I decided to write this post because my neighbor just got a new puppy & it. I know everything is new for him & he is a young pup, only 6 weeks old. In my opinion it is best if pups stay with mom & siblings till at least 8 weeks old, but easy for me to say I’m not the one cleaning up after them. At about 6 weeks old is when the mom dogs are getting tired of cleaning up after them as much, so humans have to do a lot more cleaning & some re-home then due to this. The reason I say longer is better is for their mom’s milk & the things the pups learn from siblings & mom from 6-9 weeks old. If you have not read my post on bite inhibition check it out, it is # 42.
Puppies have two fear ages one at about 8 weeks old & one at about 20 weeks old. This basically means that things they are not been introduced to hear, seen, ect… by 20 weeks can trigger a fear response. I hear many people say my dog was abused because it won’t do this or that or is scared of a broom, so was probably hit by one. More likely the dog was never shown a broom before 20 weeks of age, so fear of the unknown sets in. I have never had a young puppy (I’m more of an adult dog person)& only fostered one short term(the one in above photo), but I took a behavior class on body language & we learned a lot about puppies & they even had a litter come in for us to observe & learn more. I also enjoy researching & have friends & mentors that are dog trainers or experts with dogs.
If you have a new puppy or are planning to get one you really want to do all you can to be sure your dog is safely exposed to as many things as you can before the pup is 20 weeks old. Please DO NOT expose them to things outside your home & yard till they are safely vaccinated (at least firsts shots). If you know it comes from a good breeder or home that the mom dog was vaccinated then your pup will get some immunity thru her. If you have not read my blog post about Titer? or vaccinating? it is # 31 & has a lot of great info. Vets over vaccinate way too often & if you’re unaware of this, this will be a great post for you to read.
There are a lot of things that I will list for you to expose your puppy to before 20 weeks, I highly recommend if you can’t get to them all due to the age of your puppy, start with the ones you know your dog will definitely be exposed to in its lifetime living with you. If you’re going to be traveling with your dog, camping, hiking, walking, visiting friends, going to fairs & carnivals, going to be around kids, people of all races & sizes. Your pup will live approximately between 8-18 yrs, so think of the possibilities of things he or she may come in contact with. It better to expose them & have to pup be comfortable then not to expose & have a fearful adult dog. Fears can result in biting or running away or making life harder for you & your dog, because your dog is scared of people, things or going places. I am not saying you can’t work with an adult dog on these things, I have & do because I only adopt dogs that past young puppy age.
These things will not be in any order & some may seem like something you don’t think will be in their lives, but you need to think of the many years ahead & how circumstance may be 5, 10 15 years down the road. Ask family members, friends, & neighbors to help you if you don’t have access to things or ideas of how to do these things if your unsure. You can also email me with questions, my email will be at the end of this post. Never force your puppy or dog & always stay upbeat & positive, never show fear or they will sense it. Be confident & happy so that is what your pup feels & sees that from you. Dog read body language & tone & don’t really understand our words (learn some words from repetition over time).
- A baby crying
- People in hats (a variety of different hats)
- A walker (with wheels & without)
- A wheelchair
- Crutches
- Fireworks or gunshots
- A bonfire (Echo is terrified of one & I’m slowly making progress with him)
- Storms & Rain (go outside with pup & do something fun like play ball or give them a toy, treat or chew they get no other time, make this special) Use an umbrella so they get use to that as well.
- Stroller (going to pass one at some point in future)
- Trimming & touching their nails & feet (even if your hiring a groomer Post #7 is about Finding a Groomer).
- Go to Carnivals, Festivals, or Farmers Market
- Make sure they are exposed to large trucks driving by (semi. garbage truck, etc…)
- Riding in the vehicle (crated or seat-belted) See post #7 for Car safety info
- Bodies of water (rivers that move, water in lakes that are still & waves, maybe even the ocean depending on where you live or will visit with your dog).
