By Fran Jewell
During this pandemic, the market for puppies and rescues has been astounding. With so many people at home and trying to survive an incredibly difficult time, many of us have reached out to bring a dog or puppy into our lives. I brought a small litter into the world in mid-September and found myself completely immersed into raising them, nurturing them and, with very serious intent, putting them into homes where I knew they would thrive. This week, they all went to their new homes.
Given all of that, I faced enormous stress making sure each pup and their personality fit with their new owner. Being a certified dog behavior consultant, I watched their behaviors and did nurturing exercises to bring out their confidence, resiliency, and problem-solving abilities. I wanted them to be capable of accepting love and giving love. Each owner had to demonstrate to me that they had the German shepherd experience to enrich and train these pups to their highest potential.
From a breeder point of view, I see things entirely differently than a puppy buyer or adopter. I want to be sure the two FIT, that they are squares going into square holes, not squares going into round holes, or any other analogy you want to make.
I have also been a person who has adopted rescues and bought purebred dogs. The decision to bring a dog into your home should be taken, as most people know, with huge commitment and knowledge about what they want and what characteristics will make a good dog fit for them.
I have posted videos and photos on my Facebook page every day since the birth of the puppies so people could see them learning, changing and what a breeder can potentially do. After years and years of helping people with puppies, I have seen lovely puppies that could have learned bite inhibition before they went home. I see puppies that could have been exposed to the “Super-Dog Program,” which stimulates the 3-day-old puppy nervous system to help that puppy become resilient and adaptive in any environment.
What is enormously important is fitting the right puppy with the right owner. Each puppy in a litter is different, with different drives and interests. While they have breed commonalities, each one is an individual.
One day, I posted a video of one of my puppies picking up a blanket and shaking it vigorously. Her name is Domino. Domino demonstrated at 5 weeks of age that her “prey drive” was WAY beyond what should be in a pet home with little children. If I had placed her in that kind of home, chances are the new owners would have struggled and struggled to make her fit into their lives. Instead, she is going to a search-and-rescue home where she is being trained by an experienced dog handler.
How do we determine that ahead of time? It’s really incredibly easy. In the photo, Domino just came along and picked the rug up and went to town. If you are looking at a puppy, take a towel with you. Shake it along the ground, and the dog’s response will let you know how intense that “prey drive” is. I like a puppy to come up to it, or even chase it a bit, look at it, explore it. They can even put it in their mouth. However, a puppy that grabs it, then pulls or shakes it hard and growls at it, is a dog for an experienced handler or trainer. A dog that shakes fiercely is one that can excel in many dog sports, but probably will make you nuts chasing and biting small children.
A question to ask a breeder is if the puppies were naturally weaned. A mother dog that is allowed to discipline her puppies for nursing too roughly will have puppies that don’t bite as hard. If puppies are force-weaned, they tend to still want to bite very hard. If a puppy is removed from the litter sooner than 8 weeks, that puppy will also be more likely to not have good control of their bite. They learn from other puppies in the litter. If it is a singleton puppy, that can be hard, too, especially for small children or older people that have fragile skin.
Knowing a puppy’s history from the breeder or doing little tests yourself when choosing a pup can help you decide which puppy is going to fit in your home. Choosing a puppy based on color or other cuteness factors can bring you a puppy that is very hard to work with. Take your time, ask lots of questions, and get as much history, even on a very young puppy, from the breeder. Research can bring a lively, lovely puppy into your life!