A Tribute to Phoenix

It seems like yesterday that I flew to Canada and picked up our first Blue Picardy Spaniel puppy.  It was late at night by the time I arrived home and my then nine year old son was half asleep on the couch waiting for me and his pup.  The puppy too was exhausted from the travel, but it amazed me how she woke up to check out my son and they just cuddled up together and fell back asleep.

Phoenix is eight+ years old now and she's grown into an elegant, persuasive, sometimes incorrigible girl. She's produced some fabulous puppies and has proven to be an excellent mother.  She surprised me in how she gave birth to her pups:  very calmly, no fussing or nesting.  Very quietly, no screams or even grunts.  She just lay down and gently pushed out her puppies, immediately cleaning and nursing them to perfection.  She's always loved being around her puppies and would nurse them until they left my house even at nine weeks!  She loved to be with her puppies and hang out and was a very loving and nurturing influence.

As a puppy herself, Phoenix was the poster child for tolerance.  The kids would dress her up, make her play in their games, and put her under the covers with them to sleep.  And she loved every minute of it. Never one time ever in her life has she growled or shown disfavor with a child or adult.  She's always loved attention and is the kind of dog who gets you petting her without you even being aware you are doing it by slipping that silky head under your hand as you sit and visit.  She is a bottomless pit and I've never felt that she felt she had eaten enough to satisfy her.  I think that's one reason she loved being pregnant--lots of extra meals!  But alas, she's also a non-reformable food thief.  But she's such a character and has such consistent personality, it seems a small price to pay in regards to all else she brings to the party.  She is bright and eager to learn; absolutely up for fun at any time; takes attention any way she can get it-and gives it back tenfold.  She's been a wonderful pack leader and matriarch to my dogs-demanding respect and proper manners, but lavish in her affection and companionship.
She is a supreme snuggled and bed hog for sure.
And beautiful.  She is such a beautiful image of a female Blue Picardy Spaniel.

Phoenix is what I call the Canadian line as she was born from two of the top kennels in Canada.  These dogs in my experience were very athletic and birdy; shorter coated with some feathering but not at all overdone; sweet and sociable but they had a higher energy and more rambunctious spirit than other lines I've worked with…..and Phoenix represents all those traits well.

She has shown a super strong prepotency in her puppies to follow her physical traits.  I've seen my tiny little cuties and my big chunky monkeys all somehow manage to even out and become these pretty darn consistently sized adults all favoring their mother.  The great majority of her puppies matured within the size boundaries of 55-60 pound females and 65-70 pound males.  She did throw out one massive male puppy-gorgeous but massive.  Not sure where he came from!  Her puppies also favored her shorter coat and higher energy.  Very athletic and looking for direction.  And they also inherited her sweet nature, tolerance, beauty and fun loving attitude.

So we spayed Phoenix last year and took her off active puppy duty.  She is in fantastic health thanks to the raw diet.  She is slim and fit and has great energy for walks.  Her teeth look like they belong to a teenager-no tarter or infections or bad breath.  She's still always looking for someone to pet her, still checks out the counter to see if no one's looking after those leftovers, and she's still loving up on my other dogs and me.  She introduced us to this breed and she's the foundation for my line and I wanted to thank her publicly for making our house a home for all the love and joy she brings every day.

Technical Difficulties!

Many of you have noticed that my website suddenly disappeared!  I wanted to let everyone know there is no problems here and the only thing that went wrong was my believing the MobileMe/Apple people when they said nothing would happen to my website when they discontinued MobileMe!

I kept getting all these urgent messages to move my photos and such; which I ignored.  Not me, we are all set, the MobileMe/Apple staff have assured me that all is well and already set for transition!  Whoops.  Imagine my surprise when I logged onto the website and got a big "site closed" sign!  Luckily, I noticed it pretty early on in July and the site closed end of June so hopefully we didn't disappoint too many people looking for Blue Picardies!  Blessed I am in the skills of rearing dogs but I am one of the most incompetent computer people you will ever meet!

One of the big disappointments in all of this is that MobileMe had a gallery where I could download photos and movies of litters each week to share with excited puppy buyers wanting to share in the process of watching their puppy grow up.  Now that MobileMe is out of business I no longer have this asset and I welcome anyone's advice on where I could do this now?  I have not had good luck with youtube in the past and would like something more private that I could direct clients to.  I use it so much with each litter-weekly in fact for about three months, but I don't use it at all in the time between litters.

