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SOCIALIZATION at Lunaria
A breeder's influence from the time a puppy is born to the time they leave the house is extremely crucial and often times not stressed enough. Infact there has been some proven scientific data that 35% of a dog’s performance is inherited and 65% is based on environmental influences - training, management, etc. With that being said, if the breeder does not help build the foundation of the puppy then certain issues may be very difficult to change later down the road.
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From about 3 weeks to about 3 months of age, puppies are primed for bonding to other animals and individuals, for learning that objects, people, and environments are safe, and for learning what the body cues and signals of others mean. It is their sensitive period for socialization and it is in fact considered the most important socialization period in a dog’s life. Puppies who do not get adequate socialization during this period have a high chance of becoming fearful of unfamiliar people, or dogs, or sounds, objects and environments.
To make the transition home as smooth as possible, we will follow a very thorough socialization process and have a puppy playroom set up with many "changing themes" for as long as the pups are with us. Our socialization & positive exposure plan does not one but several different techniques that are used by many breeders with success. In addition, many think of socialization as exposing their puppies to as many new experiences as possible while the puppy is young. While this is part of the process, it’s not enough. Our goal is to raise dogs that have the emotional intelligence to connect with you. Emotional intelligence can be taught to young puppies and one of the goals of the Puppy Culture Program is to teach breeders how to do this.
1. Early Neurological Stimulation
Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) is a process that introduces mild stresses to very young puppies in a controlled way. These stresses help stimulate the neurological system which improves the growth and development of the pup's immune system, cardiovascular system, and stress tolerance.
2. Sound Proof Puppy Training
Have you ever wondered why some dogs are so calm around noisy environments, while others look nervous and stressed? There are many loud, new and unusual sounds a dog must get used to as a domestic pet or working dog. Dogs are born deaf and they don’t hear until about 3 weeks of age. Puppies aged 3 – 16 weeks are in their ‘Sensitive Phase Period’. It is essential to expose puppies to different sounds during this developmental phase. Training our dogs to be comfortable with sound is essential to having a calm, well-adjusted dog. We incorporate this training as early as 3 weeks old. Some sounds we work with includes fireworks and gunfire.
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3. Urban Socialization
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Puppies who have not completed their rabies or other vaccines should not be exposed to public areas. However exposing puppies to the outside world in a positive light has its own benefits as well - So how do would we achieve this? In the future after our puppies have started the socialization process in our home, we will take them out with extreme careful measures as we have our own methods in how to achieve this.
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