Delta Update

This picture looks simple enough, but it represents an enormous milestone for Delta. After nearly four weeks we’re finally able to touch her without her ducking away or evading us. Harriett made the breakthrough a few days ago and I was able to pet her for the first time this morning. Twice! She’s got a long way to go and it’s going to take many more months of patient work to help her gain confidence, but she’s made real progress.

After basic health issues, puppy socialization is the most important thing we deal with as foster parents. The window of opportunity to shape a puppy into a friendly, well-adjusted dog is very narrow. Puppies are most receptive to new experiences from weeks 3 through 12. After that 12th week they are much more cautious about anything they haven’t encountered before. The opportunity to socialize a puppy declines very quickly from weeks 12 to 18, and after that it can be nearly impossible to get a puppy to accept something it finds frightening. This is the challenge we face with Delta.

Many people who get a new puppy assume that “socialization” means having a few people pet or play with their pup and maybe having the puppy play with a few other pups in a “puppy class”. But it’s much more than that.

That short, eight to ten week socialization period must include such diverse experiences as different flooring surfaces—wood, tile, carpet, grass, gravel, concrete, etc.; different types of toys; all manner of noises heard in a typical household; a wide variety of people, male and female, of various ages, sizes, and types; a wide variety of dogs of various breeds and ages; and so forth. Some people use the “Rule of Twelve” described by Margaret Hughes in her book Positive Paws Dog Training (© 2002) as:

By the time a puppy is 12 weeks old*, he/she should have:

• Experienced 12 different surfaces
• Played with 12 different objects
• Experienced 12 different locations
• Met and played with 12 new people
• Heard to 12 different noises
• Been exposed to 12 fast moving objects
• Experienced 12 different challenges
• Be handled by owner (and family) 12 times a week
• Eaten from 12 different shaped containers
• Eaten in 12 different locations
• Played with 12 different puppies (or safe adult dogs) as much as possible.
• Been left alone safely, away from family and other animals (5-45 minutes) 12 times a week.
• Experienced a leash and collar 12 different times in 12 different locations.

Less well known is that there is another, overlapping period from weeks 8 through 11 called the Fear Imprint Period. During this period the puppy is highly susceptible to conditioning from pain and fear. An experience that scares the puppy during this time may result in a dog who is afraid of similar circumstances for the rest of its life. That’s why it’s not uncommon for people to adopt a well adjusted puppy at 8 weeks of age, but have it regress and become fearful of certain situations or people after it goes to its new home.

We often meet people who tell us that a dog they adopted “must have been abused” because of a fear it has shown. I believe the incidents of actual abuse are very low. Most often in these cases the fault lies with poor socialization, not abuse.

Jessica

Today we’re welcoming Jessica, a two year old Siberian Husky mix. She’s a nice looking dog, isn’t she? She weighs 55 pounds and will be with us for a couple of weeks for socialization.

Jessica was relinquished to the Champaign County Humane Society by a breeder who could no longer afford to keep her. She has not been socialized well and is a bit shy. She warms up to people quickly if she’s approached gently. She’s getting along great with the Base Pack, but we don’t know how she is with kids and cats. We think she’ll be fine with an all-adult household that’s willing to invest some time with her. She needs gentle, patient handling.

There’s a rescue that is interested in taking her, but they are full and don’t have an open spot right now. Jessica’s too shy to stay at the shelter. She won’t show well in that environment. We were asked to take her so we could give her some one-on-one attention while we wait for the rescue slot to open up.

In the mean time Jessica is available for adoption through CCHS. For more information call the shelter and talk to the adoptions staff.

What a Difference a Week Makes

Popsicle and Sundae have been renamed as Shiloh and Sally. We’ve had them for 10 days and they’ve gotten over their shyness enough to return to the Shelter. The current plan is for them to go back on Sunday morning. They will be checked in and should be available for adoption on Sunday or Monday (call the Shelter for details if you’re interested in one of them).

When the two pups arrived here they jammed themselves into a corner of the puppy room and were very timid about coming out to meet us. It’s important to note that Sally and Shiloh were not abused. They were not socialized properly, but they were not mistreated. A puppy that has been abused is fearful in a different way than a pup that has not had proper socialization.

There’s a small window of opportunity for socializing puppies---the best chance for success is within the first 12 weeks. If the pups do not get proper socialization within that time it can be extremely difficult to correct the resulting problems. Luckily, these two were 8 weeks old and that’s within the window. We were confident we could make progress with them.

One thing we’ve learned over the years is that being taller than the pups makes us very intimidating. Our strategy is to lay flat on the floor, eye-to-eye with the pups, and speak very softly to them. We reach out to touch them and try to make their experience with us as pleasant as possible. Harriett and I each spend time with them so they get used to dealing with men and women.

Puppies are naturally curious and we try to use that to our advantage in getting them to come to see us. It took only a few hours to get Sally and Shiloh to come to us. Within four days they were actively seeking our attention.

