Harper Goes to School

4/25/2018

Snitker Goldens English Cream Golden Retriever Harper

Harper
DOB: January 20, 2018
Sire/Dam: Jack/Fabi

We blinked and all of the sudden...our little girl is ready for class!

Harper is a sweet, sweet soul, though it's no surprise because her mother is one too. :) We're lengthening the sit-stay and down-stay now and will be working towards her AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy distinction just like pups in the Gold Select program.

Puppy Class officially starts in a few weeks, so we'll be taking her (and Evie, an Oakley/Silas daughter) on the road for some great training experiences with our favorite folks at the Good Dog Center.

TRAINING TIP: Tackle time or distance at first for your stays. Not both at the same time!

Thank goodness for warmer weather. We've been out on the almost-green grass this week training with "distractions". What a tough lesson. It's hard to focus when there are so many fun kids laughing in the sandbox nearby or cats sunbathing on the porch. :)

Harper and her siblings are hitting the end of the critical learning period soon, so we're wrapping up the baby stage and heading into the teens. One of the books I've been reading through lately is "Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog. A Classic Study". It's a real mouthful, but it's full of great information.

Part of what Drs Fuller and Scott discovered is that the Juvenile Period (teenage period) is marked, not by new patterns of learning like the Socialization Period, but instead by building on what was learned during that time. (p. 108) Their learning is fully developed at this point...but like anyone at this age, they also have "poor motor skills", "short attention spans" and "emotional excitability". (p. 109)

Yep. They got that part right! We call this the gangly stage for our pups because they're all legs and feet.

Scott and Fuller also write,

"a puppy is born without experience of the outside world, and his behavior is organized and reorganized in relation to the social and physical environments throughout his lifetime. All these factors continually act together and upon each other to produce the capacity to react effectively to each new environmental situation throughout life". (p. 17)

So really - a puppy's brain is playing Tetras and fitting all the pieces together. :)

The scary part is that around 12 weeks of age, the imprinting window starts closing - rapidly - so your puppy is going to respond in the future to their environment by how and where those building blocks are being placed now.

No pressure, right? (Rubbing forehead and sighing)

While it's not the easiest of reading, if you're interested in genetics and a 20 year research project that radically changed how we look at canine development, this is the book. Just be prepared to wade through a lot of tables and graphs.

If there is one thing to take away from this book, it is that now is the time to lay the foundation for who they will become, how they will live, and the work they will do. The young puppy is highly "malleable and adaptable" and putting in the effort and energy now will give your puppy the ability to reach their full potential. (p. 385)

In other words - you are the key to your puppy's success. Use this time wisely!