Below you can watch a video if my first and the only (so far ;) ) litter of border collie puppies. Having them was the most exciting, wonderful, rewarding experience… and the most challenging time and energy-wise :) We were lucky to have 8 (!) pups and for more than 2 months everything was happening around them.
But what I would really like to talk about is early puppyhood and enrichment. It is the breeder's duty to make sure all the pups are happy and healthy, and to provide as much experience as possible. At the very early stage all of my puppies went through Early Neurological Stimulation, and when they started exploring more by themselves I followed a rule: 'Life is a big playground! Make it even more fun!' :D
And a couple of examples…
* different surfaces to walk on (also a bit unstable ones) * diverse challenges to overcome (eg. walking over something) * different objects to play with * various people to meet * miscellaneous (also strange) objects to see/ touch
What is also important for those that tend to be a bit overprotective… ;) do not freak out too much! Puppies should meet some challenges on they way and it's good if the learn to overcome them. Also if they get spooked by something new don't worry – the crucial part is them getting over it and learn to recover.
And here's the video, I hope you will enjoy watching it! Please switch the sound on :)
And just to finish the post - Thank you Puppy Culture (www.puppyculture.com) for giving me even more ideas about enriching the puppies' envirionment and helping me in doing my best!
Thanks for reading, Lila