I shot some video to show you the transformation that’s possible with a little patience and quiet talk.

What A Difference A Week Makes from Tom Schaefges on Vimeo.

Sally and Shiloh are ready to go up for adoption. They’re beautiful puppies and will make fantastic companions.

Popsicle and Sundae

Harriett just got back from the Shelter with Popsicle and Sundae. They’re Tree Walking Coonhound/German Shepherd mix puppies about 8 weeks old.

Popsicle’s on the left, his sister Sundae is on the right. They’re very frightened and we’ll have them for two weeks or so for socialization. They came in with their 6 brothers and sisters, and while the others were ok to go up for adoption, these two were a little too scared and under socialized to be put on the adoption floor.

There’s a window of opportunity for socializing puppies within the first 12 weeks of their lives. At 8 weeks old, these two are within the window and should come around with frequent handling. We’ll give them a day to settle in and then we’ll start spending time with them.

We’ll have them on PuppyCam beginning Monday morning at 8 am (CDT).

These are foster numbers 1,046 and 1,047 for us.

Bonnie and Clyde, Week 2

Bonnie and Clyde are slowly coming out of their funk. Harriett has been supplementing their feeding with Nurti-Cal and Probiocin and their weight has finally started to increase. Today I had them out in my office for a while and they were very playful. We’re confident they’re going to be fine. They will be with us for a few more weeks before they go back to CCHS for adoption. When Lucille’s litter leaves these two will appear on PuppyCam.

Bonnie and Clyde Update

Bonnie and Clyde are having a difficult adjustment to being without their mother. They’re 4 or 5 weeks old and we were told they didn’t have much human contact. Apparently that extended to weaning. We suspect they depended on their mom for food and no one had started to wean them away from her and onto solid food. We’re having a difficult time getting them to eat. Normally the weaning happens over a couple of weeks, but these two have to make the switch right away. Harriett’s been working with them to find something they like and supplementing with Nutri-Cal to be sure they don’t weaken or lose too much weight.

The good new tonight is that they are starting to lap up the gruel and we’re hoping they will be eating on their own in another day or two.

We’ve been giving them some extra socialization time and they’re starting to calm down when we get them out of their whelping box.

Socialization

This week marked a turning point in our socialization efforts with the puppies. Now that they are completely mobile and becoming more active we started to bring them out as a group to watch TV with us. The puppy room is adjacent to the room in which we have a television and sitting area. This area was designed like this on purpose so the pups would get used to normal household sounds while they were growing up. They hear the TV, telephone, vacuum cleaner, etc., and become accustomed to these sounds.

The first few times we open the puppy room door to let the pups come into the other room they often hesitate when they get to the tile floor. This is very common. The pups are naturally cautious each time they are put onto a new flooring surface. All it takes is a bit of coaxing to get them to come out into the room. Before they leave us we’ll also take them upstairs and let them explore the kitchen.

The first time we brought the pups out we noticed that Sierra was a bit timid and not joining the group.  When we’ve had puppies since birth they usually swarm all over us when we sit on the floor with them. They are used to being handled because of their twice-daily weighing and other maintenance like nail trimming. She didn’t mind being handled, she just wasn’t sure about the new environment. Whenever this happens we make a special effort to integrate the puppy with our activities to help it overcome its hesitation.

Over the next two evenings we made a special effort to hold Sierra on the chair, snuggle with her on the couch, and lay on the floor with her. We gave her a lot of contact time and made it as stress-free and pleasurable for her as possible. Our reward for a couple of nights of special attention was last night when she ran out with the group and swarmed over me while I was laying on the floor. She stayed with us the entire evening and finally fell asleep with her head on my hand.

We have a very small window of time in which to socialize the puppies to pleasurable human contact. If the puppies are not properly socialized within the first 8 to 12 weeks of their lives they can never recover. Last littler I wrote a post about our dog, Bella, and what happens when a puppy is not socialized. It’s simple to do proper socialization, but we have to be attuned to how the puppies react to new situations and people.

Over the next few weeks the puppies will have a lot of visitors. We like the pups to meet people of all types and ages. The puppies benefit greatly from these interactions. Our goal is to make them comfortable meeting new people so when they go back to the Shelter for adoption they will not be afraid to meet potential adopters and will be comfortable in their new homes meeting relatives and friends of their new families.

Many Changes This Week

There have been a lot of changes in the puppy room this week. The first big change was to let the pups leave the confines of the whelping box and have a larger space. The puppy room has been divided in half and the pups can go in and out of the box as they like. They’re timid about exploring at first, but their curiosity soon gets the better of them and they start to leave the box to explore.

We’re now entering into what I think is the period in foster care in which the pups are the most fun. They are starting to take an interest in toys and playing games with each other. They are also beginning to seek contact with people. This is a very critical time in their development because it is now that they learn to like being with people and to accept handling without a fuss.

