One indication that seven weeks might be a reasonable average for socialization processes to occur, but not necessarily the only or even the optimum age was summarized in a graphic plot of the approach/avoidance scores on age in weeks presented in the paper on critical periods in social development of dogs by Freedman, King and Elliot, three members of the research group. The graph shows the approach scores were low at two and three weeks, jumped dramatically at five weeks, then gradually declined to almost no approach at fourteen weeks.

Avoidance scores, equated to the development of a fear response, were none at three to five weeks, then jumped abruptly at seven weeks to a maximum by ten weeks. The lines representing decreasing approach and increasing avoidance cross in the seventh week. From this the authors concluded the period for most rapid socialization was optimum at six to eight weeks. However, pups in this study had no exposure to people until the day of testing and each week’s cohort of dogs was tested only once. It measured only the accumulative effect of deprivation of human contact such as would occur in wild canids like wolf, coyote, wild dogs of any sort. But somehow Wolters honed this six to eight weeks old to exactly 49 days and hopefully not a minute later.

Based on the results of Freedman, King and Elliot with pups whose initial exposure to humans was when they were tested, Scott suggested two rules for producing well balanced, well adjusted dogs. The first of these is that the ideal time to produce a close social relationship between puppy and master occurs between six and eight weeks of age. This is the optimal time to remove it from litter and make it into a house pet. Done earlier the pup hasn’t enough opportunity to form social relationships with other dogs, but would be very attached to people.

At the other extreme, if exposure to people is delayed to twelve or more weeks of age the pup will have good relationship with dogs but will be timid and have no confidence with people. A strong relationship with people is important for pet dogs and for working dogs such as guide dogs, and for some hunting dogs where they work under close direction. This might apply to say field trial retrievers. For those dogs that do not require such a strong dog-human relationship, such as the hounds and field trial pointing breeds, exposure at the six to eight week period is not so essential.

The second general rule is that puppies should be exposed, at least in a preliminary way, to the circumstances in which they will live as an adult, and this should be done before three or four months old. The young puppy at eight to twelve weeks is highly malleable and adaptable and this is the time to lay the foundation for its future life work.

If puppies have very little or no human contact, seven weeks is conservative– six weeks would be a better age to get the pup. Waiting to twelve weeks would produce the so called kennel shy dog. The only case I can imagine with no people exposure today is a multi-breed puppy mill run on a shoestring. Anyone who buys a hunting dog pup from such a breeder is not popping on all cylinders.

But assuming all is normal, the breeder is knowledgeable enough about his breed and cares enough to talk to, pet, handle, expose to noises, to strange situations, strange textures underfoot, and allows the pups to interact fully with mother and siblings, then Scott’s rule one doesn’t apply. The pups will have contact with humans, probably on a daily basis from birth onward to seven weeks (6 to 8) will not necessarily be the best time for puppy to be taken from litter mates. Like everything else in life, the period from six to eight weeks has some down sides.

One down side is the rapid increase in fear responses, things like avoidance of strangers and fearfulness of new or strange situations. Barely noticeable at five weeks, fear escalates most in the seventh week. Abrupt separation from mom and littermates, the only rock solid security the pup knows, is the most traumatic experience of its life so far. Transplanting at seven weeks to a totally new environment is magnified because the developing fear is rapidly escalating. Keeping the pup in the same situation it has previously associated with low fear during the three to six week old period– same location, same mom, same litter mates and same breeder with same enriched environment routine will smooth out the rough road that begins with the rapid development of the fear reflex late in week six and through week seven before it levels of in the tenth week