Confidence is a key trait for any assistance dog. For people with disabilities who rely on their canine partner wherever they go, having an assistance dog who is calm, self-assured, and resilient in all situations is essential. Training a reliable, confident assistance dog starts with the basics: early socialization during developmental stages of growth.

Organizations like NEADS World Class Service Dogs and Freedom Service Dogs of America (FSD) find that the key to raising healthy and confident adult assistance dogs starts with purpose breeding and implementing socialization early on. By thoughtfully breeding adults with a record of stellar genetics, family histories, temperaments, and behavior through the parents’ training process, both NEADS and FSD have seen an increase in dogs with the health and temperaments needed to be placed as successful assistance dogs.

In a puppy’s first stages of development, it is imperative that they begin to build positive associations with new stimuli through structured socialization. Not only does this create a baseline of confidence for puppies, but it also allows organizations to keep track of a puppy’s progress, gain a better understanding of working pathways the puppy may be best suited for in their future, and determine whether a puppy should move forward in their training early on.

Puppies are drastically developing in their first 12 weeks of their lives, and proper socialization can make a profound impact on a puppy’s future as an assistance dog. In this blog, we will break down what developmental milestones occur during the first 6 weeks of a puppy’s life and the types of socialization activities organizations like NEADS and FSD facilitate to help their puppies with a purpose reach their full potential.

Weeks 1 and 2

Did you know that puppies are born unable to see, hear, or regulate their body temperature? For their first week of life, they primarily sleep and have very limited mobility. They completely rely on their mothers for food, hydration, and warmth. By 2-weeks of age, a puppy’s eyes and ears begin to open for the first time. While the world is still a bit fuzzy, their senses develop quickly. They also gain pigmentation and build more front leg strength to help them get around more easily.

In these early days, puppies are introduced to socialization activities for the first time. Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS), is a typical form of socialization for 1 and 2-week-old puppies. A series of gentle exercises designed to expose puppies to mild stressors, ENS has proven to enhance a puppy’s ability to cope with stress, strengthen their cardiovascular system, and boost their immune response. Typical ENS exercises include tickling the puppy’s paws with a cotton swab, holding them upright, holding them with their head pointing downward, holding the puppy on their back, and placing them on a damp towel for brief periods. Starting at just three days old, puppies may also get massages daily to get them used to handling by humans.

Weeks 3 and 4

Puppies can now see and hear much more clearly, though the world is still fuzzy. They’ve doubled their birthweight and are quickly developing more hind leg strength, which helps them become more mobile and start exploring. They’re learning social skills through interactions with their mother and siblings—like bite inhibition, which is a puppy’s ability to control how hard they’re biting or chewing. They’re also developing the ability to follow simple cues and come when called.

To support this stage of development, puppies should be introduced to more complex stimuli, such as new sounds, visuals, and moving objects. By exposure to everyday scents and items, like lotions, sunscreen, deodorant, and more, they are set up to be more confident in their future. Wearing accessories like capes, Gentle Leaders, and silky leashes may also be introduced to desensitize the puppies to things around their body.

Weeks 5 and 6

Once puppies turn 5 to 6-weeks-old, they’re developing a wide range of facial expressions. They’re also gaining more adult-like motor skills, weaning off mom’s milk, and moving to solid kibble. They’re confident exploring large spaces and new things, are getting better at potty training, and begin to greet their siblings by sniffing their noses and tails. They’ve also gained a lot more awareness of their relationships with humans.

When it comes to enrichment at this stage, puppies can practice growing more independence and confidence by spending solo time with people or in their crates without their siblings and mother. Structured activities such as watching someone color with scented markers on a coloring sheet allows the puppies to experience new sights and smells while also teaching puppies cause and effect when the marker drags on the page and leaves behind color. “Follow me” games may also be implemented, where a person encourages the pups and their mom to follow them through various spaces in the nursery.

Stay tuned for the second post in this series; we’ll be sharing the development and socialization for puppies ages 7 to 12-weeks-old.

###

Grace Nystrom is the Early Learning Center Supervisor at NEADS World Class Service Dogs. Grace has always had a love for working with dogs and has been doing so in a professional capacity for over 5 years now. While originally volunteering as a Puppy Raiser for Smoky Mountain Service Dogs and founding an organization that trained students to handle service dogs in training at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she realized she had an immense love for working with service dogs in training and volunteers and decided to dedicate her career towards working with both. 

Kendle Frank is the Content Specialist at Freedom Service Dogs of America. Through personal, professional, and educational endeavors, she has gained over five years of unique experience working with animals through marketing and communications. Kendle is dedicated to using her passion for dogs, writing, and social media to enhance the happiness, health, and wellbeing of companion animals and the humans who love them.

Interested in writing a blog post for ADI? Please see our submission form.