Puppy Socialization Period, Weeks 3-12

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We’re discussing puppies and the development of their brains and bodies. Puppies go through periods during which different aspects develop.

1. Neonatal Period	-	0 days to 10 days
2. Transition Period	-	11 days to 21 days
3. Socialization Period	-	3 to 12 (-14) weeks
4. Fear Period	-	8 to 10 (-12) weeks
5. Juvenile Period	-	3 to puberty
6. Second Fear Period?	-	3 weeks between 4 and 11 months?
7. Adolescent Period	-	Puberty to social maturity

 We’ve discussed the Neonatal and Transition Periods, covering the first 3 weeks. Now, time for fun: the socialization period.
Puppy socialization occurs first to the other puppies and the dam (weeks 4-6) then to people (weeks 6-12). During socialization period, dogs learn to be comfortable with other dogs and people. Puppies that aren’t socialized during this crucial period grow up to be fearful.
To promote lifelong comfort with dogs and humans, expose pups to a wide variety of dogs & humans. For example, expose  puppies to friendly dogs with wide chests and big heads. This helps the pups not react fearfully to the bully breeds. Expose the pups to friendly dogs with upright tails; this helps them not react fearfully to Beagles & hounds. Without this type of exposure, pups assume that dogs with big chests, big heads, and erect tails are puffing themselves up prior to attack. Expose puppies to dogs with different ear shapes and different coat colors least they grow up to assume dogs that are different than themselves are from outer space.
Socialization also occurs to other animals, including parrots, pigs & ponies. Herding dogs should be introduced to ducks & sheep; working dogs to cattle & horses. Hunting dogs to quail, ducks, & pheasants. All dogs should meet cats.
During the socialization period, puppies should also meet a wide variety of humans: cane-using grannies & grandpas, wheelchair-bound kids, postal carriers, Santa Clauses, babies & toddlers. When pups don’t have this type of exposure to humans in the first 3 months of life, you’ll be able to tell it. These are the dogs that bark, bite or hide whenever they’re around strangers. These are the dogs you’ll find on PetFinders sporting the decals declaring, No Kids, No Cats. 
If you’re raising puppies, you can prevent this; and the world will love you for it.

Puppy Developmental Period, Fear; Weeks 8-12

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The Puppy Fear PeriodPuppies go through seven different developmental periods during which brain and body matures. The first 3 periods are neonatal, transition, and socialization. The 4th period is the Development of Fear. The Fear Period occurs in the 2nd month of life, from week 8 through week 10 or 12. This is the same time during which puppies become socialized. If pups experience a traumatic event while being socialized, they can be fearful for life.

Puppy's first vet visitAmong the normal activities during the pup's 2nd month of life is the pup’s first visit to the veterinarian. Puppies will associate the smell of the vet clinic with their experiences. Forever after we have dogs that tend to be fearful, aggressive or happy at the vet's office based on this first experience.  When I handle puppies, I'm careful to cradle them and talk to them. I examine their eyes (reaction to light), mouths (abnormal dentition?), bellies (hernia?), chests (heart beat & respiration?), skin (fleas or infection?), bottoms (clean?). Then, the pup reveives a great treat reward, such as dried liver.
ShippingIn addition to visiting the veterinarian for the first time, some puppies are shipped from breeders during this period. These interstate or transcontinental travellers can learn that flying is not so bad or they can develop permanent fear of a crate, cargo hold, and car ride.  Preventing FearTo prevent pups from becoming fearful during the first vet visit or during shipping, use Adaptil pheromone spray in the crate and flower essences (Star of Bethlehem, Rock Rose, Impatience). The pup should have a chewie, such as a beef tendon, chew toy, or treat ball. Make sure it is so large the pup cannot possibly swallow it. If necessary, drugs such as Cerenia can be prescribed to help prevent nausea & anxiety. The pup is fed a light meal, and an hour later Cerenia is given with a small treat. Then, in 2 hours the Cerena will be maximally effective, and the trip can start.
 Sure taking all these steps require a lot of effort, but everything you do to prevent fear during this 8-12 week period will last the pup for life. The puppy and the world will thank you for it.

Puppy Development, the Neonatal Period, Days 0-10 and Adaptil

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In a few weeks, puppies learn essential behaviors to last for a lifetime.

The first 10 days of a puppy’s life is the neonatal period, during which the pup is deaf and blind. So how do they find milk? Puppies are born able to smell and taste.  During the neonatal period pups are dependent on the dam for warmth, food and elimination. While it's important not to upset the dam, it's essential that pups are introduced to humans during this period.  Gentle handling, which is slightly stressful, allows pups to learn to tolerate stress. Pups learn to associate gentle handling with the smell of humans. They learn to tolerate small fluctuations in temperature.  Because the dam produces oxytocin pheromone when the pups nurse, little pups learn to associate this pheromone with feeling of wellbeing. The calming pheromone Adaptil is based on oxytocin and can be used as a spray to help ease stress in older dogs because it will subconsciously return the dog to its safe, warm first few days of life.
 

Puppy Transition Period: Days 11-21

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During the puppy transiton period, about the 3rd week of life, puppies eyes and ears begin to function so that vision and hearing develop. The more novelty that pups are exposed to during this time, the more capacity they have all their lives to accept as nontreatening, various sights and sounds.
After hearing develops, pups can be exposed to potentially frightening sounds in such a way that they are desensitized to them rather than frightened by them.

