Puppy Party

Puppy party

The Arboks had company yesterday evening, when friends Skip and Gia, their two sons and a friend came to visit them.  One of the nicest things about having puppies is the opportunity to catch up with old friends when they drop by to help socialize pups!  This year we've also met some new friends, people who are "Facebook Friends", but who we've never met in person.  The pups benefit from all the company, and so  do the rest of us! 

Joie & Argus with Skip

Ron is your typical Finlander and doesn't go out of his way to socialize but enjoys "puppy company", and the adult Dals think the company is just for them.  Josie particularly liked Skip and kept trying to kiss him, while Argus tried to horn in, and Watson was sprawled at Gia's feet.



I like to watch the way the pups interact with people as it gives me clues to their eventual personalities, and they all go through a variety of stages.  At 3 weeks Sloan startled and got very stressed by company.  A few days later he was totally fine. Then Letty went through a period where she did not want to be held by anyone except me.  She knew her mom and was not interested in company.  Last weekend Weather was more sound sensitive and was started by a noise that the other pups ignored.  Sloan has been fine since that first weekend, and Letty has become a social butterfly.  Weather was absolutely fine last night, but Virgil was a bit less sure of himself.  Lucas has always been bold, but last night was not inclined to sit on laps, just too busy to be bothered, although he finally fell asleep on Gia's lap.  By the time the pups are ready to be placed I expect to have a good feeling for their individual personalities.

Although one often hears that an overly shy or aggressive dog "must have been abused", that is rarely the case.  Just like everything else, temperaments are at least partially inherited.  We can modify that temperament with proper socialization and careful rearing, but much of the dog's personality is really "who he is". Sharp or timid dogs may not have been properly raised, but sometimes that is not the problem at all.  They may be that way despite proper management.  Responsible breeders match up parents with solid temperaments, raise the pups with lots of socialization, and learn to read each pup as an individual so it can be placed in an appropriate home.  I'm still reading these pups, and every day is a new chapter!