Week eight
Week Eight (Days 50-56)
DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUPPIES
+ Starts learning name
CARE OF THE PUPPIES
+ Don't ship puppies
+ Can start training puppies in small steps
On Saturday the pups met another doggy friend, Rosie the sheltie who is only a year old herself. The pups enjoyed tugging on Rosies' long coat, she was not impressed!
I also conducted a temperament test on all the pups, the test is as follows:
Temperament in dogs can be determined at 49 days old. At this age a pups brain waves are the same as an adult dog minus experience. Tests can determine appropriate homes for their puppies. This test was developed in 1979 and has been used to determine which puppies have the most suitable personalities for show, field work, service dogs, guide dogs and family pets. The test consists of a series of exercises that give information as to a pups tendencies. For instance, throwing a rolled up ball of paper for the pup to retrieve, and seeing how he responds. The desire and willingness to retrieve is a good indication as to how easy it will be to train the dog. Another exercise, pinning a pup gently on its back, to determine how much or how little he struggles, will tell us how easy it will be to become the pup's leader.
TEST PURPOSE SCORE 1
SOCIAL ATTRACTION:
Place puppy in test area. From a few feet away the tester coaxes the pup to her/him by clapping hands gently and kneeling down. Tester must coax in a direction away from the point where it entered the testing area. Degree of social attraction, confidence or dependence.
1-Came readily, tail up, jumped, bit at hands.
2-Came readily, tail up, pawed, licked at hands.
3-Came readily, tail up.
4-Came readily, tail down
5-Came hesitantly, tail down.
6-Didn't come at all.
FOLLOWING:
Stand up and walk away from the pup in a normal manner. Make sure the pup sees you walk away. Degree of following attraction. Not following indicates independence.
1-Followed readily, tail up, got underfoot bit at feet.
2-Followed readily, tail up, got underfoot.
3-Followed readily, tail up
4-Followed readily, tail down.
5-Followed hesitantly, tail down.
6-No follow or went away.
RESTRAINT:
Crouch down and gently roll the pup on his back and hold it with one hand for a full 30 seconds. Degree of dominant or submissive tendency. How it accepts stress when socially/ physically dominated.
1 -Struggled fiercely, flailed, bit.
2-Struggled fiercely, flailed.
3-Settled, struggled, settled with some eye contact.
4-Struggled then settled.
5-No struggle.
6-No struggle, straining to avoid eye contact.
SOCIAL DOMINANCE:
Let pup standup and gently stroke him from the head to back while you crouch beside him. Continue stroking until a recognizable behavior is established. Degree of acceptance of social dominance. Pup may try to dominate by jumping and nipping or is independent and walks away.
1-Jumped, pawed, bit, growled.
2-Jumped, pawded.
3-Cuddles up to testor and tries to lick face.
3-Squirmed, licked at hands.
4-Rolled over, licked at hands.
5-Went away and stayed away.
ELEVATION DOMINANCE:
Bend over and cradle the pup under its belly, fingers interlaced, palms up and elevate it just off the ground. Hold it there for 30 seconds. Degree of accepting dominance while in position of no control.
1-Struggled fiercely, bit, growled.
2-Struggled fiercely.
3-No struggle, relaxed
4-Struggled, settled, licked
5-No struggle, licked at hands.
6-No struggle, froze.
OBEDIENCE APTITUDE TEST © 1996 Wendy Volhard
TEST PURPOSE SCORE 1
RETRIEVING:
Crouch beside pup and attract his attention with crumpled up paper ball. When the pup shows interest and is watching, toss the object 4-6 feet in front of pup. Degree of willingness to work with a human. High correlation between ability to retrieve and successful guide dogs, obedience dogs, field trial dogs.
1-Chases object, picks up object and runs away.
2-Chases object, stands over object, does not return.
3-Chases object and returns with object to testor.
4-Chases object and returns without object to testor.
5-Starts to chase object, loses interest.
6-Does not chase object.
TOUCH SENSITIVITY:
Take puppy's webbing of one
front foot and press between *finger
and thumb lightly then more firmly
till you get a response, while you
count slowly to 10. Stop as soon as
puppy pulls away, or shows
discomfort.
Do NOT use fingernail. Degree of sensitivity to touch.
1 8-10 counts before response.
2 6-7 counts before response.
3 5-6 counts before response.
4 2-4 counts before response.
5 1-2 counts before response.
SOUND SENSITIVITY:
Place pup in the center of area, testor or assistant makes a sharp noise a few feet from the puppy. A large metal spoon struck sharply on a metal pan twice works well. Degree of sensitivity to sound.