As sight develops, pups should be exposed to different shapes and lines, including lines that are horizontal & vertical  The pup's visual cortex needs this stimulus in order to develop capacity to see things that are vertical and horizontal. If a pup’s eyes are covered up during this transiton period, some vision cells never develop and the pup will lack the ability to perceive objects we take for granted, such as stairs and chair legs.

Dogs & Cats With Depression

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Ever been depressed? Lost a sibling to illness? Gotten sick yourself? Been alone in a new place? Pets go through the same experiences that we do, and are just as likely to run the gamet of emotions, including depression.

How would a depressed dog or cat look?
Depressed dogs & cats may:
• lose their appetite and lose weight
• decline treats
• stop interacting with their toys
• stop vocal communication
• wander as though searching for something
• sleep excessively.

Ways to help depressed dogs & cats
• provide pheromones, such as Feliway for cats and Adaptil (Oxytocin) for dogs.
• stimulate with walks down different paths, different toys, new music
• crunch great treats on top of their food for delicious variety
• offer acupuncture, which in research has been shown effective with depression when given 30 min twice a week for several weeks.
• increase socialization at dog parks or by bring another dog into the family.
• go for rides and let your pet put its head out the window or look through a mesh window on a pet stroller
• take a vacation with your pet. So many pets come back happy from vacations.
• be happy yourself.

The research on depression & acupuncture
Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2012 Nov;18(4):216-20. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.06.003. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs as treatments for depression: An Australian pilot study. Lyons Z, van der Watt G, Shen Z, Janca A. School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Univ of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia.

Shea, My New Foster Dog

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 Every dog I foster is the best dog in the world, so let me tell you about the latest foster dog. She was rescued from an Indian reserve near Burns Lake, BC by Turtle Gardens. I was told to expect Shea, a 2 year old, 35 lb border collie who had a litter of pups that all died. Well, the name was right because she answers to Shea, but this girl is a 50 lb husky cross who had never been pregnant and is probably less than one year old.  
Isn’t she beautiful!
This girl would love a home with children (not sure about toddlers). She loves people and most dogs. She is not frightened by men, or people with hats, or trucks that backfire, but she does not like riding in the car—except with her head out the window. She would like to chase rabbits. Not sure about cats.
Shea loves to run, moves beautifully, will chase after thrown apples and toss them in the air. Shea loves playing with other dogs, loves wading into the sea, but I have not seen her swim. She doesn’t love, but willingly accepts bathing. She does love being touched, but she’s not a “sucky” dog.
Shea’s coat is beautiful and has a glow. She has a glorious tail that she carries high and curled over her back. She does not shed excessively. Her teeth are gorgeous. Her nails are light and easy to trim. She is eye-catching.
When folks ask how I can foster a dog and not keep her forever even when I love her, I tell them it’s like being a kindergarten teacher. My job is to get Shea grounded and open her to a world of possibilities. She deserves even more than I can provide, so like a good teacher I’ll watch her graduate to another home, an even better home.
For now, Shea is beside my side throughout the day, which means coming to the clinic. She is learning to tolerate all the dogs & cats that visit us, and when necessary she sits out the client’s visit from her crate in the exam room. Come by and visit and meet the best foster dog in the world.

PTSD PostTraumatic Stress Disorder in Dogs & Cats

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Ever been abandoned? Been in a housefire? An earth quake? A tornado? A hurricane? Aboard a sinking boat? A plane that went through turbulence so severe it had to land for mechanical reasons? A car wreck? Had surgery? Been unable to breath long enough that you lost color vision? Burried your folks? Your siblings? Well, pets go through these experiences too, so if you think these events can cause human PTSD, you’ll know they can also cause pet PTSD. So, what can we do about it?

Treating PTSD with Acupuncture
A new acupuncture study from the Dept of Rehab at the Chengdu Military General Hospital in Chengdu China showed that acupuncture helped more than the medication Paxil (paroxetine). 138 earthquake victims suffering from PTSD were treated to electro acupuncture or Paxil. Patients were evaluated using 4 tests able to measure anxiety:
·          Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS),
·          Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD),
·          Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and
·          Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS)
The research showed that both acupuncture and Paxil groups benefited, but that the acupuncture-treated group had the most significant improvement.
 We expect dogs and cats will suffer PTSD just as humans do. We expect they may benefit from acupuncture just as humans do. Of course, there are lots of other things we can do for stressed pets, too:
·          Zylkene
·          Adaptil & Feliway
·          Essential oils: Lavender, Geranium, Neroli
·          Flower essences: Star of Bethlehem, Rock Rose, Mimulus
·          Homeopathics: Arnica, Gelsemium, Ignatia, Stramonium
·          Melatonin 
If you’d like to read the full study, Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:431279. doi: 10.1155/2012/431279. Epub 2012 Sep 25. Clinical studies on treatment of earthquake-caused posttraumatic stress disorder using electroacupuncture. Wang Y, Hu YP, Wang WC, Pang RZ, Zhang AR. Dept of Rehabilitation, Chengdu Military General Hospital, No.270, Road Rongdu, Jinniu District,
Chengdu 610083, China.