Wildrum Kennels Puppy Development Program

Role of the Breeder in Early Development

With mom, the pup begins his journey. The security that comes with mother and the confidence that is gained by playing and learning with siblings is a vital aspect of pup’s development. We are talking about emotional and mental development. Take, for example, two siblings who want some kibble. Place the food on the other side of a short section of fence (or in a crate with an open door) and watch how the dogs respond to this dilemma. Does one or both paw at the barrier and whine in discontent? Let them work it out, and sooner or later one and then the other will move around the barrier and be subsequently treated with a reward – stuffed bellies. As the state of mental development grows, we can create more difficult problems, asking the pups to go over, under, across, up, etc. in order to succeed. This is very good - for early emotional and mental development. 

 

Littermate Socialization

The bridge that fills the gap between early emotional, mental and physical development is socialization. It begins with the puppy’s mother and siblings, but later involves human intervention and guidance. Pro trainer Bob West summarizes socialization best. “It (socialization) is the mortar that holds the foundation and building blocks of development together.”

A term that can be substituted for socialization is exposure. As a breeder, we mold the pup’s surroundings and offer up opportunities for the young prospects to explore. Confidence later in life will stem from positive experiences as an adolescent. If you think about it, this is no different in our human world. So we take advantage of the time the puppies spend with mother to go to the field and to water (weather permitting). Just as pack of wolf pups would eventually follow their mother from the den. This spawns confidence and good temperament. The little ones also figure out that they are members of a pack and their role is not as leader (mom is for now, you will replace her later). All of this is done in a truly natural environment – and this is the best way to introduce these new activities. This is the epitome of developing a truly great dog in a soft-handed, humane manner. Efficient and effective to no end! 

Learning to Learn

Giving the opportunity to succeed is the greatest gift we can offer to our companions. Joan Bailey, in her book “How to Help Gun Dogs Train Themselves,” talks of early conditioned learning; as stated in the section on socialization, this begins with the mother. Let’s look at our example where we took the pups to the pond.  A few pups will undoubtedly show reluctance to enter the water, some will flat out refuse. Our sound judgment is called upon to know that at this stage of the game entry is not required, we are merely offering up the opportunity to get our pup’s feet wet here, within the comforting presence of mom and our littermates.

What other principle characteristics can we enhance with early conditioned learning? By taking our young prospect to the field to romp and be with master, we will build a bond and a desire to work together. Another facet of this fun time (truly fun for us and the dog) is that we can discover the prey drive that is in all well bred hunting stock.

Wing on a String is great for evaluating this at an early age and for taking puppy pictures, but that is the extent of its constructive use. A better alternative would be to release a half dozen or so small sized game birds in an open field with moderately thick cover. Proceed to run a few pups together - as a pack. In doing so, we help the gang discover the wonders of the field and the power of scent. Their nose is a tool and learning to use and follow it is critical. The earlier we get into this, the better. This is an activity that should be intertwined throughout the training process to reduce the stale activities of obedience training. Later in training, we will harness the enthusiasm we have built here and place the dog under control. For now, it is all about building drive and desire, through conditioned learning. This is where we enhance the spiritual characteristics in our dogs.

Continued Support

I offer training services and ongoing support to families who invest in a Wildrums Griffon. We share a mutual interest the goal of developing an accomplished bird-dog that is also a well-behaved canine citizen. Wildrum Kennels provides personalized programs and support throughout the journey.