1-Listens, locates sound, walks toward it barking.
2-Listens, locates sound, barks.
3-Listens, locates sound, shows curiosity and walks toward sound.
4-Listens, locates the sound.
5-Cringes, backs off, hides.
6-Ignores sound, shows no curiosity.
SIGHT SENSITIVITY:
Place pup in center of room. Tie a string around a large towel and jerk it across the floor a few feet away from puppy. Degree of intelligent response to strange object.
1-Looks, attacks and bites.
2-Looks, barks and tail up.
3-Looks curiously, attempts to investigate.
4-Looks, barks, tail-tuck.
5-Runs away, hides.
Mostly 1's A puppy that consistently scores a 1 in the temperament section of the test is an extremely dominant, aggressive puppy who can easily be provoked to bite. His dominant nature will attempt to resist human leadership, thus requiring only the most experienced of handlers. This puppy is a poor choice for most individuals and will do best in a working situation as a guard or police dog.
Mostly 2's This pup is dominant and self-assured. He can be provoked to bite; however he readily accepts human leadership that is firm, consistent and knowledgeable. This is not a dog for a tentative, indecisive individual. In the right hands, he has the potential to become a fine working or show dog and could fit into an adult household, provided the owners know what they are doing.
Mostly 3's This pup is outgoing and friendly and will adjust well in situations in which he receives regular training and exercise. He has a flexible temperament that adapts well to different types of environment, provided he is handled correctly. May be too much dog for an elderly couple who are sedentary.
Mostly 4's A pup that scores a majority of 4's is an easily controlled, adaptable puppy whose submissive nature will make him continually look to his master for leadership. This pup is easy to train, reliable with kids, and, though he lacks self-confidence, makes a high-quality family pet. He is usually less outgoing than a pup scoring in the 3's, but his demeanour is gentle and affectionate.
Mostly 5's This is a pup who is extremely submissive and lacking in self-confidence. He bonds very closely with his owner and requires regular companionship and encouragement to bring him out of himself. If handled incorrectly, this pup will grow up very shy and fearful. For this reason, he will do best in a predictable, structured lifestyle with owners who are patient and not overly demanding, such as an elderly couple.
Mostly 6's A puppy that scores 6 consistently is independent and uninterested in people. He will mature into a dog who is not demonstrably affectionate and who has a low need for human companionship. In general, it is rare to see properly socialized pups test this way; however there are several breeds that have been bred for specific tasks (such as basenjis, hounds, and some northern breeds) which can exhibit this level of independence. To perform as intended, these dogs require a singularity of purpose that is not compromised by strong attachments to their owner.
I thought there would be some interesting answers, but no, they all got mostly 3's which says that the whole litter is outgoing and friendly!
The most interesting thing was how each pup reacted in the test room which is a room that they do not go in often and under slight stress. I also divided te pups into categories, high energy and low energy. High energy dogs rarely tire, enjoy active sports and generally are more work than low energy dogs. Saff is a high energy dog, I have been known to take her out running during the week to burn of excess energy, this creates a better pack leader. Molly is a low energy dog, in theory you should get a dog of a lesser energy than your present dog, but we did not know that. Molly has always plodded through life, will not play active sports such as fetch and enjoys sleeping. This is just a guide and is useful to known when owning a dog.
Bo was wagging his tail the whole time and did not liked to be restrained. High energy.
Ripple needed a bit of coaxing to do things and was quite independent and enjoyed exploring. Appeared to be low energy.
Lavender was very relaxed, independent and not fazed by anything, didn't struggle when on restrained. Low energy
Baloo loved the attention, wagging his tail, he was curious, laid back but struggled slightly when restrained. mixture of energy.
Rusty waggy tail, slightly more interested in exploring than me yet happy like Bo, struggled when restrained. High energy.
Blondie lively, very friendly, waggy tail, loves attention and being fussed, struggled when restrained. High energy.
Candy slightly more subdued than the rest i.e not haring around. seemed calmer, no struggle when restrained. Low energy.
Beef- THE ONLY ONE TO BRING THE RETRIEVE ARTICLE BACK! relaxed boy, yet playful, friendly and no struggle when restrained. High energy.
Tiny, independent, not bothered by the world around him, enjoyed playing with himself, i.e. pouncing on the marks on the carpet. no struggle when restrained. High energy.
On Sunday, Xander (Tiny), Bailey (Bo) and Baloo went to their new homes.
Xander (Tiny)
Xander (Tiny)
Xander (Tiny), bye bye little man with the spirit of adventure! I'm sure you'll enjoy exploring your new home!
