The Akita puppies are now 7 weeks old. Current scientific knowledge dictates this is the best time for a puppy to leave the nest. It’s the perfect balance between spontaneity and healthy fear.

Puppies are very susceptible to new impressions between 3 and 5 weeks of age. Before the third week puppies are blind, deaf and do not much move around so it’s only after this period that they start to encounter new aspects of the world around them. The senses develop, their muscles develop and their curiosity increases. New things are discovered and examined and slowly but clearly the pup is developing a fundamental image of the world around him. Since pups are usually very relaxed at this age (slow heartbeat) the new experiences are associated with a positive emotion. These are the ingredients to what we call his maintenance set: a set of sensations that are associated with a relaxed mood.

This spontaneous mood slowly vanishes when the puppy reaches the age of 5 weeks. As also the natural relaxed mood is reduced the chances of occurrences of fear and anxiety rise. As of this week every new sensation is held against the image that he has of the world around him. Whether there is a match or a mismatch determines the outcome; a positive or a negative emotion. Known or somewhat familiar sensations are still approached with joy, but the enthusiasm with which unknown sensations are examined decreases. For this reason dog breeders should provide the puppies with a wide set of sensations to fully prepare them for the real world.

The bigger the maintenance set, the more self-assured the puppy will be as he grows up to be an adult dog. Sensations that are outside of his maintenance set can lead to a fear response.