Rule of 7 Seven | Early Puppy Training | Trained Puppies | Trained Puppy

Labrador puppies and all other puppies should go through the puppy socialization called the “Rule of Seven.” By the time a puppy is seven weeks old it should have: been on seven different types of surfaces, played with seven different types of objects, been in seven different locations, met and played with seven new people, been exposed to seven challenges, eaten from seven different containers, and eaten in seven different location. The different surfaces could include carpet, grass, gravel, wood, concrete, dirt, and vinyl. Different objects could be from big to small balls, fuzzy toys, squeaky toys, metal items, and soft fabric toys. Front and back yard, basement, kitchen, car, bathroom, and garage are different locations. Children and older adults or someone in a wheelchair or walker are good examples of new people they should meet. Some challenges are: having to climb over obstacles, go up and down stairs, going through a tunnel, and playing hide and seek. The containers that they should eat from could be plastic, metal, cardboard, and paper. They could eat from inside a crate, living room, bathroom, kitchen, yard, and basement. Puppies should always exposed to a variety of people, places, sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures while they are still developing. A new stimulus should be introduced to the puppy about every four to seven days and the puppy could act differently to each one.