Letting Pup Have Some Input in the Decision
The future dog owner is at a decided disadvantage when selecting a puppy. All the puppies in the litter are cute. They are round and each one in the litter is appealing. There are chapters devoted in dog books about what one should look for when picking out that future member of the family.
My suggestion is one that is rarely found in dog books. It is a method that some hunters and farmers use. It is letting pup have a say in the decision making.
Dog breeders will agree that personality appears early. For example, it will be in the early days of the litter when it is possible to tell which pup is ‘easy going’ and which pup is a sensitive soul. The pups may have been exposed to exactly the same environmental conditions but their temperaments are different. It is the hand of Mother Nature. Each of those pups is unique.
How you allow pup to have a say in picking you is very easy. It simply involves lying on the floor and allowing the litter to have free access to you. At first, all the pups may scramble over and explore what is on the floor. They may sniff, poke, explore and then drift away to find other interesting things. However, there will be one pup who will stay or return repeatedly. That pup, for whatever reason, may think that you are the best thing in its day. You might say that, for that pup, it is ‘love at first sight’.
That is that pup that I would want - at least that pup goes to the top of my selection list.
It gives me a huge advantage if pup likes me. It will make separation from the litter much easier. Remember, that day of separating from the litter will be the worse day in pup’s life. The mother dog will be gone. The warm, ever playful litter mates have disappeared. And there is only you. It truly helps if pup likes you.
It also makes initial puppy training easier. There is a world of difference between house training a pup who thinks you are wonderful as opposed to one who eyes you with concern and suspicion. That pup who thinks you are wonderful has tremendous expectations of you. That trust is a gift. Pup is sharing an affection with you that was given previously only to its mother and litter mates. Pup thinks that you can be great - it is your responsibility to not disappoint. That’s your end of the relationship.
Catherine Forsythe
Tags: litter, puppy, relationship, selection, temperament, training, trust
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