Very nice post! Articles marked as favorites and printed out.
I had the unfortunate opportunity to see first hand what happens when pups are totally deprived of socialization and imprinting. :(
A litter of 7 week old Australian Shepherds that were born in a storage shed. They were "old enough for their shots and up for sale" so they were brought to the clinic. OMG, it was the most pathetic thing I have seen in a long while. These pups were practically feral! They literally spasmed with fear response when handled. Yeah, they'll make great pets for the unsuspecting...
Conversely, Max was raised with excellent care and attention to socialization. Positive exposure to cats, horses, water, and on top of that, a new building was being built on the breeder's property so the pups had all the power tool noises, hammering, and a constant stream of strange people interacting with the pups. The results are wonderful! This guy is unflappable!