I also was basking in the knowledge that we now have four litters of Blue Picardy Spaniels on the ground now ranging in age from 4 months to 2+ years.  People are so wonderful about getting me photos in the beginning, but they seem to forget as the dogs get older to include me in on the Facebook photos and updates!  I would love for all my puppy owners to send me photos, especially the older guys.  I would like to do some blogs showing the puppies as they grow up highlighting when they leave me and what they matured to look like.  As I've said, there is variety in the breed and the more you can see the better.  It also helps perspective buyers to decide whether or not the "look" I am producing is what they are looking for in a dog.

And I would love to see puppy owners taking the initiative to post blogs and photos of their own dogs on this site too-that's why I set it up!  It is so fun to share in that and I am looking forward to it!

Hang in there!

I've just finished adding some new pages onto my website to finally put some short testimonials together.  It's a daunting process to buy a rare breed puppy you've never seen and even more daunting to buy that puppy over the internet!  But we now have puppies living happily ever after in Connecticut, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Georgia, Canada, Washington, Texas, Colorado and California and want to keep spreading the word on this marvelous breed.

In putting together the excerpts from email updates I get (and love getting by the way...) I noticed two words over and over again in describing their puppies:  Amazing and sweet.  And they are amazing...
this breed is intelligent, fun-loving, playful, affectionate, and naturally beautiful.  They love to swim, to retrieve, to hunt, to run, to work and to be couch potatoes.  It was the words "biddable" and "adaptable" that attracted me to explore the breed more and I have not been disappointed.  Their eagerness to please and train easily and their adaptability from racing on the beach to snoring in the car are paramount to the breed's success as a family pet.

But "sweet" is the number one descriptive word about this breed, and prompted me to include it in my kennel name.  They are sweet.  Lovable.  Affectionate.  Gentle.  Trustworthy with children.  Sweet.

There is a softness to their nature that is very important the prospective buyer understands.  Don't get me wrong, they are a vibrant, bright, active, athletic dog that can take a correction in training.  But they are softer emotionally.  They care about what their handler thinks and they will not tolerate anyone yelling at them or being roughly handled.  I think this separates them from many other sporting breeds who have a reputation for being stubborn or hard-headed.  Blue Picardies are very sweet natured animals and as a breed, they need the time to mature into their confidence.  It is a natural part of EVERY dogs growth process to go through several "fear" stages in their lives.  These are periods usually around 3 months and 6 months (major ones) with a longer period between 6-14 months; where the flight instinct is being realized.  Things that may have never bothered your dog may startle them.  It's imperative at these times that you give the puppy the support of your calm presence, but allow the puppy to figure things out on their own.  Never swoop down on a fearful puppy and coddle it!  Let them explore and test the waters themselves.  The problem is, this can take time and too many owners get impatient.  They want to push a puppy through a fear episode, or protect them from it.

A perfect example for you is when I had gotten a ten month old pup.  At the time I had three other older dogs who were very familiar with our walks and our yard.  One day the puppy was walking along and noticed a stump of a tree and was terrified!  He set up a panicked yelping and all his hair stood on end!  The other adults came a running and when they saw he was barking at a stump, they went up to the stump and sniffed it, confirmed it was a stump and walked away.  They didn't attack the stump to protect the puppy...they didn't steer the puppy away from the stump...they didn't bark at the stump too.  They simply showed the pup there was nothing to be afraid of, and trusted that he'd figure it out on his own.
Well, the ten month old puppy was not convinced.  He stopped the panic attack, but his hair still stood on end and he was NOT approaching that stump!  I did not sweet talk him and tell him things were okay when obviously things were not okay in his understanding.  And I did not force him over to the stump.  I simply waited.  I was waiting for him to use his nose and not his eyes.  I gently encouraged him whenever he took a step toward the stump with a "good boy!  Check it out!"  And after about twenty minutes he finally got up the courage to go up to the stump and sniff it.  The SECOND he used his nose, he understood what the stump was and completely relaxed and walked away with no fear or issue any more!  But the next time he came upon something that scared him, it took ten minutes for him to investigate and then eight and then five until as a mature dog, he now has the confidence to walk right up to anything and investigate.

It's a natural process for a young dog to find their balance and you must give them the time to figure these things out.  Almost 100% of the time when a dog is frightened or panicked it's because they are using their eyes and not recognizing something.  When they calm down a notch, they will begin to sniff with their nose and when they do that....it's usually quickly resolved.  A dog trusts his nose.