Bailey (Bo)
Bailey (Bo)
Bailey (Bo), bye bye Bailey!! You are such a little star! Go shine as brightly at your new home as you have always done with us.
Baloo, his name will be Murphy or Finn, its undecided. My beautiful Baloo, with his melting expression and bright out-look, he was always my favourite, you get to go wag your tail with another Goldie and play all day where your going!
The house seems quiet now. Saff was not fazed by her pups leaving. She watched Xander (Tiny) get in the car, then took the rest in her stride.
It snowed today. We let Fergus (Rusty) out first to see how cold he would get before letting the others out. We dont want frozen pups to send to their new homes! In fact he did not seem to feel the cold at all.
Molly and Saffie had a great time playing!
Then we let the rest out!
Lavender
Chilli (Candyfloss)
Charlie (Beefy)
The snowman
Saffie eating the snowmans nose..
Lavender
The remainding pups have been spending most of the time in the house, by doing so they find all sorts to play with! A silver purse!
Lavender holding the purse
Remus (Blondie) tugging against two!
Ah Remus is the winner!
and now he has to protect it again from Chilli (Candyfloss)
All the pups love to hold things like mum. Here's Charlie (Beefy) with a pen!
Lavender with paper!
Chilli (Candyfloss)
Today we said good-bye to our pretty Chilli (Candyfloss) who made the long journey up to Lincolnshire. She was our girly girl. Chilli is sweet natured and a proper lady. She is going to be treated as lady's should and be spoiled rotten by her loving owners.
Charlie (Beefy)
Charlie (Beefy) also left us on Monday. He is my mums favourite, our chilled out Golden boy. He always greeted everyone with an ever wagging tail, in a pleasant relaxed manner unlike some of the others. He has gone to join a family with a young child with a young dog themselves!
Chilli (Candyfloss) and Remus (Blondie) sharing a moment.
To continue the socialisation we introduced the pups to a tent and a tunnel which moved when you went in it. Ripple is a bit like Saff, he thinks he can go through the netting, Camping with Saffie is always funny.
Fergus (Rusty) findings the ties more interesting than the tunnel.
Remus (Blondie)
Lavender chewing
Lavender chewing and Remus (Blondie)
Fergus (Rusty) in the tunnel. (Chewing)
Saffie loves the tent too. You wouldn't catch Molly in there though!
Fergus (Rusty) and Remus (Blondie)
Remus (Blondie) left today. We will miss him, he's a lovely friendly and happy boy, he loves both people and dogs. His little tail goes mad. In the last few days he was crying out to bond with someone and would come and crawl up onto my lap, looking deep into my eyes, pleading with me to bond with him. He's a truly loyal and friendly boy.
He was a bit quieter in the hours before he left and even got a few cuddles with Molly.
The three remaining pups spend their days between the garden and the house, getting extra special attention.
Ripple
Lavender in the front with the boys playing at the back. She does join in with the rough and tumble, but not all the time like the boys.
I had wanted to introduce the whole litter to water but the weather was too cold. So Ripple, Fergus (Rusty) and Lavender had a go. Ripple was not bothered when placed in the pool. He investigated before getting out. Fergus was more concerned the first time and seemed to panic slightly ( the original ears back position). The second time I placed him in he was not bothered and investigated, him and Ripple even went in on their own accord, letting most of the water escape in the process. Lavender did not like it. There seems to be a clear what I am assuming to be gender difference appearing between the pups.
We have had loud alarms and lawn mowers going, the boys are not fazed, Lavender, (Saf and Mol for the alarm) seem to panic and run to safety. Its the fight flight response, and the girls take the flight response, which is interesting because Lavender has had the same upbringing as the boys but acts differently in these situations. Maybe this is because in the wild they are more vulnerable than the boys?! She will run to safety, then just lie down and wait it out. She wont hide, she just goes in if the noise is outside or moves rooms. Its very interesting.
Saffie also went in with a little bit of coaxing.
The boys love exploring.
Lavender does too.
This is the boys playing with mum. Saffie loves having the pups around, it means there is someone to play with all the time. I think she has gone back to being a seven week old pup too!
The pups are in the house with us all the time. This should ensure that when they go to their new homes the transition will be smooth as they are very used to the household environment. Leaving a pup at this age inside the playpen, would mean that they miss out on learning and accepting the household environment.
We keep their brains active by using the treat ball, doing training and encouraging interactions between human and pup through play and quiet time.
Saff playing with Fergus (Rusty).
Molly has reluctantly accepted the pups. She is fine so long as they creep up to her, none of this rough play round her, she says! Fergus and Ripple squeezing in.
Ripple is Molly lovin'
Cute Lavender