This is going to be an exciting and interesting spring and summer. I have a new pick-of-the-litter puppy coming, and it's the first pup I've started from the beginning in several years. Recently I've taken the easy way of choosing prospects after they've reached four or five months of age.

Our future field champion has a long road ahead, and so do we--we're taking on a 10- or 12-year (or longer) commitment to provide proper health care, nutrition, exercise and training…in other words, to do all we can to help him reach his inherent potential.

Of course in choosing an older pup you have to be certain you're dealing with folks who understand the importance of socialization and early development, and you have to be willing to pay the price for an older pup. But the bottom line is that you can see pretty much what you're getting with indications of strengths and weaknesses being more evident.

In any case I'm starting from square one with this pup; I'd bet I'm not the only one with a new pup. So I thought we might share some ideas and reasoning around the first few months' objectives and do what we can to prepare our pup for the days ahead.

Early efforts require a very positive guiding, directing, encouraging mode of training blended with exercise and socialization to the things and places your dog will work in and around as training progresses, then later while hunting or trialing.

Along with socialization, fundamental training is critical, but only in proportion and at the correct time. It's not uncommon to see folks having problems with older dogs simply because they have pushed them too fast and/or taken shortcuts around early developmental work. An example of this would be early steadiness or other obedience drills before pups understand the world around them and have had time to realize their inherent instincts and simply discover that they're predators.

Let's not make that mistake.

"Where did you say we're going?" As we begin with a new pup our efforts should be of a nurturing, guiding manner…helping the pup learn about new places and things as we begin to build a solid foundation for future training.

Socialization: Exposure To People, Places and Things
Behavioral studies indicate a key period of socialization for puppies to humans is from six to eight weeks. This is when the mother normally weans the puppies and they become more independent. Believe it or not, a pup's nervous system reaches the structural and functional capacities of an adult by this time, so he's ready to learn and intensive socialization should begin.

Most agree somewhere between six and eight weeks is the ideal time to place puppies in new homes for further socialization to humans as well as beginning housebreaking and other training. So somewhere around seven weeks you should plan on bringing your pup home. The precise day is not critical, but what you do from there on is.

Happy experiences during the puppy's first few days in the new home will have a lasting and positive effect as it develops. Give your pup lots of attention and affection and begin using the pup's name; be consistent and you'll soon see a response.

Let pup explore while you supervise from a distance. If he damages something or has an accident, you can only punish or speak harshly when he's caught in the act. The only thing a puppy learns from untimely punishment is fear of you.

Now is a good time to begin introducing very basic commands like "No" and "Kennel."

Gradually introduce new people, a few at a time who know your objective is building the pup's confidence. Puppies who are gently handled by different people usually develop friendly and trusting attitudes toward people in general.