Caring with clear leadership
Choosing a dog
When our old dog Mildred passed away we were devastated. So we decided to check the local pounds around the state. A good website to find Pound Dogs is the RSPCA Adopt A Pet.
After checking out the country pounds around NSW, which I found to be generally very well run and the staff very helpful in explaining the behaviors and problems the dog’s may have.
Although we were planning to get a mature dog, I heard that Debbie was having a litter of puppies.
The Breeder
We contacted Debbie and quickly realised that she was a firm believer in early socialisation of the pups with people and exposing the puppies to a wide variety of experiences, surfaces, sounds as early as possible. I can't stress the importance of this enough. Her puppies were walking and toileting on grass in the first couple of weeks.
Responsible breeders are usually only too happy to let you visit the kennels and meet the parents.
Buying a puppy from a pet shop or on the internet without knowing the pup's background makes it harder to predict your pup's characteristics.
Unfortunately, there are puppy farms who breed dogs intensively. These breeder's should be avoided because their pup's can have behavioural and health issues.
The Parents
If you can meet both the parents. Here is Missie and Roly and as you can see both are happy, chilled out dogs.
The mum Missie is a family dog and very well mannered and the father Roly is also a very relaxed family dog.
Dog's inherit a lot of their basic traits from their parents and it will give you a good indication of the future temperament of their offspring.
Because they are cattle dogs we didn't wanting a boisterous, nippy pup.
Be wary if either parent is nervous, hyper or stressed and ask yourself honestly if these are the characteristics you would like in your dog.
If you are rescuing a dog from the pound talk to the staff about the dog's temperament and history. They will give you honest and valuable information about your future pup.
Choosing from the litter
Keep in touch with the breeder about your pup's progress and development. It is fun and will build your confidence about the pups.
Each pup will be different and so look for the characteristics you would like in your dog. Rattle your keys and see if the puppy bounces over to investigate or sits back and observes, these are all indicators of the pups temperament but are by no means definitive.
Wilbur was easy going and independent and wanted to be with people. We liked that.
He also liked his food and so was named after the pig in the movie Charlotte’s Web!
However, he was happy to share with his sister.
On to Wilbur’s Diary- Week 5-8