Visiting Day

Hooray! It finally visiting day again! And it's time to make a final decision on which pup to pick. So we can begin the bonding process an get him/her used to us and our human smells.

Well....the polls are about to be closed on the male vs. female issue. And thanks for voting but....alas...it wasn't much help! It was a tie!  5 to 5......... (but I really appreciate your votes...it was fun to watch!)

(sigh) Oh well......we REALLY aren't just picking out our dog according to sex anyhow. Not ONLY for that reason anyway........

You're actually almost supposed to let the dog pick you......or at least somewhat.......

In reading Cesar Milan's ( you know...The Dog Whisperer)  recent book, "How to Raise the Perfect Dog", he says that picking out a pup is really quite easy, you just have to know what you are looking for in a dog, in regards to how he will fit into your lifestyle, and then you have to decide what type of energy level you are looking for in your dog.
He says, for example, that a busy family with triplet toddlers, should probably look for a low-key, low-energy pup. A marathon runner who is looking for a running companion will want a high-energy pup. Each litter will usually have low-energy puppies, medium-energy puppies, and high-energy pups.
The high-energy pups usually will be the leader of the pack and display lots of anxious energy and dominance. This is not necessarily a bad thing, You just have to be aware of it when you are seeking a dog to match your lifestyle. Of course the low-energy puppy will be more of your couch potato variety! He should still display that puppy energy, but he will be much more laid back, and will usually be the last to get to the food ( mom's or otherwise). Cesar suggests that for the typical American family, or working single or married citizen, a medium-energy dog usually fits the bill. Not too overly dominant, not in hyper-drive mode, but a just- right- healthy- balance- bundle of energy that most owners will be able to channel into the well trained, obedient and loving dog they dreamed of owning.

So...tomorrow, during visitng day....we will be observing closely. What are we looking for EXACTLY??

The Dog Whisperer says that the easiest and most successful way is to try to view the pups at feeding time, just as they begin to nurse on mom. The one who gets their first and pushes his brothers and sisters out of the way.....you guessed it; high-energy (& dominant!)  The next few to get there will usually be of medium-energy, and then you have the stragglers and voila! You have your lacksidasical couch pup!
But most pups stop nursing from mom around 4 weeks of age....and ours will be 5 weeks this week........so I guess that technique is out of the question.
He also suggest setting pups on a short chair or bench...and then observing how long it takes them to get bored and decide to jump off. The ones who jump first are high-energy, and the ones who are just happy to sit and observe, yawn, and eventually fall asleep....are probably the ones we are going to want.
Another method is to just observe them at play with each other. You really can tell which dominate the litter, and are willing to explore beyond the parameters of their comfort zone, and which are just happy going along for the ride as long as they have a buddy to do it with.
So tomorrow...we are going to visit our pups....armed with toys and techniques in order to determine which one pup we want to bring into our family in a few weeks!
Wish us Luck!
(And look for Mondays post, which will of course include our decision, and more puppy pics!)