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Here is a short note on conditioning puppies to the world, to keep with the puppy love theme; 

Whereas eight-week-old puppies are universally accepting of people, adolescent dogs naturally become wary of anything unfamiliar, including noises, objects, dogs, people and places. It is not uncommon for adolescent dogs to become fearful or reactive. As puppies grow older, the world becomes a scarier place. 

To prevent dogs from becoming wary of children, men, strangers, skateboarders, other dogs, loud noises, vacuum cleaners, nail clippers, collar grabs, etc. etc. etc., take your time when exposing your puppy, adolescent, or newly adopted adult dog to novel (unfamiliar) stimuli, settings and situations. And make sure you condition your dog not only to tolerate, but also to thoroughly enjoy all of these potentially scary stimuli. 

*It is easier to condition BEFORE your pup shows any fear, both as he grows older, and during the training.
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Here are some great rules to follow if you are thinking of getting a puppy, OR already have one :)

PUPPY DEVELOPMENTAL DEADLINES 

1st  DeadlineBEFORE you search for a puppy, you need to complete your education about puppy education. You need to know how to select a good puppy and how puppies work. Selecting a puppy is similar to buying a car: Do lots of research and “test drive” a wide variety. But first, you need to learn how to drive!

2nd DeadlineBefore you choose your puppy, you need to know how to assess your prospective puppy’s current socialization and educational status. Regardless of breed and breeding, if socialization, housetraining, and basic manners are not well underway by eight weeks of age, the puppy is already developing slower.

3rd DeadlineMake certain that an errorless housetraining and chewtoy-training program is instituted from the very first day your puppy comes home.

4th DeadlineYour puppy needs to be socialized to people before he is twelve weeks old. As a rule of thumb your puppy needs to meet at leastone hundred different people during his first month at home.

5th DeadlineBite inhibition is the single most important quality a dog must learn. The narrow time window for developing a “soft mouth” begins to close at four and a half months of age.

6th DeadlineTo ensure that your well-schooled puppy remains well- socialized and friendly towards people, during adolescence and adulthood, he needs to meet unfamiliar people (especially children) every day. Not the same people, new ones :)
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