Birth to 9 Weeks

Most people are not aware that the most critical time in a puppy’s development happens between 3 and 12 weeks of age. The socialization and conditioning that takes place during this period will shape your puppy’s behavior and their ability to navigate our modern world. This means that the choice of a breeder is the most important choice you will make in this journey.

Newborn Puppies don’t do much… but contrary to the general thinking, weeks one and two in a puppy’s development give us the opportunity to expose their busy brain to Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS). The stress a pup feels by being removed from its den and mother and having its body temperature lowered, is enough to condition the pup to react more confidently to stressful situations throughout its life. HMK9 mimmics the ENS used by military in the Super Dog Program. We also begin handling every part of the pup’s anatomy and desensitize them to being touched and handled.

In week 3, puppies begin to open their eyes and toddle around, exploring their environment. This is when the critical socialization period begins. Well-bred German Shepherds are naturally clean and learn quickly to urinate and defecate on one side of their pen while sleeping and playing in the other. As soon as possible, we set up a defined potty area which will be used to further introduce potty training later in development.

The puppies receive visitors and are exposed to startling noises, new toys and textures, and new smells throughout this period. At week 5, the puppies start individual training sessions in which they are separated from their littermates and taught to interact and respond to humans. Our pups are socialized and exposed to slick floors, stairs, ramps, obstacles, bottles, cans, tarps, and gun shots (from a safe distance). This is also when we will begin observing the pups on a daily basis to become experts on their personalities and attributes. Intricate notes are kept on every move the puppies make.They are introduced to cats, chickens, and older neutral dogs. At week 6, drive development starts. They become used to spending time away from their siblings and are tested for drives away from outside influence. Most importantly, our pups are developed in grip, drives, markers, and scent work. They will become accustomed to working with, and responding to humans. Week 7 is when crate training and potty training begin.

We keep pups until at least 9 weeks of age. This gives us extra time to make sure that the pups’ get a strong start in life. It also gives us the necessary observation time while pups mature into their own personalities, drives, and characteristics. The last thing we want is to give one of our buyers a pup that did not fit their needs and face having to rehome the pup. This way we can make sure our pups get suitable homes right off the bat.

Everything we do, from day one, is focused on building confidence, nerve, drives, and biddability in our pups and then finally matching them with the perfect home so that they are set up for success in the rest of their lives.

Our methods have shown to be highly successful and we are proud to continue raising BETTER dogs.