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to CyberHound A puppy's early experiences in life have a great deal to do with his adult temperament. Your obedience prospect should have a positive attitude toward people, crowds, places, and other dogs, but this often occurs on a hit-or-miss basis. Socialization is obviously important, but it seems that few people understand the importance of early stress in a dog's life. In a previous article I discussed the selection of puppies for obedience and temperament testing. However, if you have gone to all the trouble of learning about the breed and spent time, energy, and money in selecting that special puppy, it would then be a disaster just to let him sit around the kennel or back yard until he is 4 months of age (or older). Selecting a puppy with sound temperament and structure is only one aspect of producing a good obedience dog. What you do with him from the beginning may make the difference between a happy, self-confident, outgoing dog who will love sharing all your activities with you, and the dog who finds it too stressful to leave his home environment.
All puppies need to be exposed to mild stress, starting with their first week of life and continuing into adulthood. Puppies who do not learn to deal with the stress of a changing environment, and the presence of people and other dogs will usually not be able to make a successful adjustment to adulthood. Proper socialization really isn't as time-consuming as one might think, and considering all the benefits it is certainly worth the effort.
Some breeders are so frightened of Parvo that they think the only way they can keep their puppies safe and alive is to isolate them until they are 6 months old. However, this is usually not necessary. For example, several beagle breeders in this area (Denver) have discovered that the inoculation schedule recommended by vets does not afford enough protection for puppies under approximately 4 months of age. After a lot of experimentation, these breeders are now inoculating their puppies every two weeks until they are 5 or 6 months old, and then every 3 months thereafter. This is a regimen I now follow as well, and like the beagle breeders, I am not having a problem with that dread virus. Once this paranoia and misinformation is overcome, one can get down to the business of developing a happy, confident, well-adjusted puppy.
During the first week of life, the breeder should pick up each puppy and hold him firmly for about 1 minute each day. During the second week, each puppy should be held in a different position each day (on his back one day, upside down the next, etc.). On one of the days during the second week, each puppy should be placed individually in a cold room for approximately 2 minutes. During the third week, the stress needs to be more specific. One day pinch the puppy's ear with your fingers (do not use your nails), the next day pinch him between his front toes. The object is to create discomfort, not pain, and for the puppy to learn to deal with this mild physical stress.
By the fourth week (which begins the socialization period), the puppy becomes aware of you and all the many sights and sounds around him and therefore one stress event is enough for this week. Remove each puppy one at a time and put him on a different floor surface for three to four minutes. You can use cement, wood, dirt, or fine gravel; however, make sure the surface is not too slippery for the puppy to move around on. For those of you keeping a diary, this is a good time to note each puppy's reaction to the different surfaces. Note whether he cries right away, walks around, stays put, or if he investigates with a wagging tail.
During the fifth week the puppies can be introduced to mild auditory and visual stress. One day, when the puppies are awake, play a radio near them for five minutes (the radio needs to be loud, but not blaring). Repeat the same procedure later on in the day. On a different day turn on and off several bright lights for two to three minutes around the puppies.
By the end of the fifth week, the puppies are ready for individual attention, and the mild stress ceases to be as critical as it was during the first weeks of life. The puppy will continue to be exposed to mild stress each time he is removed from the rest of the litter and with each new event you expose him to. At least twice during this week take the puppies away one at a time for about 10 minutes and get down to puppy level and touch and play with each one. Introduce toys (like old socks tied in a knot, balls, anything small enough for the puppy to carry but not swallow). This time spent with the puppy is critical, because it is now that the puppy starts to make a decision about how he feels about himself, people, the world, and learning. Toward the end of the fifth week is also a good time to introduce the puppies to new people and children.
Exposing the puppies to different environments, people, and objects continues to increase in importance as the weeks go by. By the sixth to eighth week the puppies are ready for temperament testing. Not only will the testing give you an indication of the puppies' temperaments and attitudes, but it is also a good source of mild stress, stimulation, and socialization for them.
