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Googling for info on puppy training tonight, I read that most puppies go through a very timid stage around the age of 9-11 weeks. That's a relief; I thought I'd been doing something wrong and accidentally screwed up their little psyches. They're so afraid of new things that it's half annoying and half funny. Like today ... Izzy's been sick, and she messed on the upstairs rug, so I'd dragged it downstairs to clean it. The puppies were terrified of it -- they took one look and went and hid in their pen for hours. You'd think they thought that rug was going to jump up and bite them.
I've been trying to train them to accept a leash, but it's hard to leash-train a dog that just sits and shivers when the leash is hooked to their collar. According to the website, they'll get bolder and more outgoing around the age of 12 weeks. I do need to start getting them better socialized -- living out like this, it's so hard to introduce them to new people and situations, but I know it's important.
(Well, all the books and websites SAY it's important, but I think it really depends on the dog. My sister's dog Pixel was almost completely isolated as a puppy -- living out on the farm, she never saw anybody but the other dogs and family members, yet she grew up into an outgoing dog that loves other dogs, people and cats. Conversely, my Frisky grew up under the same conditions as Pixel, but she hated other dogs and strange people. She did not, however, have any problem with unfamiliar objects that hadn't been part of her puppyhood environment -- e.g. cars and leashes -- which is supposed to also be a problem for unsocialized dogs, because she was such an utterly one-person dog and took all her behavior cues from me as far as how to act around strange objects. Still, it can't HURT to get them used to unfamiliar people, especially as we're planning on having kids eventually.)
I've been trying to train them to accept a leash, but it's hard to leash-train a dog that just sits and shivers when the leash is hooked to their collar. According to the website, they'll get bolder and more outgoing around the age of 12 weeks. I do need to start getting them better socialized -- living out like this, it's so hard to introduce them to new people and situations, but I know it's important.
(Well, all the books and websites SAY it's important, but I think it really depends on the dog. My sister's dog Pixel was almost completely isolated as a puppy -- living out on the farm, she never saw anybody but the other dogs and family members, yet she grew up into an outgoing dog that loves other dogs, people and cats. Conversely, my Frisky grew up under the same conditions as Pixel, but she hated other dogs and strange people. She did not, however, have any problem with unfamiliar objects that hadn't been part of her puppyhood environment -- e.g. cars and leashes -- which is supposed to also be a problem for unsocialized dogs, because she was such an utterly one-person dog and took all her behavior cues from me as far as how to act around strange objects. Still, it can't HURT to get them used to unfamiliar people, especially as we're planning on having kids eventually.)
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Then again, my cousin's previous pet, a short wheaton terrier, had a lot of kids and strangers around it when it was young, but it was mad, bit a few people, and they had to give it away when they had kids [or put to sleep... people don't tell me these things. My neighbor's cat Butch, who'd been my friend since age 1 or so, passed away and I wasn't told for about 8 months, by my family or my neighbor. Same thing when our dog was sick, I didnt know till the end of it.... thankfully this was avoided when Canda, th other nextdoor cat died, and I found out right away. She was 23 years old!!]
Since the puppies are pretty friendly now I imagine they'll be fine, and they have a good lead in Izzy. Getting some friend's kid's in to lug them around should be good, so long as the kid's aren't too energetic. You don't wanna overstimulate them :)