Well Meaning Friends Want To Visit The New Babies!

[Starkehre]

I have not had my first litter as yet, so this is just my plan of what I will do

Provided my bitch is comfortable with it, friends and family that I can trust will be invited as early as I feel that I can stay awake long enough to let them in the door . Puppies are born with an innate fear of humans, and in my opinion if they can get bombarded with as much safe outside stimulation as possible, all the better, particular in a breed such as mine. Now, by this I don't mean all day every day. Even under normal circumstances I am not a big fan of visitors but for me it is important to the on going social nature of my puppies and to assist my future puppy people.

Of course this will be closely supervised and all my friends are serious dog people anyway.

I will encourage as many different people (still friends) different ages and sexes so the puppies accept different people from a young age. We do not have kids, so we will have to hire some

Puppy people, unless they turn out to be someone from already witin my circle, will be invited from around 4-5 weeks.

Just be very careful of how many people you allow in the first few weeks. Some bitches can seem to be coping with visitors when they aren't and the stress can cause them to lose their milk. I find that maidens especially make better mums if there is minimum interferance during the whelping and with the babies for the first couple of weeks. For the first week I weigh the puppies in or next to the box and never remove the puppies to where the bitch can't reach them. I keep visitors in the first two weeks to maybe one or two breeder friends known to the bitch but they never touch the puppies at this stage. The puppies should be handled by no more than 2 or 3 people at most in the first week or two. From two weeks the bitch is usually less stressed and more handling can begin and by three weeks lots of socialisation can be very good for the puppies, provided mum isn't still really protective.

Thank you... taken on board

[freundhund]

I am horrified at the thought of people not being allowed near my puppies until they are 6 weeks of age. I have always allowed visitors at the whelping, last whelping I had about 15 people including 6 teenage girls in the kitchen watching the whelping. The 6 teenage girls were there specifically, I had rang their mothers to let them know that their daughters could come and watch. (Whelping had been discussed as part of sex education to them.) My vet dropped in for a coffee, mothers stayed for a while before leaving their daughters, other friends called in, my bitch was very happy to have the company, my other dogs came in and out of the house as usual.

Over the years I have had 10 bitches and never ever had a problem with them having visitors during and post whelping, in fact I have found that a number of my bitches have wanted to show their puppies of to visitors racing out to the visitors tail wagging and racing back to the whelping box looking over their shoulder to make sure they are being followed.

For me the socialization factor for the puppies far out ways the worries of germs being brought into the house and infecting the puppies. I have also had a visiting bitch in season for a mating with a litter of puppies, mum didn't worry and the visiting bitch didn't have an issue with the puppies.

Good luck with your decision either way with how you raise your puppies.

[Starkehre]

I am with you FH. I get for some people that it probably depends somewhat on the breed.

Fearful puppies are a nightmare, but in big guard type breeds, even worse.

But as with everything, breeders need to do what they are comfortable with.

Edited September 18, 2010 by dyzney

[LizT]

I am with you FH. I get for some people that it probably depends somewhat on the breed.

Fearful puppies are a nightmare, but in big guard type breeds, even worse.

But as with everything, breeders need to do what they are comfortable with.

Well when you do have your first litter Dyzney, it will be a very exciting time for you.

You will also find that for the first 10 days to 2 weeks they really won't be needing much "bombardment of socal interaction" as you put it, as they are both deaf and blind with both eyes and ears sealed. The only real interaction they will need at this stage is the physical stimulus of their mother. And she will need yours, as your approval of her litter, as "pack leader" is of the utmost importance to her.

Yes, it's absolutely essential to socialise young puppies so as to avoid the risk of a fearful puppy, but any parading of friends you do in the first few weeks really won't rub off on them. In a pack situation they would only start interacting with the other pack members at 3-4 weeks, depending on how mobile they are.

[Starkehre]

I am with you FH. I get for some people that it probably depends somewhat on the breed.

Fearful puppies are a nightmare, but in big guard type breeds, even worse.

But as with everything, breeders need to do what they are comfortable with.

