52 Weeks of Socializing & Training the Pups of 2012 - 2013.

adojrts · Dec 7, 2012

My litter of pups is just coming up on 4 wks of age (this weekend). I don't know which girl I am keeping yet. Here is a list of what I have done to date with the wee ones to help with their development.

Day 3-16: ENS (http://www.kitsapcanine.com/articles/SuperDog.pdf)
plus lots and lots of everyday handling and cuddling.

1 wk old: Started playing sound desensitization CD's before their ears opened fully. Started with Puppy Sounds, CD ran for 24 hrs at a low volume after the first couple of days. First days, I played it everytime they nursed. Slowly increasing volume and length of time.
CD's:
Puppy Sounds
Clix Noises & Sounds
Indoor Agility Trial Sounds

I also started to lightly bang on a food bowl with a spoon every time I saw the pups nursing, banging blocks of wood together and clapping.

The whelping area/ puppy pen was in my bathroom beside the laundry room, lots banging and sounds from the washing machine and dryer (doors opening closing) etc

3 wks old: Moved the pups and momma into the livingroom. 2 xpens set up, whelping box with heat lamp, potty area with washable pads and a play area.
We spend most of our time in the livingroom with our other dogs. CD's continue to play along with heavy rock music (lots of base), t.v etc. Pups are very mobile, toddler's interactive toy piano which plays songs, meows and changes everytime the pups walk on it, cat tunnel, toys, balance disks, blocks of wood and bricks for them to walk on. Continue to blow whistles, horns and bells. Happy to report that pups don't care

Pups have met all my adult dogs through the xpen and while being held by me.

Renee750il · Dec 7, 2012

They are going to be bombproof

BUT . . . are you proofing and socializing them with a camera? And flash? We want evidence, Woman!

Fran101 · Dec 7, 2012

Pup is well on his way.. breeder does ENS, plays sounds CDs, they each have been in a car, met kids, solo socialization trips, herded ducks, played with other dogs, started clicker and crate training etc..etc..

Book I'm working on: Control Unleashed Puppy edition
Socialization stuff I have planned: trip to local pet stores (including of course where I work lol), meet and greet at whole foods, visit with kids at the local elementary school and best of all a trip to the park in the city to see the twinkly christmas lights! oh and of course a trip to the vet
Training Hoping to just re-enforce clicker work..work on default behaviors, no mugging the hand, no lookie no cookie and of course his name.
Current issue lol he has no name!!

smkie · Dec 7, 2012

I can't tell you how wonderful it is to read all that you do for your puppies. Makes my heart do a happy dance.

Doberluv · Dec 8, 2012

That's so good. Your puppies will have a great start in life. Some good ideas there!

Torch · Dec 8, 2012

How are you all planning on reducing the chances of contracting diseases (mainly parvo) while socializing your new puppies? I don't want to miss out on critical socialization periods when my puppy comes home. I'm thinking about lots of car rides, and seeing new people and things without future puppy touching the ground in the areas we go.

Any other suggestions?

Fran101 · Dec 8, 2012

Torch said:

Well, mostly, I am trusting my dogs immune system.

Also just avoiding high traffic unknown dog feces areas (dog parks, vet office floors etc..) and for people socialization utilizing places like home depot, video stores, outdoor walking marketplaces, Neiman marcus, malls, busy city streets, and for dogs focusing on both LARGE well maintained parks (mostly those centered around people/on-leash dogs) and small local pet stores. Smal local pet stores are great because they tend to know their client base, dogs tend to be well taken care of (who else would make the effort to shop at a small boutique/healthy dog food store instead of say..petco?), and if nothing else there is usually a friendly healthy store dog for your dog to meet

and not being afraid to judge other dogs/pick up your puppy. I only go to places that other dogs are on leash and I am not scared to judge both them and their owners lol
No owner on the cell phone being dragged behind their ungroomed unmaintained cheap collared/tattered flexi leash dog is meeting mine. No way, no how.
- No distracted owners. They need to be paying attention and talk to me before our dogs meet
- No untrained/spastic dogs. Last thing I need my dog learning is that barking and pulling towards another dog is a good idea.. and dogs that OMGOMGONG A DOG and yank their owners towards you are often the same ones that jump, snap and bark..which might scare a puppy.
- Grooming. A dog with a well maintained healthy looking coat is a good sign of a healthy dog. I don't mean DIRTY dogs (I mean hey we are at the park) but dull, matted, patchy coats could mean a dog that is NOT healthy.
- Equipment. Call it a coincidence but every dog I've met in this city with a tattered knotted flexi has been an untrained mess with an owner who doesn't care. Not a good combo.

Oh and cleaning off paws. Call it me being paranoid but I clean up paws after we come back from the park or other place. Don't know what they are stepping on and licking their paws seems to be a common hobby of some dogs.
I have a spray mixture of apple cider vinegar, water and lavender essential oil. It gets sprayed before and after walks and clean off paws..
The vinegar smell goes away once it dries and disinfects

The vax is not even close to being 100% effective. So, it's not like after their shots you are in the clear. You pup has an immune system.. so go ahead and don't be afraid of everything, just use caution.

