Puppies, people and life, oh, my!

Chip, Monk with Shiloh in the background

Oh, my, what wonderful dialogue ensues when we choose to discuss rather than abandon and avoid.  To that end, I want to talk about, yes, puppies!

I have two young Beagle mixes.  They were found running loose over a year ago near East Prairie after the floods.  Their rescuers were able to keep them a month or so.  No one apparently was looking for them, so they brought them to Silverwalk Hounds.  These boys are poorly socialized to people.  They do fine with my other dogs but people are another matter.  They are shy, avoid contact, are notorious at the vet's, but they are in the house watching me prepare meals :).  They do have their priorities.

Were they abused?  I really don't think so.  I think as young puppies they were not socialized to people.  Perhaps they were born "feral," sort of - I don't know how that is truly defined; perhaps they were born to a mom in a back yard whose owners didn't realize how important it was to socialize young dogs to many types and circumstances involving people as possible at a very young age.   Perhaps they lost their mom when they were less than 8 weeks old and/or the rest of their litter, too.  It is crucial for young puppies to stay with and learn litter "manners" for as long as possible.  I cringe when I hear of puppies being adopted out at 5 weeks of age.  That is way too young to be removed from their litter - they have so much yet to learn from litter and mom.

So, you have a puppy?  Take her everywhere (after she has his vaccinations, of course - including Parvo!).  Yes, she will be scared but you are her safety net, you will make her feel secure as she explores the wonders of the bike trail (pick up her poop!), the sights and sounds of Petco, the outdoor dining experiences at our fine coffee houses like Panera's and My Daddy's Cheesecake (ok, so you know where I eat) and our wonderful, multiple parks.  The more exposure she gets in a reassuring manner (you will NOT spank or physically/verbally discipline your puppy for being a puppy - she is learning; positive reinforcement goes a long, long way).  Enroll her in a puppy class so she can mix and mingle with other puppies of her age and brainlessness, then learn basic obedience - you will be very, very happy you worked carefully with your puppy from the beginning.

I do invite dialogue from those especially who are more familiar with puppies than I.  What I do know is, both Chip and Monk need remedial care and direction to make up for the lack in their early lives.

Oh, yes - one more thing.  SPAY AND NEUTER your puppy as soon as possible.  We do NOT need more unwanted puppies in the world - we want all puppies, kitties, dogs and cats to be wanted, loved and living with wonderful families.