Buying a Puppy: The Socialisation Period

First of all, if you're reading this please consider acquiring your dog or puppy from a rescue centre. There are so many great dogs or puppies that would be perfect for you out there. Rescue animals can make very loyal and rewarding pets and you may be saving an animal from an uncertain fate. Give your local rescue centre a call and have a quick look, that’s all I’m asking!

The canine socialisation period is vitally important for the development of a balanced mind; this is from 14 to 49 days. To buy a puppy without seeing the mother is to buy a puppy and not know where, how and who it came from, for example, a pup taken at 4 weeks is missing out on the interaction with litter mates, e.g. regulation of bite strength. By biting the ear of a litter mate, they cause a yelp, and then know they have bitten to hard. Taking away a puppy too soon also means that said puppy could also be missing out on interaction with it's mother by not allowing the mother to discipline a difficult character properly. By doing this, the breeder is passing on a whole lot of trouble. Between 14 and 49 days the mother will start weaning; this gives many opportunities to discipline the pups and teach the meaning of respect.

There are also further lessons for a puppy to learn during this vital period. A mother might not respond to her pups whine, bar a distress call, because puppies whine continuously for a great many reasons. The mother will want her pups to become as independent from her as possible, to aid weaning. Also the mother will want her pups to learn from and experience the world, so that in later live they can adapt and decide actions to suit a situation.

Although I think the most worrying of all problems associated with the removal of a puppy at an early stage is the physical and psychological stress of being transported in a cold, confining, vibrating create with inadequate provisions.

This could culminate into an early history of GID (gastro-intestinal disease). As minor stress to a young pup can be beneficial to their adrenal function, major stress like this, is likely to over load and possibly shut down the adrenal gland completely for a time and in turn cause inflammation, which usually shows itself via loose stool (diarrhoea), and possibly even future allergies.

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