Goodbye Sweeties!

Auf Wiedersehn, au revoir, goodbye. Off they go, to their homes, ready for new adventures. I’ve just realised I have no videos for this post – no footage of them trampolining off the raised dog beds in the kitchen, chasing each other round the kitchen island or trotting along with a bone in their mouth. Hilarious. That’s the main job of a puppy after all, to entertain.

You’ll just have to make do with the photos of them all going off to their families. It’s been lovely getting to know the new families over the past 8 weeks, although of course I had already had contact with them before that.

Is it enough?

I was fretting the other day about whether I had done enough – they aren’t fully house trained; they get up at 5.30am; they haven’t spent all day every day indoors. However, with each day that has passed we have covered more ground and I have realised that in the life of a puppy, every day is a new opportunity to learn and experience. I use the Kennel Club’s Puppy Socialisation Plan to help provide ideas for what to cover.

Making a difference

In the end though, they will be fine. I was told today by one of the owners that I do ‘go the extra mile’ with my puppies. I’m not sure how true this is, as I do know plenty of dog breeders who breed with love and passion for their dogs. People who breed with care and consideration, paying attention to their dogs’ health and welfare and ensuring that they give their puppies a great start in life before saying goodbye. If you want help finding such a breeder, contact me? Or read my Breeding blog.

Perhaps it makes a difference that my puppies have met many different people (around 100), as well as seeing lots of people on several occasions. This definitely helps them to cope with new situations and to being handled and interacted with. As my mum said when she arrived to see them on Thursday “It’s a shame they are so timid, so reluctant to come and see you, unsure around people. NOT!”

Having lots of visitors is such a pleasure for me, as I love to spend my time chatting (and eating cake). But it does take planning and management, as well as the ability to be present. I am fortunate that I do not have to go out to work every day, that I am able to set aside enough time to invest in my dogs.

It is important for me to be pretty ‘businesslike’ in the way I manage the admin side of things, which also helps. I think I put together a pretty good ‘puppy pack’ though I say so myself.

Last words of advice before saying goodbye

Some of the pups went on Friday and are already settled into their new homes. Apparently they have not all woken at the crack of dawn and are being quite well-behaved – so far! Long may it last, but in any case the ‘puppy stage’ doesn’t last.

My advice to my owners: enjoy them as babies, as toddlers, as teenagers. In a year they will be adult dogs and in two they will be fully mature. In just 13 years (on average), they’ll be gone.

Enjoy the life they give you, because they give it totally, with their whole heart. The more you give them, the more they’ll love you back. Nothing on earth is as rewarding, or as loving, as a healthy, well-bred dog.

One more thing..not goodbye!

Just to let you know, JB is staying close by. In fact he belongs to me (and Chris) as well as Stella and Luke. I hope he will be a super stud dog, one day…

Thanks for reading the pupdates. Won’t be long before we’re doing it all again…

Buy the Workbook

The Workbook – A Year With Your Puppy is available to buy. It is designed to be a hands-on, interactive book for you. This book will help you survive the first year with your puppy. It also acts as a memento of that time and the journey you have been on. You can write notes and stick in pictures of your puppy throughout the year. Lovely!

Remember..

Please CONTACT ME if you want to know more about me and my dogs?  And feel free to COMMENT if you want to tell me what you think. 

NO PUPPIES AVAILABLE