We spend at least an hour handling the pups each day and often have visitors come over to help with socialization. Harriett and I hold each puppy and touch the ears, feet, tail, muzzle, and mouth. It doesn’t take too long for the pups to enjoy being handled and start climbing all over us to get attention. Our goal is to have them seeking attention when they go back to the Shelter so they will approach and be accepting of handling by potential adopters.

The other important thing that happens is that the puppies learn to play with each other and how to play with other dogs. Lucille will teach them the basics of dog etiquette. They learn to play with other pups by wrestling and playing "mouth games” with each other. We like the pups to be well socialized so they can be adopted into a multi-dog household and will be friendly to dogs they meet in training classes, walks, or play times at the park.

The weekly headshot photos have been posted in the puppies’ albums. Check out the changes this week! Sierra (#2) and Cricket (#7) are developing a more obvious brindle pattern. It’s really noticeable in the profile shots. Click a picture below to see the album for that pup.

Tulip (1)		Sierra (2)
Juno (3)		Miki (4)
Morel (5)		Milano (6)
Cricket (7)

Assessing Behavior

The pups are seven weeks old today and last night they underwent a behavior assessment. A behavior assessment is standard procedure for all animals we foster for the Champaign County Humane Society.

For the dogs we foster the assessment doesn’t determine whether or not the animal is adoptable. That goes without saying except in very rare, exceptional cases (see my post about our dog Bella). The purpose of the assessment is to help the Shelter staff make better matches. The evaluation can yield information regarding a dog’s energy requirements, play styles, tractability, trainability, as well as reaction to children, other pets, and household activities.

We very much want the first adopter of our foster dogs to be the last, i.e., keep the dog for life. However, when most people go to a Shelter to pick out a new companion they will spend a relatively short time, maybe a half hour or less, with that animal before they decide to adopt it into their home. Many people make their decision based solely on color or breed. The behavior assessment provides additional information to help the adopter make a more informed decision.

For example, some people want a high drive, high energy dog that will play dog sports, go running, or in other ways lead a very active lifestyle. Other people want a quiet companion around the house who’s happy to sit on the couch and watch TV. Some families have small children or other pets, other don’t. Some people enjoy the challenges of dog training and advanced classes, others not so much.

The problem is that the first, and often only, meeting many adopters have with the prospective pet is a few minutes in a “Get Acquainted Room” at a shelter. Emotions run high on both sides. The people, especially children if they are involved, are excited to meet the new puppy. The puppy is excited, and probably a bit nervous, about meeting with new people. If there are children involved and it’s one of our fosters, it may the the first time the pup has seen a little kid. It’s almost impossible to judge the “normal” behavior of the dog under these circumstances.

But the  behavior assessment has been done based on our living with the puppy over a multi-week period. We know how active they are, if they ever rest, what they like to play with, how trainable they are, how they are with new people, etc. The assessment form guides us through answering questions about these things and more. It gives the shelter staff and potential adopter more information than they can get under typical conditions at the shelter.

Socializing the Pups

Now that the pups are fully mobile and starting to play, we’re expanding our efforts to teach them that humans can be fun to be around. We start socialization from the first day the pups come into our house. Harriett and I handle each pup a couple of times a day. As they get older we expand the universe of people they come into contact with.

The first eight to twelve weeks are the most critical for time for socialization. If the puppies do not get positive human contact now they will never get past their fear of humans. Our dog, Bella, is a good example.

Bella came from a raid on a dog hoarder in a tiny town near here. She was four months old when she and two littermates were sent to us for foster care. From the same raid we also got four six-week old puppies.

Although the six-week old pups had no human contact, they quickly accepted our handling and by the end of the eighth week they were on track to return to the shelter for adoption.

Bella and her two littermates, though, were a different story. For the first four months of their lives their only contact with humans was when someone threw some food over the fence into their enclosure. They had never been petted, picked up, or handled in any way. They were terrified at the sight of people and would turn to face the corner whenever we entered the puppy room. Without socialization, these dogs were returning to a feral state. Bella was the only one of the three that was able to make the transition to living with people. The other two never got over their terror. Even now, at nine years old, Bella is not comfortable around people that she doesn’t know. The pups will never recover from a bad start.

Learning to accept handling from the earliest time is critical to raising puppies that will become great family companions. Very young pups can’t see or hear us very well, so it’s only natural that they try to protect themselves when they get picked up. But with a calming voice, gentle handling, and lots of repetition the pups soon learn that being handled is not scary and can be quite enjoyable. We spend a lot of time sitting or lying on the floor at their level petting and playing with them.

Our goal is that the puppies will actively seek out contact with anyone who comes into their space. We call this the New Person effect. Whenever a new person comes into the room we want the pups to swarm them and seek out attention. We recruit friends to help socialize the pups. We like to have the pups meet a variety of adults and children so when they go back to the Shelter they will not be fearful of a potential adopter because of their age or gender.

Daisy’s pups are turning out to be a very sociable group. At just under five weeks old they will seek out contact with everyone they meet. If you watch PuppyCam, you may be able to catch the New Person effect in action when one of us goes into the puppy room.