention getting behaviors.
Pass the Puppy: A good, short behavior lesson that socializes the puppy to many people while
including lots of handling while rewarding the puppies for tolerance and acceptance of human
interactions. Members in the circle pass each puppy around and use food rewards for calm, acceptable
behavior. Unacceptable behavior, like jumping and biting should not be rewarded. People should pass
each puppy around the circle so everyone gets to hold them. Encourage everyone to handle each
puppy's feet, open a mouth, touch and tug on ears, and lift them up off the ground. This is one of the
few times where “alpha rolls” can be done so a puppy tolerates handling and rolling upside down.
Socialization to Noise: Common household and environmental objects which make noise should
be exposed to the puppies, initially at low level intensity. This can be in the form of stations in the room
that each puppy rotates through or the use of a commercial tape playing in the background. One tape
we find very useful is called "K-9 Counterconditioning." Although designed to help with noise phobias,
this has a broad range of sounds from lawn mowers and weed trimmers to babies crying and cars
screeching in addition to the traditional problems related to thunderstorms, fireworks and gun shots. We
are considering making this cassette available on loan during the class sessions. When using a vacuum or
blow dryer, it is helpful to first have the puppy approach and eat a treat from the object turned off prior
to just turning it on and hoping for the best. It is always best to start out optimizing the odds of a good
outcome with low level exposure and positive reinforcement.
Socialization to Textures: While more of an urban problem, many puppies may miss out on
exposure to different surfaces that may cause problems later on when they move or travel. We have
started a texture walk that takes the puppies and their owners on varied surfaces. Our walk includes
gravel, grass, wood chips, dirt, a manhole cover, flights of stairs, carpet, automatic door, tile, throw rugs,
stainless steel exam table, floor scale, lift table, and an elevator ride. Food rewards are used after a
puppy actively tries out the new surface, not forcing the issue.
Socialization to Objects: Common problem items are exposed to the puppies at various stations.
This is done at one of the later sessions so owners can participate by bringing a "show and tell" item as
their "homework" assignment. Objects can include eyeglasses and sunglasses, hats, coats, and
umbrellas. We always include white coats and routinely include a police uniform and postal uniform.
Socialization to the Veterinary Exam Room and Physical Exam: As indicated earlier, my
preference is to have the puppy preschools in a veterinary hospital so that the puppies learn to love the
exam room and the veterinarian! Puppies are handled on the floor and on the table while being exposed
to otoscopes, penlights, and stethoscopes with positive reinforcements in the form of food treats.
Handling guidelines are reviewed and covered at this time and include grooming, bathing, dental
cleaning and parasite detection and prevention.
Socialization to other species: While the puppies are socialized to lots of adults and other
puppies, the last class has time set aside to encourage participants to bring small children (with food or
toys to keep them occupied and somewhat quiet during the class session) One or two of the class leaders
will bring in an adult dog to also socialize the puppies. This is especially helpful when there is one
especially head strong puppy in the group that can be gently shown the value of submission by a
confident adult dog. Cats or horses or other species may be considered as well. The value of continued
training can also be demonstrated with commands given to the adult dog.
It is beyond the scope of this talk to go into great detail on the particulars of setting up a class
minute by minute. You will need to examine what your goals are and how you want to represent your
hospital to the public and your clients. While many classes go for an hour and consist of 6-8 sessions, we
have chosen to have 1½ hour classes with only 4 sessions. Puppies should be limited to 6-8/instructor or
the class can easily become unmanageable. Seminars are available that go into more detail on specifics
so watch for mailings related to these from the likes of Ian Dunbar Sirius Puppy Training, the Association
of Pet Dog Trainers, Karen Pryor Clicker Training or Puppyworks. As you incorporate Puppy Preschools
into the standard services promoted for your puppies you can anticipate better mannered patients and
more knowledgeable clients. Let's welcome new puppies into our society by showing them what we
expect not disposing of them when we failed to communicate our pack expectations when it mattered
most.
Puppy Check List
First Puppy Visit
(6 to 7 weeks old)
(date)
VETERINARIAN
Health Care
Vaccines: DHPP(C), Bordetella/PI (Adeno)
Deworm (Pyrantel)
Education
Vaccines: RV, DHPP(C), Lyme, Bordetella
Vaccine side effects
Heartworms
TECHNICIAN
Health Care
Fecal flotation
Heartworm preventive
Education
External and internal parasites
Nutrition
Socialization
House-training
Puppy proofing/crating
Handling
Intro. To family members and other pets
Puppy classes
RECEPTIONIST
Education
Emergency service and hospital hours
Poison Control Number: 1-888-4ANI-HELP
Handouts
Puppy Kit
Food Samples
Socialization Biscuits
Puppy Training
Purchases
Grooming Products
Flea and Tick Products
Puppy Dewormer
Odor Elimination Products
Send
Welcome letter
Second Puppy Visit
(9 to 10 weeks old)
VETERINARIAN
Health Care
Vaccines: DHLPP(C)
Education
Coat/ears
TECHNICIAN
Health Care
Fecal flotation
Heartworm preventive
Education
Chewing/play biting/nipping
Discipline/rewards
House-soiling
Indoor vs outdoor
RECEPTIONIST
Education
Leash, halter, collar
Handouts
Flea comb
Purchases
Chew/Play toy
Kong/Buster Cube
(date)
Third Puppy Visit
(11 to 13 weeks old)
VETERINARIAN
Health Care
Vaccines: DHLPP(C)
Education
Flea and Tick preventives
TECHNICIAN
Health Care
Heartworm preventive
Fecal flotation
Education
Diet
Grooming/bathing
Exercise and play
RECEPTIONIST
Education
Breed genetic/behavior concerns
(date)
Fourth Puppy Visit
(14 to 16 weeks old)
(date)
VETERINARIAN
Health Care
Vaccines: DHLPP, Rabies
Education
Questions
Spay/neuter
Show/breeding/etc.
TECHNICIAN
Education
Dental care (demonstrate brushing)
Annual care
Yearly exam/vaccines
Yearly heartworm test
Fecal at 6 months then yearly
RECEPTIONIST
Education
Microchip/tattoo/tag
Handouts
Dental Care Package
Purchases
6-12 month supply of heartworm preventive
Dental Prevention products
Fifth Puppy Visit
(4 to 8 months)
VETERINARIAN
Health Care
Spay/Neuter
Microchip
Education
Zoonotic concerns
Allergic concerns
TECHNICIAN
Health Care
Fecal flotation
(date)