5/6 Week Old Puppy Behavior

[zsimms]

We went to see the pup we are buying again today, she's only 6 weeks old now, but today and last week when we visited there was another female pup from the same litter that is always going up to the other pups, climbing all over them, biting them and growling at them, the other pups actually whine while she's doing it. I understand play fighting and that it's natural but it seems to be all she does, like she has no other interest.

So it got me thinking about how much you can tell about the future of a dogs temperament and personality based on these early behaviors? Does this little pups seemingly constant aggressive behavior give any indication as to how she will be as an adult dog? I mean aside from her environment and training growing up of course. Or could she be a real little sweetheart but just be testing and learning, although for her she only seems to be learning one side of the coin!

Again, this isn't the pup we have chosen, although we were interested in her initially, I'm just curious.

Cheers

Z

[Dogsfevr]

Personally what people pick at that age often isnt the one they still like at 8 weeks.

We had some pups go today & the first family had first pick.For the first time ever we allowed them to come lookat 5 weeks because they wanted too,They picked the pup they wanted & we said yep thats fine,

Today they are nearly 9 weeks & we allowed them to again pick which pup ,they chose a completely different pup.

We explained at length that what they see at 5 weeks wont be interesting & that picking a pup at that age based on who does what doesnt always reflect that dogs nature.they learnt quickly but we had also had set aside a pup that we felt was better suited & we where right

5/6 weeks they are just starting to get a grasp on the world,some are slightly more advanced than others but yes you can get idea of which pup is heading down which path buit when they reach 7/8weeks you often get a giant turn around in the pups temps as the slower ones shine through & start to be more on par with the advanced ones & all start playing in a level manner.

[zsimms]

Thank you, very interesting!

[peibe]

Just had something similar happen with a litter of rescue pups

The quietest one at 5-6 weeks is now the most dominant at 7-8 weeks

The most dominant at 5-6 weeks is now the most laid back and adjusted

The loudest at 5-6 weeks in now the quiet one

[bozthepup]

my two bob's worth. Our pup kind of picked us, because we wanted a particular colour, and he was the only choc in the litter. At six weeks, he was the biggest and the boldest, he was always on mum's teet first, he was always running ahead of the pack - literally. He'd be off investigating by himself etc. At 8 weeks we thought we had a v naughty pup, at 10 weeks he wouldn't stop biting but by 3 months, with training and socialisation, he was a lovely friendly little boy that didn't try it on too much. He still had 'spunk' but he knew when enough was enough. His brother, however (who at 6 weeks was very timid) proved to be quite a handful, and his sister, who was also quite bold as a 6 wk old, now rolls over (ie submits) as soon as you approach her.

So from my limited experience, it's not always the absolute indicator. I'm sure breeders could share more insights.

Good luck with your pup !!

[zsimms]

Thanks bozthepup, I've been reading a bit about it now and it's really interesting. I'd love to raise a whole litter with the same environment/training etc and record their behaviors from the beginning through to adult hood.

Z

[Teebs]

Just had something similar happen with a litter of rescue pups

The quietest one at 5-6 weeks is now the most dominant at 7-8 weeks

The most dominant at 5-6 weeks is now the most laid back and adjusted

The loudest at 5-6 weeks in now the quiet one

In the last bull terrier litter my boss had, there was one bitch who was just that, a bitch, she would push all the pups out of the way, i actually wanted to call her Hummer! She would just put her head down and push till she got where she wanted, didnt matter who was in the way She would also always finish eating first, then she would burrow under all the other pups so they fell off mum and all cry, getting mum to get a bit upset and us trying to get them back on for a drink, while she rolled over to her back and went to sleep!!

She is 6 months old now, and the most laid back gentle pup! We all thought she was going to be a handful! but she is great!

[fbc]

Just had something similar happen with a litter of rescue pups

The quietest one at 5-6 weeks is now the most dominant at 7-8 weeks

The most dominant at 5-6 weeks is now the most laid back and adjusted

The loudest at 5-6 weeks in now the quiet one

Boy you were lucky,

My quietest is still the quietest although he has come out of his shell a bit.

My most dominant is still top dog

And yes the loudest is still an air-raider.

Foolishly I am keeping the naughtiest one who is also top dog lets hope she improves with age

[giraffez]

So how many weeks should it be okay to take the pup? I understand that 8 weeks is the minimum - is this too soon? But if you don't take it at 8 weeks, its around that time when they need to be trained and absorb stuff isn't it?? So wouldn't u be missing the critical period?

[Stitch]

Puppies need to be exposed to noise and mildly stressful situations from about 4-5 weeks onward.

I always have their playpen in the kitchen/family room and bang pots, clap hands, stomp around etc. so they learn that noises etc. are OK. It is also important to get them out to see cars and hear other loud noises.

Also, every litter is different and have their own personalities but I find that as a breeder, puppies that I am attracted to at an early age are usually still the puppies that I like when they are older or adult but then breeders see the puppies every day and are usually very observant of their puppies behaviours.

They still seem to retain basic personality traits although other behaviours will change. Pushy pups still retain some pushy traits but don't necessarily turn out to be aggressive or dominant. If I am chosing a pup to run on I prefer to keep the one that is not dominant, usually the second in line but I also have to take into consideration the confirmation of the pup.

I am currently running on two sisters, one was the biggest and pushiest and the other was quieter but more determined. Now the biggest one is still pushy but the other one is much more determined and not frightened of anything - a much more resilient individual. The biggest one although pushy has a much softer temperament. All pups in the litter took turns to be dominant - first time I have had that.

Edited April 19, 2009 by STITCH

[giraffez]

Puppies need to be exposed to noise and mildly stressful situations from about 4-5 weeks onward.

I always have their playpen in the kitchen/family room and bang pots, clap hands, stomp around etc. so they learn that noises etc. are OK. It is also important to get them out to see cars and hear other loud noises.

Also, every litter is different and have their own personalities but I find that as a breeder, puppies that I am attracted to at an early age are usually still the puppies that I like when they are older or adult but then breeders see the puppies every day and are usually very observant of their puppies behaviours.

They still seem to retain basic personality traits although other behaviours will change. Pushy pups still retain some pushy traits but don't necessarily turn out to be aggressive or dominant. If I am chosing a pup to run on I prefer to keep the one that is not dominant, usually the second in line but I also have to take into consideration the confirmation of the pup.

I am currently running on two sisters, one was the biggest and pushiest and the other was quieter but more determined. Now the biggest one is still pushy but the other one is much more determined and not frightened of anything - a much more resilient individual. The biggest one although pushy has a much softer temperament. All pups in the litter took turns to be dominant - first time I have had that.

Stitch - when do you let the puppies go to their new homes? At 8 weeks or 10?

[Stitch]

Usually around 8 to 12 weeks depending on how the litter is progressing.

As long as the puppies are still being socialised IMO it doesn't matter if the pup is 6 months or older when they go to their forever home.

If I have puppies that are 12 weeks old I always take them to puppy preschool at 12wks.

If I have older pups that I have run on and then decided not to keep IMO they are probably better socialised than most pups already in a pet home and also probably easier to train on.