Evidence for the communicative function of human-directed gazing in 6- to 7-week-old dog puppies.

In human infants, the ability to show gaze alternations between an object of interest and another individual is considered fundamental to the development of complex social-cognitive abilities. Here we show that well-socialised dog puppies show gaze alternations in two contexts at an early age, 6-7 weeks. Thus, 69.

Optimising Puppy Socialisation-Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Training Programme during the Early Socialisation Period.

The socialisation period in dog puppies is one of the most important periods determining behavioural development in dogs. Here, we aimed to test the effect of providing stimulation (beyond mere exposure) early during the socialisation period (approx. 3-6 weeks) on puppies' behaviour.