By the end of the seventh week many puppies will be ready to go to their new homes. The breeder can pat himself on the back for being conscientious, responsible, and caring enough to give his puppies the very best start in life possible. At this time the breeder could make a really good investment in his puppies' future by sending a copy of How to Raise A Puppy You Can Live With (by Rutherford and Neil) along with each puppy to his new home. This book is inexpensive, very easy to read, and covers many topics, including socialization, temperament testing, pack instinct, and the different developmental stages. I used this book as a reference for much of the information contained in this article.
From the eighth week on, the puppies can be introduced to pre-training. This period is used to build self-confidence, people-orientation, and to continue to reinforce the learning behavior. It should be specifically understood that no formal obedience training should be introduced at this time, nor for many months to come. Simply spending a few minutes each day teaching the puppy to walk on a lead, play retrieve, come when called, stand with support, and the simple puppy tuck-to-sit is all he needs at this time. Do keep in mind that the eighth week is the fear imprint stage and so no excessive stress or frightening experiences should be planned or permitted. The puppy should not be isolated in a sterile environment during this period, but the key word here is moderation.
It is important to remember that you need to let your puppy be a puppy. Puppies learn about their world be exploring and doing all the fun and silly things that puppies do, and this time is so brief that once it is gone, it can never again be recovered. I am not advocating that you stand around while the little darling demolishes your house or yard; all puppies need discipline and a clear understanding of where their boundaries are. But I do feel you should not be in a hurry to do formal obedience and attempt to title your basset at a young age. You will have years to train and show your dog, so why not give him the time he needs to mature? Many dogs who start formal obedience training as young puppies will do well for awhile and then suddenly quit. My own experience with the bassets has been that at around six months they start to mature sexually and go through a negative and stubborn stage that lasts until sometime between 12 and 18 months. Some people will start their young puppies in obedience and then give them a break during this stage of development, and then continue with their training at a later time. Since I do pre-training and take my puppy with me to classes for socialization, I do not feel the need to start obedience training until he indicates that he has the attention span and mental attitude necessary (usually at 18 months). The few times I did start a basset before 12 months of age, I spent a good amount of time spinning my wheels and getting nowhere until he was mature enough to handle the demands obedience imposes. If you feel that you just can't possibly wait for your puppy to grow up before you start formal training, then do remember to put very little pressure to perform on him until he is mentally and emotionally ready. It would be a shame to get this far doing everything right and then lose the ball game by being in too much of a hurry.
From the ninth week on, the type of exposure your puppy gets to his new world can conform to your own lifestyle. For instance, you can take the puppy with you to watch your children's soccer or baseball game. This is a good source of stimulation and fun as well as allowing you to continue doing the things you normally do. Since I spend a lot of time at several different training classes each week I simply take the puppy with the rest of the pack. I put him in a crate or exercise pen while I'm working one of my other dogs. In between classes I usually have at least 10 minutes to exercise the puppy and spend a few minutes with pre-training, introducing him to the other people and dogs in the class. Ten minutes is quite enough, and the puppy is usually ready to settle down afterwards in his crate for a nap or to watch with interest what is going on. The excitement the puppy picks up from my other dogs when the collars and leads come out as we get ready to go really helps condition him to look forward to going places with me. I also make a big deal out of getting him into the crate in the car by giving him a biscuit or rawhide chewee. The puppy quickly learns to run to the door in happy anticipation of this fun event.
Socialization should continue on into adulthood; however, once the puppy has grown into an emotionally healthy, happy dog this ceases to be as important as it once was. No matter what the dog's purpose in life will be, all dogs should be well socialized and conditioned to stress. Training and showing in obedience is stressful, and only the most happy, outgoing, energetic temperament can handle it year after year with a sense of anticipation and joy. The conformation dog's performance in the ring is a large part of the overall presentation to the judge, and dogs who do not show well generally do not DO well. A happy, tail-wagging basset is an important component of breed type and anything less should be--and generally is--severely penalized. The family pet is subjected to stress each time he visits the vet for shots or an illness, or is left with friends or placed in a kennel when the family is on vacation. In our crowded, fast-moving, modern times, it is even more important that the dog be properly prepared for whatever role in life he will be asked to play.