That is a great question. You know, some breeders have awesome, printed checklists on lovely paper in perfect binders with protocols that they follow for each week of the puppies life. They tickle with q-tips on certain days, and play a cd of a thunder storm at specific ages. And to be honest, I envy them. It looks so put together and fancy! But quite frankly - that isn't me; no part of my life, no matter how much I wish otherwise, runs like a perfectly printed out checklist.
We moved to the country last year, and I've really tried to lean into the beauty and flexibly that kids, puppies, and life in the country provides - and demands. We do our school work all over the house and yard. We do puppy photos when the weather will cooperate. Our weekend plans are made around what activities will work between when the puppies/mamas need us, and where we might be meeting an excited new puppy family. And while our life doesn't fit in an organized binder, we love it, and I think it works out exceptionally well for our dogs! What a mama dog, or her puppies need can't always be scheduled. And our life gives us the flexibility to go with the flow.
So what do we do to socialize the puppies? Well, I try to say yes to many of the ideas my kids come up with, and that provides a wider range of socialization than I could have ever put on a check list! Here are a few examples...
Today after bath time today the girls wanted to pull the puppies around in a wagon behind their tank. How funny right?! But so good for the puppies! New noises, unsteady surfaces, wheels, all kinds of great exposure in this one playful activity!
This photos is from one of our past litters. The day was a bit cool and I looked to see my daughter had tucked the puppy up into her coat! How wonderful! Great snuggling, and exposure to different ways of being handled!
There are car trips to visit the vet for their puppy check! (All of our puppies spend time in a kennel before they head home to you, so the kennel isn't a foreign thing to them!)
My eldest decided to introduce one of our past pups to one of her favorite things, climbing the rock pile! Lots of texture exposure happened here!
And of course - who can forget bath time! Is there a better way to be exposed to a bath than with the comforting voice of an eight year old telling you it will be ok?!
After bath time we always towel dry the puppies! And sometimes we blow dry them also, depending on their comfort with the blow dryer. :-)
When the puppies are very young we check their weights to make sure they are getting enough milk at the milk bar. This provides them with frequent handling, and lots of curious fingers touching and poking them.
In summary, I think the checklists that many breeders have are awesome! They're lots of fun and they help ensure nothing gets missed. However, I have found that for me, in this stage of my life with four young kids, I don't need a checklist. For me the checklists gets in the way of enjoying what kids and puppies share so naturally - a love of discovering the world together.
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