Torch · Dec 8, 2012

Fran101 said:

Well, mostly, I am trusting my dogs immune system.

Also just avoiding high traffic unknown dog feces areas (dog parks, vet office floors etc..) and for people socialization utilizing places like home depot, video stores, outdoor walking marketplaces, Neiman marcus, malls, busy city streets, and for dogs focusing on both LARGE well maintained parks (mostly those centered around people/on-leash dogs) and small local pet stores. Smal local pet stores are great because they tend to know their client base, dogs tend to be well taken care of (who else would make the effort to shop at a small boutique/healthy dog food store instead of say..petco?), and if nothing else there is usually a friendly healthy store dog for your dog to meet

and not being afraid to judge other dogs/pick up your puppy. I only go to places that other dogs are on leash and I am not scared to judge both them and their owners lol
No owner on the cell phone being dragged behind their ungroomed unmaintained cheap collared/tattered flexi leash dog is meeting mine. No way, no how.
- No distracted owners. They need to be paying attention and talk to me before our dogs meet
- No untrained/spastic dogs. Last thing I need my dog learning is that barking and pulling towards another dog is a good idea.. and dogs that OMGOMGONG A DOG and yank their owners towards you are often the same ones that jump, snap and bark..which might scare a puppy.
- Grooming. A dog with a well maintained healthy looking coat is a good sign of a healthy dog. I don't mean DIRTY dogs (I mean hey we are at the park) but dull, matted, patchy coats could mean a dog that is NOT healthy.
- Equipment. Call it a coincidence but every dog I've met in this city with a tattered knotted flexi has been an untrained mess with an owner who doesn't care. Not a good combo.

Oh and cleaning off paws. Call it me being paranoid but I clean up paws after we come back from the park or other place. Don't know what they are stepping on and licking their paws seems to be a common hobby of some dogs.
I have a spray mixture of apple cider vinegar, water and lavender essential oil. It gets sprayed before and after walks and clean off paws..
The vinegar smell goes away once it dries and disinfects

The vax is not even close to being 100% effective. So, it's not like after their shots you are in the clear. You pup has an immune system.. so go ahead and don't be afraid of everything, just use caution.

Good suggestions, thank you. I'm afraid I will have to use a little more caution than some in other parts of the country; umm, how can I say this? I live in the south, and responsible dog ownership does not rank terribly high on most people's priorities. A lot of people around here still let dogs run loose. Although, once I moved from the country to the city I saw a decrease in that. Not dissing southern people; I was born and bred below the Mason Dixon.

adojrts · Dec 8, 2012

Torch,

Great question. As a puppy owner, breeder you have to weigh the risks. I read somewhere once (can't remember where) that far more dogs die or are dropped at a shelter from a lack of socialization than parvo.
Agree with Fran, also you can do a lot of early socialization right from your vehicle. A pup safely tucked in a crate or in your arms (with a collar and leash properly fitted) can watch and hear the world with the door open and parked in busy locations. I ask folks to use hand sanitizer before handling the pups, not sure how much it helps.

Oko · Dec 8, 2012

With Wesley, we hadn't had a puppy in our house for 20 some years, so honestly (this sounds bad, huh?) we forgot to worry about contracting diseases while socializing. Luckily, there has not been a documented case of parvo in my area for a very long time, and the only ones that were, were some already malnourished puppies imported from mexico/the south.

This time around, I will keep it mind, but I think socialization is so important and am willing to take a bit of risk, to be honest. Carrying your puppy instead of having them walk is one way to do it. I won't be going to dog-centric areas with her, obviously. But other than that, I'm honestly not that concerned. I just feel like healthy puppies, as Fran said, should have a good immune system. A healthy puppy raised by a good breeder is not a high-risk dog. JMO.

The thing about the south is that I've heard they don't have nearly as many leash regulations, hence why we get so many of their puppies in our shelters up here.

Torch · Dec 8, 2012

Thanks y'all. Every single issue my current dog (a 6 year old shelter doggie) ever had to deal with was from lack of proper socialization. He was penned up in an outdoor run for the first year of his life and taught NOTHING. So socialization is huge to me. He is a 1000x better than when I adopted him, but I often wonder what his personality would have been like with proper socialization.

And Oko, you bring up a great point about healthy puppies being raised by responsible breeders. The only puppies I've personally known to contract parvo fell into several undesirable categories, which are not mutually exclusive.
-Taken from mother and litter too young
-From a BYB
-In poor health or not properly cared for by the breeder

Obviously I'm painting parvo-affected puppies with a very broad brush, but again, I'm speaking strictly from my personal experience.

52 Weeks of Socializing & Training the Pups of 2012 - 2013.

adojrts

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Renee750il

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Fran101

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smkie

pointer/labrador/terrier

Doberluv

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Torch

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Fran101

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Torch

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adojrts

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Oko

Silence, peasants.

Torch

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