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Bring’
em Up Right |
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Bring 'em Up Right Dogs
are pack animals and that means there is a powerful need to interact with
their own kind as well as the human sort that really makes up their pack most
of the time. This process begins with
the litter mates and their mom. Some studies
promote handling the pups each day from day one. What is consistently supported is the need
to leave the pups with their litter mates and with the mom until a minimum of
7 or 8 weeks of age. Many responsible
breeders will not release puppies (usually toy breeds) to their new homes
short of 12 weeks of age. Puppies
do their first real interactions with one another between weeks 5 and 7. Before that they lack adequate mental
development to learn socializing behaviors - You chew on my ear and you'll
pay for it!.
They begin to accept superiors and inferiors in their circle of litter
mates and parent and their personalities truly emerge. During
these weeks and those that follow, well raised puppies should be in the house
where they learn about the noises generated by humans and their many machines
as well as being assured of adequate interaction with people - big people,
little people, people with hats, beards, long hair, dark glasses, etc. Puppies sheltered from such actions and
noises may end up having lifelong fears of vacuum cleaners, food processors,
even the moving action of brooms! This
is also the time for their first vaccinations, parasite treatment and checkup
by the vet as well as learning about collars and how to walk on a leash. Responsible breeders do all that and so
much more! Pity the poor pup that has
been wrenched from the only world he knows, stuffed into a stinky, bouncing
machine with the whole outside world flying by! Then his next car ride will probably be to
the vet making both the car AND the vet mighty unpopular. All avoidable with some effort on the part
of the breeder. Once
the pup has been settled into the new home the education begins
immediately. Either the pup is
learning what you want him to know or he is learning things that will require
some back-peddling on your part.
Better the former. For example,
do not allow the poor whining sad little pup to sleep with you the first
couple of nights and then be upset that he screams and cries, etc., when you
decide to put him elsewhere. Don't
reward him with pets and coochy-coos when he jumps
on you and then become impatient with the dirty paws and sharp toenails that
are ruining pants and scarring skin! While
he cannot be allowed out on the streets until totally protected with
vaccinations (usually at about 4 months) he should be exposed to other pups,
dogs, cats, people and anything else that is part of the world in which he
lives. How to do that? Visit a friend's garden and invite friends
to yours. Take the pup for short rides
in the car - rides that do not end up at the vet's! When he is safe from the killer diseases make
an effort to get him into a puppy training class. While such classes do not replace the need
to do ongoing training a bit later in his life the time for socializing is
when he is a youngster. And, start
with training the day he arrives - no punishment, please. He is a baby. Just use food treats to teach him to sit,
down, come and stand for grooming. It
is fun and oh so easy! Well
raised properly trained and socialized pups rarely need a "home in the
country" along about 8 months of age. T |