It’s early morning and still very dark outside. I am sitting here drinking my morning brew with Darby, Teagan and Pedey all snuggled on and around my lap. I can feel puppies moving as Darby is draped across my stomach. It feels like worms crawling and bumping around in there, poor girl.
We watched the re-cap Puppy Culture video again last night, going over the next 12 exciting weeks. Am I really prepared? It’s always stressful waiting for the puppies to be born, and I needed the distraction and reassurance of education. I’m having a hard time focusing or staying on task and I find myself wandering into the nursery checking and double checking my supplies. So much can go wrong and I always worry so about my precious girls. They are first and foremost my companions, and brood bitches second. They are fed a nutritious diet, receive Oxy Mate supplements and are pampered like the little queens they are. But still I question myself. Am I doing the very best I can for my girls and the puppies we hope to place in loving homes?
As I sit alone with my thoughts, I wonder, what is the deal with Puppy Culture anyway? What benefit does early socialization and training for Conditioned Emotional Responses have on our dogs? Is all that prenatal care necessary, and are those experiences in the first 12 weeks really critical in the life of a puppy? I’m saying yes to it all.
Recently I got a little insight as to why a more formal methodical approach during the critical 12 weeks is so important. I believe one of the best gifts you can give a puppy and his new family is to prepare them for their life ahead. Studies have shown that by simply exposing them to many different experiences during that time when they are most respective it will have life lone results.
Several weeks ago, my friend and I were waiting in the lobby of the local Subaru dealership for her car to be serviced. We had taken with us two young dogs. The male, (16 months) is scared of being handled by strangers so we try to get him out and about as much as possible.
To give you a little background, this young male was sold at 10 weeks and shipped to his new home. He lived there until he was about 7 months old when they decided he would not enhance their breeding program and was returned to his breeder. There was no mention of his being fearful so his reaction came as a surprise to us the first time a stranger tried to pick him up and examine him. He was terrified.
So, what could have happened during the 6 months that he was away? What we learned was that this pup had experienced one innocent traumatic event, yes one event when he was about 6 months old. He was taken to an unfamiliar location for evaluation. Apparently during that evaluation, the evaluator had lifted him up off the ground from behind startling him. This happened twice and the second time it had scared him to the point that he turned and nipped that person. When I heard this, I could hardly believe it. I had had him visit me on several occasions as a little guy and he was bold and happy and did not seem fearful. It’s a shame as this young dog has all the right stuff to be a top show dog. He shows like a champion, that is until the judge leans over him for the examination. He then wilts, tail between his legs and trembles. Once the judge moves away his tail comes back up and he’s back to strutting his stuff.
So, what happened that this one instance could cause this guy to become so fearful? Who knows. Was it nature or nurture? We cannot predict what they might encounter or be there to protect them from life. But what if? What if we can stack the deck in their favor? What if by following protocols found within the Puppy Culture series for example? What if by performing startle recovery exercises during the 3-4 week transition period we afford them the ability to quickly recover and not become scarred by life’s unexpected events?
I choose to bring these puppies into the world and frankly I will do everything within my power to see that they have the best possible start in life. I believe Puppy Culture is one of those things that I can do for them, and their new families.
Well, Darby’s pups are really kicking me now bringing me back to the present. I guess we’re all ready for them to be born. Maybe today will be the day, but more likely late tonight, or tomorrow. That’s how it usually works. I can’t wait, I’m so excited to meet them.