BEHAVIOR

The dog is a social creature. It prefers the company of people and other dogs to living alone. Therefore, animal behaviorists consider it similar in this respect to its distant relative, the wolf. As a result of thousands of years of selective breeding, the dog has adapted to life with people. However, research into dog behavior conducted in the 1950s and 60s showed that dogs raised without human contact at an early age retain their innate instincts and prefer relationships with other dogs to communication with people.

Both dogs and wolves are territorial animals. Wolf packs, due to the need to hunt prey, claim vast territories, while dogs claim their own territories based on the boundaries imposed by their owners. Male wolves and dogs mark their territories by urinating and rubbing their scent on the ground or trees to alert other animals to their presence.

When in neutral territory, which neither dogs nor wolves consider their own, strangers greet each other with formal rituals: sniffing, marking, wagging tails, and posturing. Unless they are both laying claim to the same prey or courting the same female, such interactions usually cease and each goes his separate way. However, females may attack strangers in neutral territory to protect their young.

Both dogs and wolves have a repertoire of barks, growls, and howls that are easily recognized both among themselves and by people who have learned their vocabularies. Dog owners can tell by certain sounds whether their pet is playful, warning of a stranger, afraid, or injured. One of the earliest signs that puppies are becoming social and independent creatures in a litter is the yelps and barks they make when playing with each other. Dogs, unlike wolves, growl when cornered or afraid. Some dog breeds, especially scent hounds, have been bred to improve their howling instinct when tracking game. Some northern breeds, such as the Siberian Husky, howl rather than bark. At the other end of the spectrum, the Basenji does not bark, but makes a yodel-like sound when happy.

Dog behavior is a combination of instincts and environment. Dogs are born with certain innate characteristics that are evident from birth.

The puppies are born blind and deaf, and are completely dependent on the female for warmth and nourishment. The female instinctively feeds and protects her puppies, often keeping other dogs and all but the most trusted humans away from the whelping box. About 10 to 14 days after birth, the puppies’ eyes and ear canals open and they begin to move around their nest. As they grow, they become more curious and begin to explore their surroundings on their own. The female begins to leave them alone for short periods. During this period, they are most closely bonded with their littermates and the female, and may be unhappy at being taken away from their familiar surroundings. This stage of development lasts about 20 days and is the first of four critical periods.

From three weeks of age, the most adventurous puppies will look for ways to escape from the parent box and begin to explore the big world.

At this age, puppies are receptive to human contact, which is necessary if they are to form bonds with people as adults. Dogs left alone from four weeks onwards will never reach their full potential as pets and will often become independent and more difficult to train than those accustomed to close human contact from an early age. At the same time, between three and seven weeks, it is important for puppies to be socialised with their littermates and their mother. At this time, the mother will wean her puppies by first regurgitating some of her own food and then not allowing the puppies to nurse as often as they would like. At around four weeks, puppies can be offered solid food in the form of a soft porridge.

Individual socialization of each puppy in a litter can begin as early as six weeks. At this age, puppies become more receptive to handling and attention.

The third critical period of puppy development lasts from 7 to 12 weeks. Research conducted in various kennels has shown that this is the best age for the human-dog bond to form. The attachment formed during this period will influence the dog’s attitude towards humans and its ability to accept directions and learn. During this period, the pack instinct, which played such an important role in the puppy’s early development, can be transferred to humans. At this time, the environment becomes an important part of the dog’s upbringing and training. This is when it is easiest for a human to establish dominance over the dog, becoming the «pack leader». At this age, a dog will more easily accept the role of a subordinate than at any other time in its life. Learning occurs most easily at this age. Puppies taught basic commands, even if they have not been reinforced for several months, will remember them and perform them if taught at this critical age.

The fourth critical period of puppy development occurs between 12 and 16 weeks of age.

At this age, the puppy is asserting its independence from its mother and becoming increasingly bold in its forays outside its familiar space. This is the period when training can begin, and it is a time of rapid physical and mental development. Permanent teeth begin to erupt at this time, which is often a painful and distracting process. Puppies need to chew during this period, and unless provided with appropriate teething toys, they will use any hard object available, such as furniture. Puppies at this age may be less willing to obey or less willing to respond to new commands.

A dog’s personality continues to develop throughout the maturation process, and undergoes radical changes as it matures sexually and physically. Dogs mature sexually before they mature emotionally. Their personality develops more slowly than their body, similar to humans, but unlike wolves, where personality and sexuality develop more harmoniously.

Around seven to eight months of age, many puppies tend to go through a period of anxiety.

They are insecure, afraid of strangers, and appear timid. If it is not a hereditary trait, it will disappear within a few months. If it is a hereditary condition, it will persist and may worsen over time.

There is more to learn about how dogs age compared to humans, and whether seven dog years are really equivalent to one human year.