What Happens During Days 28-34: The Socialization Period

Around 4 weeks old (28 days), our puppies enter the Socialization Period, which lasts until they are about 12 weeks old. This is one of the most exciting times in a puppy's development – and my personal favorite! At this stage, the puppies' ears and eyes, which opened around two weeks ago, become fully functional. You'll notice their sight and hearing have greatly improved. Some puppies might even enjoy the sound of their own voices and start experimenting with different types of vocalizations, especially barking.

As they become more aware of their surroundings, the puppies begin to mouth and play with each other and wag their tails. This period is all about developing muscle strength and coordination, helping them learn to move forward and backward. They’ll start to acknowledge your presence and respond to your voice.

Guiding the Socialization Process

With their senses and physical abilities improving, puppies enter a phase of curiosity marked by low fear and a high willingness to explore. They’re eager to interact with people, so it's crucial to facilitate safe introductions in a controlled environment. While it's tempting to let everyone handle the puppies, too much interaction can overwhelm them, causing them to feel stressed and uncomfortable. A systematic, well-planned approach is key to ensuring the puppies feel secure and supported.

During this period, we start working with the puppies outside of their whelping box or moving them to a larger, more open space. It’s essential to provide safe and predictable exposure to new experiences. How we introduce puppies to new things is as important as what we introduce them to.

The Importance of Environment and Stimulation

How we choose to raise our puppies during this time shapes their future. Keeping puppies confined in small spaces with little to no stimulation or exposure to different environments does a disservice to their development. It’s crucial to engage, stimulate, and expose them to a variety of safe situations. This helps them learn that the world outside their initial environment is friendly and fun.

Exposing puppies to different textures, shapes, sizes, and movements fosters confidence and encourages them to believe in their abilities. Just like children, we want confident, motivated, and resilient puppies who can handle new and challenging situations.

Here are some examples of exercises to expose puppies to different textures, shapes, sizes, and movements, fostering their confidence and resilience:

Textures

Varied Flooring: Introduce puppies to different types of flooring, such as grass, carpet, tile, and gravel. This helps them adapt to various surfaces and textures under their paws.
Tactile Toys: Provide toys with various textures, like rubber, fabric, and rope, to encourage exploration and play.
Soft vs. Hard Objects: Let puppies interact with soft blankets and hard objects like plastic or metal to experience different sensations.

Shapes

Varied Shapes: Use toys and objects of various shapes (e.g., balls, cubes, and cones) to stimulate their curiosity and problem-solving skills.
Shape Identification: Introduce toys or objects in different shapes and encourage puppies to interact with them.

Sizes

Scaled Objects: Place toys and objects of different sizes in their play area, from small balls to larger soft toys, so they can become accustomed to varying sizes.
Adjustable Equipment: Use adjustable height platforms or ramps to help puppies learn to climb up and down, adapting to different sizes and heights.

Movements

Gentle Rocking: Use a rocking or swaying surface to help puppies experience gentle movements and develop balance.
Moving Toys: Introduce toys that move or make noise, such as squeaky balls or automated toys, to help puppies get used to dynamic stimuli.

General Exposure

Controlled Introductions: Introduce puppies to new people and safe, controlled environments to build their confidence in social settings. Thi

By incorporating these exercises into their routine, you help ensure that puppies grow into well-rounded, confident adults capable of handling new and challenging situations with ease.

Week 4: A Time of Exploration and Growth

By week four, puppies start to come alive. They engage, explore, and think more critically about their environment. It’s important to let them solve problems on their own without pushing them into situations they’re not ready for. If a puppy chooses to sit and watch an activity rather than engage, that’s perfectly okay. We’re building a foundation of trust, letting them know they won't be forced into anything uncomfortable. The time will come to gently encourage them to face their fears – but not yet.

At Stokeshire Designer Doodles, we move our puppies to a more spacious area with a doggy door at this stage to begin the basics of housebreaking with the concept of “sleep inside and potty outside.” We use potty trays with pee pads underneath and grates on top. Additionally, we give Dam breaks from full-time nursing by periodically separating her from her puppies. Depending on your setup, it's important to increase their living space and rearrange items like beds and bowls periodically, while keeping their potty area in a consistent spot.

Continuing the Developmental Journey

Throughout the Socialization Period, we maintain many of the same protocols from earlier stages but adjust for the puppies' growth and changing needs. We provide a more solid version of puppy mush and continue using recall cues during feeding. We also maintain our dam care protocols, even as the puppies begin weaning.

This period is a foundational time in your puppy's life, filled with exploration, learning, and growth. By carefully guiding them through these experiences, we help ensure they develop into confident, well-adjusted dogs ready for the world.

Gradually increase the intensity and pressure of handling exercises. Spend plenty of time holding the pups close to your heart and face, treating them with tenderness and respect. As you gently increase the difficulty of the “Puppy Handling Exercises,” remember that it’s crucial not to put a pup down if they show signs of nervousness or uncertainty. Let them fall asleep in your arms, feeling safe and secure.

Make time to sit with the entire litter, picking up each pup, one after another, to cuddle and gently interact. You are nurturing these little puppies, helping them grow into confident and loving companions—heart healers and life changers. This process also fills your spirit with the profound bond that comes from being a true dog lover, something every Empowered Breeder must experience and believe in wholeheartedly.

At this stage, pups must have only positive experiences. We are building doodles and Australian Mountain Dogs that feel the world is safe, people are kind, and other dogs are friendly—foundational beliefs that are core to our program.