Puppy Buyer expectations - Page 2

Obidences with a puppy before it leaves making me laugh what I expect is the truth nothing more the rest I will judge myself . To many liars selling pups now . And if someone told me when I went to pick my pup that they done some obidence I would know I'm dealing with a gobshite and what other lies are they telling . TRUTH is all u need

For me an ideal purchase would a 6 month old that has never been worked with and only let out of their kenne to use the bathroom and exercise.

Seriously, did I read that correctly?   NO exposure to anything outside the kennel, no socialization with people other than the breeder and any kennel staff/family. How is a dog like that going to react the first time it rides in a car? The first time it is exposed to unfamiliar loud noises?

Research has shown that the most important window for socialization is from 8 to 14 weeks. Most trainers will tell you that not socializing your pup during that period will seriously affect its development and impair its ablity to cope with the real world.

A dog that comes from strong, confident parents may be able to handle this, and not become a basket case when first taken out into the real world. But you are doing the dog no favours. And from my experience with human learning (retired teacher) I know that the brain has a certain window for learning things such as interpreting sounds and visual stimuli. Once that window is closed, forget it!  That's why there is no point in giving people who have been deaf since birth cochlear implants. They are incapable of learning to interpret what they are hearing.

I am certain the same applies to dogs, and since dogs develop at a much faster rate than humans, there's no telling what important learning opportunities may be totally missed by not socializing a dog until it's 6 months old!

Since I'm being seemingly questioned for doing just the basic puppy obedience stuff and someone else saying the truth is all you need...well to me if someone were making those claims that they've worked with the puppy and when I go to pick the puppy up if they can't do a simple demonstration of what they've done so far then I know that it isn't the truth. Instead, that's just what I do. And by socializing, I'm not talking about taking them to high risk areas either. I'm talking about socializing to other people here on the property besides myself, my children, and exposing them to my other adult dogs.

I know to each his own, but I would never buy a 6 month old pup that's never been socialized or anything. That shows me that the seller does absolutely nothing with their dogs and only sees them as paychecks, IMO.

I keep mine at home. A few friends come over to help out or play. This will sound totally neurotic but I ask visitors to shower and wear clean clothes. Shoes get sprayed with bleach water. I lived in Hawaii and bred GSDs. I also owned a Swimming Pool and Spa business which meant me and my son and employees were in and out of peoples yards. We were very cautious for pups sake. I give my own shots at 8 weeks. Wait until after the shots take affect at 9 weeks before going to the vet where they could also contact things. Worming and vet check at 9 weeks for customer satisfaction.

When I bought my two current breeding females at $3,000 each from known breeders and 11 weeks old, I asked that they be house broken and able to walk on a leash. They each laughed LOL.

A strong nerved, well bred dog, should have no issues with anything. It is literally impossible to socialize a dog in a 6 week span to everything it will see in its life. Genetics will over come anything you do with a puppy at a young age. The "trainers" you read about that make those claims are drumming up business and are dealing with sub-par puppies coming from untested, untitled, and possibly unknown parents as the majority of the dogs in the world are mixed breed.

Dogs are not children, they are not humans. We are two different species. We learn in very different ways and have very different expectations.

Socialization is highly recommended to most new puppy owners only because it is generally unknown where the puppy is from and statistically proven that it's probably from not the strongest of parents and is therefore necessary.

I agree a strong nerved dog should have no issues with anything.
However, genetics only carry you so far. I have personally seen a litter out of 2 very stable dogs with excellent nerves. They were not handled at all(besides dewormings/vaccination) until about 5.5-6 weeks of age. Puppies were total squirrely nerve bags.
Saw the previous litter these 2 had, with socialization, and they were polar opposites.
I would encourage you to go test his dogs if that is who your negative comment about breeders is referring to.

My puppies are handled multiple times a day, from the day they're born. Collars are put on as soon as I've wiped the gunk off of them. They see the outdoors for the first time at about 4 weeks. I set up an expen in my front yard and sit outside with them as we watch the world go by. They learn about the sounds of cars, emergency sirens, and airbrakes (from the school bus).

They learn how to walk on a leash starting at around 6 weeks and I have a puppy party where people I know come to meet the babies and socialize on my property. I take them away from home after their first set of shots to places I know are safe and not heavily trafficked by other dogs.

They learn about car rides (they go on a LOT of them). They learn about crates. They learn about vacuum cleaners, and what cigar smoke smells like, and what a cat is. They meet the vet (more than once).

Bavarian Wagon, the structure of the brain in all mammals is pretty much identical, with the same areas of the brain controlling the same functions. Don't tell me we are so totally different!

Also you DO all realized that Cutaway was talking about not doing anything with the dog until it was 6 MONTHS old, not 6 weeks!!

I do hope that was a mistake, and he actually meant 6 weeks!

I' m surprised no one else has called him out on it.

@SS - you were doing such a fine job all by yourself !

 at your earlier post above.  Too bloody right.

And, Bavarian Wagon, nobody is claiming that the

beginnings of either socialisation or training in a 6-8

week puppy equal "job done" - but it lays a good

grounding for what the puppy learns later in its new

home.  And shows it HOW to learn, which with that

majority of new owners who haven't had all that many

experiences with dogs, is a boon !  You are working

WITH nature if you take advantage of the pup's most

receptive learning period by doing at least some, if not

all the things that Xeph describes ^^^.  JMHO.

Hntrjmpr, thank you for proving my point with an acutal example (unsocialized pups were squirrely nervbags.) I haven't said much about the puppy socialization, as I've never actually bred a litter myself, but I do agree it's a good thing, in moderation (proper care taken to protect pup from disease.) I am not too keen on puppy classes, though. A small pup can be injured, or permanently scarred mentally by a much larger, more boisterous pup. If I took a pup to such a class, I would be very careful about checking the instructor's credentials!

And I DO believe pups can learn at a very young age. I know of 8 week old pups that have pretty much housetrained themselves before leaving home. A friend had two such pups. I wouldn't expect them to be leash trained, but I would certainly get an 8 week old used to a collar, and expose the pups to different sights and sounds.