Well when you do have your first litter Dyzney, it will be a very exciting time for you.

You will also find that for the first 10 days to 2 weeks they really won't be needing much "bombardment of socal interaction" as you put it, as they are both deaf and blind with both eyes and ears sealed. The only real interaction they will need at this stage is the physical stimulus of their mother. And she will need yours, as your approval of her litter, as "pack leader" is of the utmost importance to her.

Yes, it's absolutely essential to socialise young puppies so as to avoid the risk of a fearful puppy, but any parading of friends you do in the first few weeks really won't rub off on them. In a pack situation they would only start interacting with the other pack members at 3-4 weeks, depending on how mobile they are.

Hi LizT, thank you for your advice.

Just to clarify, whilst I have not actually whelped a litter under my prefix to date, I have whelped several litters and have assisted raising many others, and of various breeds.

The 2 initial senses puppies rely on for survival is their sense of smell and touch.

To summarise, we all do what we believe is the best thing when raising puppies, and IMO regarding this sort of thing, there is not necessarily a right or wrong way.

Edited September 18, 2010 by dyzney

[LizT]

I am with you FH. I get for some people that it probably depends somewhat on the breed.

Fearful puppies are a nightmare, but in big guard type breeds, even worse.

But as with everything, breeders need to do what they are comfortable with.

Well when you do have your first litter Dyzney, it will be a very exciting time for you.

You will also find that for the first 10 days to 2 weeks they really won't be needing much "bombardment of socal interaction" as you put it, as they are both deaf and blind with both eyes and ears sealed. The only real interaction they will need at this stage is the physical stimulus of their mother. And she will need yours, as your approval of her litter, as "pack leader" is of the utmost importance to her.

Yes, it's absolutely essential to socialise young puppies so as to avoid the risk of a fearful puppy, but any parading of friends you do in the first few weeks really won't rub off on them. In a pack situation they would only start interacting with the other pack members at 3-4 weeks, depending on how mobile they are.

Hi LizT, thank you for your advice.

Just to clarify, whilst I have not actually whelped a litter under my prefix to date, I have whelped several litters and have assisted raising many others, and of various breeds.

The 2 initial senses puppies rely on for survival is their sense of smell and touch.

To summarise, we all do what we believe is the best thing when raising puppies, and IMO regarding this sort of thing, there is not necessarily a right or wrong way.

Agree

[Bilbo Baggins]

I have never stopped people from attended the whelping or visiting. But this is people in the know.

Buyers on the list would come earlier after about 3 weeks and from adverts from when advertised.

If you wait till 6 weeks then you are never going to fit in the number of people recommend for contact.

It is important to handle the pups before the eyes and ears open for tactile stimulation. play with their feet and pads. Once ears open lots of household noise.

[PomsNZ]

I allow exp doggy people here for the whelping, it keeps me company and she is well known to the bitch.

I dont allow strangers near the pups, but im not going to tell any visitors not to even look at the pups! usually they are off the floor, and no touching is taking place, from around 5 weeks they are allowed to hold, we go through so much hand sanitizer! If its a singleton, then they go everywhere with me from around 8 weeks old, even to shows, staying in the show trolley with mum.

lots of social interaction, if they are staying or going, and i like them to be car savvy (not get sick when in the car) and to have learnt to sit, and toilet trained.

When you have other dogs etc, they are introduced when mum is ready, never before.

[LizT]

:laugh: I have never stopped people from attended the whelping or visiting. But this is people in the know.

Buyers on the list would come earlier after about 3 weeks and from adverts from when advertised.

If you wait till 6 weeks then you are never going to fit in the number of people recommend for contact.

It is important to handle the pups before the eyes and ears open for tactile stimulation. play with their feet and pads. Once ears open lots of household noise.

:D Just as well BB, this place has a 'revolving door' and I couldn't keep it quiet if I tried, much to my lament as a shift worker! ...and I can't keep my hands off the little cuties!

BTW Eyelids are starting to 'define' and noses are darkening...so cute.