The Mariah Puppy Journey 6 – Getting Ready to Go Home
When you read this, the pups will be celebrating their 7 week birthday! What is the celebration going to be? They will begin their own journey to see a long time good friend of mine and fellow NADOI member, Anita, for Temperament Testing.
This is not exactly a test that a puppy passes or fails, but it is a gage to see what type of personality traits each puppy posses. At seven weeks old, the pups are finally settling into what their personalities will be. Until now, they have changed daily. Some have been much calmer in nature than others. Some have been more determined than others. Some pups are much more inquisitive and problem solvers. This “test” is a tool for a breeder to help determine what will be the best home for each puppy.
A responsible breeder will have many conversations and do an extensive application to get a feel for each puppy buyer. In essence, it is a “temperament test” of the owners to be!
Once breeders gather as much information as they can about each puppy and the prospective homes, then, hopefully, puppies will stay forever in those homes and everyone will be happy as clams!
The tests that give me so much information about each puppy are simple, but tell me if the pup is fearful in nature, or bold. The one I like best is a test for “prey drive.” The tester will take a rag or a toy and shake it on the ground in front of the puppy. If the puppy chases it, or grabs it, or grabs and shakes it hard, he will give us information about whether he will be difficult for a pet home with children, farm animals or nearby woods where the pup could end up chasing stock, wildlife or even the children at play!
I also like to test to see how dominant a puppy is. There are several tools to do this. One is where the tester elevates the puppy’s front off the ground, leaving his back feet on the ground with the testers hands clasped under the puppy’s chest. If the puppy is comfortable and relaxed, this is a good estimate about how comfortable the puppy is that the human is in control. Puppies that bite and squirm may be much more difficult to train and accept restraint if they go to the vet for treatment. That pup might need an experienced home.
I also like to test if a puppy if afraid of loud noises or unusual objects, like an umbrella opening. A well adjusted puppy will look, listen and even go investigate a loud noise or umbrella. When I tested Mariah’s litter, I threw a heavy ring of keys across the room and they landed on a hard wood floor. All the puppies looked and investigated, except Mariah. SHE went to the keys and picked them up to retrieve them to me!
My job has been helping to prepare the puppies for as many unusual things as possible while growing up. They are going outside several times a day and play in a children’s empty wading pool filled with plastic bottles making all kinds of noise. They hear planes pass overhead. The see the big dogs running across the yard to chase balls and have learned to climb stairs.
They are now learning crate training and how to sit for their meals, so when they go home, the ride in a crate will be uneventful for them. The work that goes into preparing a puppy for their new home is gigantic! Caring breeders will do everything in their power to make sure you get the right puppy and that your new puppy is prepared to go forward easily into their new home.
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