Growing up in the inner-city there were a lot of strays and I thought to myself, “They can go anywhere! No rules”. I was curious about their carefree attitude for life. Of course this was a child’s view. But as I got older my curiosity continued to grow regarding dogs. They aren’t complicated; we put this on them. They don’t care how many degrees you have, they don’t even care if you can count to 10 or tie your shoes. Actually, the simpler you are the more they appreciate you for it.
When clients visit the farm to pick up their puppy, I can usually tell who will bond with their puppy the quickest or the ones that will take a bit of time. Who are the individuals that might take more time? The ones that are overly concerned about the puppy during it’s early days/weeks with us. Please, understand I appreciate your concern and engagement. This helps me to know that you are a responsible individual. The puppies that I believe will have an easier transition into their new environment are the clients I see engaging with the actions of a child: running around and playing with puppy. However, the children that are fearful/nervous with puppy or parents standing on the sidelines watching with nervousness experience a much longer period of time to build a bond with puppy. First impressions are just as important with puppies as they are with humans. Many times, this can create a lasting impression for the first few days or even weeks of being with them and developing a bond. Many new puppy owners believe that the puppy should be allowed to come to them; this is true, but only if you are confident. If puppy appears nervous but is well adjusted and has responded well to new people, prior to meeting their new owner, he/she might be picking up on your emotions and humans are misreading this as though it’s the puppy. Dogs want a confident owner and this is why many dogs will flock to the strong, silent, confident canine at the dog park. The canine that exudes confidence, has nothing to prove, and the frightened, insecure dog wants a protector to hang with. No different than humans.
I just wanted to say to all of you that have picked up their puppy, RELAX! Keep calm and enjoy this stage. Yes! there's poop to clean up, whining that at times makes our teeth, and ears ache. Very soon this will be just a memory, and believe it or not, you might even remember these moments fondly. Well...way down the road of course :))
Happy Puppy Trails!
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