- Dogs of all colors & sizes (again make sure the dogs are healthy before letting your pup be exposed to them. NOTE: A lot of adult male dogs do not care for puppies, even as mild mannered as my dog Hunter is, he is not a fan of puppies. Echo who is dog reactive is much better with puppies.
- Kids of all ages, playing, running being loud (go to a playground if no kids in your life now). Your will most likely eventually be exposed to kids & dogs fearful of kids have been known to bite because children move fast & are unpredictable & scare some unexposed dogs).
- People of all ages, color, all sizes, males & females, with facial hair, without, bald & big hair etc…
- Stairs (inside & outside) Commonly used to hear that people thought a dog was never inside because they didn’t know how to do stairs (may never have been exposed). It was at least 6 months before my dog Ace went into my basement.
- Snowblower
- Lawnmower
- A wagon
- Crowds & busy streets
- Washer & dryer sounds
- Horse or other animals you may come in contact with
- Baths
- Yard decorations (had a dog that I couldn’t walk around Halloween or Christmas due to the inflatables in peoples yards). You might find an inflatable at a car dealership, so if it’s not around holiday time watch for other inflatables when you are out & about.
- Brush your puppy & touch them in all areas gently & get them use to grooming (tail, ears & paws for sure)
- Slamming doors (car & in house)
- Dropping items (drop a book, or other items, not to scare the dog, but so they are use to it & it is a normal thing that happens, don’t do when its pups asleep & startle it)
- Sweep with a broom
- Vacuum
- Run dishwasher
- Run power tools (drills & other machinery)
- Have him or her see & hear construction noises (you’re bound to need something done to your residence in your pup’s lifetime, so early exposure is key). I had to take my dogs away when the roof & siding were done.
- Sporting events (even baseball game in a park etc)
- Walking bridges
- Trails paved & unpaved in woods or in parks
- Underpasses where cars drive over (this was a struggle for some of my dogs & fosters as I live where we walk under one out on a certain walk).
- Automatic doors like at some pet stores (these can be frightening if not exposed to them).
- Tent camping or vacation homes (even family members homes if going to visit or stay other places).
- Parks with playgrounds or other things in the park
- Veterinarians: Find a fear free Vet. This is very important as some places force an animal to do things they are afraid of & this can stick with them for life. Fear Free Vets usually post this on their site. I think you can probably Google it as well. I use a fear-free Vet & her approach is always with this in mind whether with my dogs or birds.
- Bikes/scooters/rollerblades
- Ski/hiking poles
- Doorbell sounds
Please do not overwhelm your puppy & try & do all these in a week or two. Think about which things you can do & do a few each day. If your pup gets stress, stay calm & upbeat, “fake it till you make it” if you have to, your pup can sense your stress. If you’re stressed out, have another family member or friend that the pup trusts, do the things that stress you. A well adjusted dog is far easier to live with for the next 8-15+ years, so doing these things will make live a lot easier for everyone. I dealt with many adult foster dogs (over 20+ yrs)that many had issues due to never being exposed to things at young ages. It takes more time & effort to help an adult dog get over (no get through is more realistic) fears, & honestly some never will. I want to help new puppy owners with these potential issues by giving you ideas of things you can expose your pup to before it is 20 weeks old. If your pup is already close to this or over 20 weeks old, I can’t say exposing them won’t work or help prevent fears. I do know it could take longer & you will need to be extra patient & careful not to push it & overwhelm or put them over threshold.
I hope this post was helpful to anyone with a new pup or maybe even helped you understand your adult dog a little more. I write my blog to help people to help their pets to thrive & not just survive. I have 51 other posts on my blog, you can find the table of content on my home page under the show tab on the upper left corner of the page. If your enjoying my blog posts, learning would you please subscribe (you’ll get a notice when I publish a new post not spam). Like my posts, comment on posts, visit often & please share on your social platforms, this helps more people to find out about my blog. If you have questions & want to email me my email is echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com Thank you for reading, Debbie
Echoing Great Pet Care 