|
Dog Breeding: How To Properly Handle Newborns
Never "swoop" a puppy quickly into your arms, or hold it at arm's length. Never pick a puppy up by its legs, ears, tail or scruff. Severe, even irreparable damage can result. Place your hands firmly around the puppy's body so it feels secure and comfortable in your grasp. Large-breed puppies demand slightly different treatment. Place one hand around the midsection, use the other hand to cup the rear quarters before lifting.
Supporting the puppy in this manner allows it to feel secure before it is lifted from the whelping box. Snuggle the puppy closely, let it smell your familiar scent. Hold the very young puppy either against your face, neck or chest.
Here now as they are scenting you best with little puppy "whuffles," they feel the wonderfully reassuring and hypnotic rhythm of your breathing and your heartbeat. Here they remain relaxed with less tendency to struggle against the restrictiveness of first being held. It is generally best not to place very young puppies in a lap until after they begin to walk because they are not afforded the same sense of security.
When handling newborns or even much older puppies it is helpful to make repetitive "kissing" sounds. The vibration of these "kisses" is felt by even the youngest puppies. These kissing sounds are also the first sounds puppies hear as their ears become receptive. Repetitious kissing offers the vibration and sounds of security and comfort because it is the sound puppies make when nursing. When you emit this sound of security and comfort associated with well-being as you pick a puppy up, it responds instantly to your stimulation. Feeling secure, the puppy snuggles rather than struggles.
Puppies are never objects, no matter how many you have in a litter. Each puppy develops individual character traits that make it unique, distinguishable from siblings even within hours of birth. While puppies eventually display many parental character traits, they also learn through association with role models. Within a few weeks strong individual character traits become self-evident. Puppy conditioning beyond diet is, therefore, a highly important part of the breeder's job.
As puppies grow their coordination continues to develop almost proportionate to stimuli: perception - brain; reaction - taste or go. The good breeder spends ever-increasing positive time allotments in association with the puppies, nurturing and fostering close human bonding. Some breeds are more "people-oriented" than others by nature.
Other breed types have a tendency to be somewhat standoffish from people, either innately or by being "dog-focused" before people-oriented. These puppies require additional positive reinforcement from the breeder before being carefully placed into a suitable home.
|
