Walking the Dogs

Today was my first session of puppy socialization at the New Skete Monastery since last Christmas. They sent a large batch of puppies home with their new owners for the holidays, then there was a gap waiting for the next round to be born. I have gone up and walked some adult dogs during those times. But the stormy winter, concerts and other events around home conspired against that this winter.


There were three adults in the puppy kennel today. Lila and Petra are in heat and were there to be bred, and Xenia was with her new litter. She was nursing three 2 week old pups, which means the socializers started handling them about ten days ago.

All three of the ladies were anxious to get outside for a chance at those wet spring scents. There are paths in the woods, but they were still mud and ice so we walked along the dirt road that runs up the mountain to the Monastery.

Petra surprised me with her good manners. For the first time, I could walk her on a regular (non-choke) collar without it being serious exercise for my arm. She was terribly sweet and responsive, smiling and leaning into me for a pet every time we did a sit while a car went by.

Lila can be a handful, but will settle if she has a chance to retrieve sticks at the start of the walk. She would like the distance to be longer, beyond the length of the retractable leash, but even a short bit of this will calm her. Without that, she is a big, bold girl that can pull your arm off. 

The program for puppy socialization - what you do at each visit - starts when they are a few days old. The puppies can't see or hear at first, so the earliest activities famliarize the puppy with human scent. Today was still mostly that - blowing on their faces, touching their paw and holding them in my palms. Tasks are added each week. By the time the puppies leave the kennel they have learned to stay quiet when held, follow a person, go up and down steps, stop nipping and and walk on a leash.

All of these behaviors are still at a rudimentary level, so the new owners have plenty to do to finish the job.  The pup has been on a leash but knows no commands, for example. And nipping can ramp up after this age, though I doubt it is a big issue. Most of the New Skete pups I have handled lacked any tendency to nip.  

All that said, the biggest kick is that the puppies are astonishingly cute. It was a truly pleasant sunny day on the mountain