Did you know that the first 12 weeks of a puppies life can set the stage for success (or frustration) for their whole lives?

just like most things, a proactive healthy start to life and training makes the road ahead all the smoother. an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and puppies are no exception.

The stage is first set by the breeder. Jane Killion, of the rave reviewed “Puppy Culture” program, says it this way:

“Over the years I’ve come to realize something: much of what people consider problematic in their adult dogs, from aggression right down to lack of focus in a performance dog, often comes down to a failure or  omission in the first 12 weeks of the dog’s life.”

Socialization, stress testing, initial potty training and the behaviors that the breeder begins to reward all play an important role in the ease of transition to your new home. I’ll be posting more about this ideology moving forward, and the steps we take for our pups to ensure that they are started for success!

You can check out the Puppy Culture system here. We have only recently found this particular system, so I won’t claim that everything will be done to this extent with this litter. I want mainly to begin the discussion about puppy stress, socialization and behavior and the importance finding a conscientious breeder plays in that!