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| Socialization
and puppy training are of utmost importance -
this is the MOST important and critical time in
your dog's development. What you do and do not
do right now will affect your dog's behavior forever.
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| From
the day our puppies are born they are handled gently
on a daily basis with plenty of love and special attention.
We believe that good socialization is the key to a
mentally sound dog or puppy. Now the socialization
process begins. After six weeks old our puppies are
allowed outdoors for short intervals throughout the
day. At this age, puppies begin to learn about pack
order from their littermates and mother. Mother teaches
her puppies to respect authority, in which will make
him or her easier to train and live with. Rough housing
with his or her brothers and sisters will help the
puppy become less sensitive to noise, physical contact,
and will teach him or her to behave socially with
other dogs.
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| Between the age of 8 to 10 weeks a puppy is going through the "fear
imprint period". Meaning, at this time puppies are
very sensitive to sounds, new places, new people/animals
and experiences. If the puppy is frightened at this
time, he or she can be seriously traumatized and might
not ever forget what frightened him or her. We are
extremely careful with our puppies at this time, and
avoid any stressful situations. Also we start gentle
yet consistent training, and our puppies start to
learn basic obedience commands such as come and sit
and are introduced to the feeling of wearing a collar
and using a crate for sleep during the night. This
is the age we feel other animals should be introduced,
if the puppy is expected to get along with them later
in life. Here at Mount Brier, our dogs are always
around cats. So at this age, we begin the introduction
of both adult cats as well as kittens so the puppy
can adjust to living with them properly. An adult
dog should never be expected to automatically get
along with just any pet! Around 10 to 12 weeks of
age, if we still have puppies here that have yet to
leave for their new homes, we begin introducing them
to public places. At this age, our puppies meet as
many new people and children as possible, whom gently
handle them and also comes the introduction of numerous
adult dogs including play sessions with gentle ones.
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| At
12 to 16 weeks old, we continue basic obedience training
and do more outdoor activities with our puppies. At
this time some puppies will go through an avoidance
period, where that upbeat, outgoing puppy suddenly
turns into a shy, unsure puppy and may even hide from
new people, animals or situations. This is perfectly
normal and not something to be alarmed about! If a
puppy goes through the avoidance period, just stay
calm but do not "baby" the puppy. Don't ever pick
up your puppy and hold him or her for being afraid
(this only reinforces the behavior which is the last
thing you want to do). Baby talking or petting your
dog while he or she is frightened is REINFORCING THAT
BEHAVIOR - don't do it! If he or she does not want
to venture to the park, or refuses to approach another
person or dog, just leave the area and keep socializing
low-key for now until the puppy comes out of it. Always
be sure you act confidant in these situations, and
always act as if nothing is wrong (your puppy will
pick up on this). However, do not abruptly stop your
socialization, just slow down a bit with it, taking
one step at a time, and always keep it fun and very
upbeat for the puppy!
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| At 6 months to 1 year old the puppy will now be reaching
puberty. Male pups may try to be pushy, and may choose
to ignore commands, even though he knows exactly what
you want him to do. You may also notice male puppies
lifting their leg at this age, which is normal for
any intact male. The attention span should be improved,
but a second avoidance period can arise once again
at this age. Take it easy again, like we did during
the first avoidance period, and don't try anything
stressful with the puppy. Keep training lessons short
at this time.
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| At 1 year old to 2 years old, the puppy is now an adult. The adult dog now should be socializing well, greeting new people in a friendly manner. Be cautious though, at this age some dogs of this breed can become overly dominating or aggressive towards other dogs. This is normal for the AmStaff, as they were developed from the American Pit Bull Terrier, which was originally used for dog fighting. It's a natural instinct. If you feel your dog is truly dog aggressive, simply remember to not let your hom or her off lead with other dogs (ever, unless you know for SURE your dog gets along with the other - and playtime should be supervised in that case), and to insure that he or she fully obeys your commands all situations. Don't put your dog in a situation where he or she could possibly get into a fight with another dog, if you are certain they are dog aggressive. An AmStaff should never be left alone with another dog unsurpervised, no matter how well they get along. Males at this time can become aggressive with other males, which is natural for ANY breed, because he is now a fully grown adult with testosterone and may feel other males are a threat to his chance of mating. If you do not intend on breeding your male, consider having him neutered before he reaches puberty. This can (but does not always) cut back on male to male aggression a great deal, in some individuals. Females as well may become same sex aggessive with other adult females. Generally a male and female pairing will do fine together, and same sex pairing should be avoided unless you are positive that you dog is not same sex aggressive (not all will be!). We never ever recommend public dog parks for this breed, period!! Any dog fight that might break out will ALWAYS be the AmStaffs fault in the public eye, even is he/she was not the instigator! It is best to steer clear of dog parks with AmStaffs for their own safety. |