Blue Picardies tend to be very sweet and soft tempered in their youth.  You must keep a watchful eye at dog parks so they aren't picked on.  But hang in there!  If you allow them the time to figure things out, give them lots of opportunities to explore new things, and always offer a calm reassuring presence, by the time this breed reaches two years they are self assured, confident, grounded animals able to go into any situation with grace.  And they retain the softness and sweetness that defines them.  So remember that first year or two is critical in the forming of your puppy's personality.  Make sure the timing is right for your family so you can give the training and the time for a puppy to fully grow into their confidence.
Stop and smell those roses with your pup!

Three Dogs at the Beach

Lola, Prudence and Dempsey got together for a beach party a few days ago. They are all from Christine's last batch of pups! All healthy, growing fast, and very happy!

Good Beginnings -Part two-vaccinations

The biggest item I have to educate my new puppy owners on-along with the raw diet-is the idea that you never want to over vaccinate your dog or cat.  In my personal opinion, I believe that our long standing practice of over vaccinating our animals is literally killing them.  We are compromising their immune systems to the point that they are routinely developing allergies, and cancers.  I too, used to vaccinate my Shelties believing I was protecting them when in fact I was contributing to the problem.  Now many purebred dogs have Aids, hemophilia, cancers, sterility, and all sorts of auto immune problems---and to top that all off, a vaccination offers no guarantee that your dog will not get the very disease you have vaccinated for!

But when I had my own child, I really started to question some things and put pieces together.  And I find now that even the main stream veterinarians are changing their protocol concerning vaccinations.  I am not anti-vaccination, but I think there is a proper time to give the least amount of vaccines at the most appropriate timing.  Most schools of thought on the subject agree that once a dog reaches maturity, one vaccination should be good for several years.  My personal protocol is to wait until the mother's milk immunity protection is gone by three months of age for the puppy.  I then give one Parvo-killed virus if possible and not with any other vaccines.  Three weeks later, I give the Distemper vaccine, again with as few other vaccines as possible.  You have to ask questions--some vets still want the income from regular vaccine programs and put that above what your individual pet may need.  And they give a vaccine that can have 7 or 8 different vaccines at once!  Wow.  I think a veterinarian should offer you sound advice and alternatives and let you make the final decision.  Any professional who tried to pressure me with fear tactics would find me walking out the door-seriously.

Parvo is still a very serious disease and it is still around today.  Distemper is not as prevalent, but still a very serious disease.  Many of the other things included in the whopper vaccinations are things not really seen much today or not really a threat to the well being of the dog.  Like kennel cough, there are many boarding facilities and classes that force you to vaccinate your dog or they won't take them.  But kennel cough is not by any means a life threatening illness and the fact is, a healthy dog is not likely to get it.  If they do, it's like getting a bad cold with bronchitus and is very treatable.  I would rather take my chances that my dogs have a strong immune system and could handle that on their own with treatment.  Again, it's a choice.

By law, you usually are only required to have a Rabies vaccine.  Unfortunately, this is the vaccine that is thought to cause the most reactions in dogs.  I never give any vaccine unless the dog is in perfect health, I give one vaccine at a time and never associated with a surgery.  It is very common practice to spay or neuter a puppy and give the rabies at the same time.  Any vaccine is a stress to the system.  It's designed that way-to make the body react to it.  So do it alone and allow the body time to adjust to the reaction.

If done in this manner, you should be good for 3-4 years before considering any boosters.  Personally, I think if the vaccine performs in the manner it is supposed to, then a booster shouldn't be necessary.  I check my dogs blood titers and it tells me if they still are forming antibodies to the vaccine diseases.  There are all kinds of schools of opinions on the issue of vaccination and it's a pretty debated topic.  Again, I encourage you to educate yourself and find the choices that make the best sense for you and your family.  I do recommend that you find a vet who is educated in alternative methods as well as conventional, so that you get the most up to date information.  Ask the tough questions and be ready for the answers.  Ask about side effects of vaccines-each little vial comes with a pamphlet that tells you about all kinds of things that can go wrong.  Many times I found that vaccinations were presented in a manner to make me believe that I not only must do them, but that they were completely safe.  If someone had told me most creatures can be vaccinated and adjust to them, but there are chances of side effects and one of them may be death---well, it would make me take the situation much more seriously and with a lot more responsibility.

My pups have a good beginning here at SweetWater and from sound, healthy parents we love and socialize our pups weaning them onto a raw diet.  Add to that mix lots of sunshine and fresh air and clean water and we hand to you a healthy, sane puppy with a strong immune system at nine weeks.  As a practice, I do give homeopathic nosodes to my puppies to stimulate the immune system to various disease but in a very safe manner.  We suggest you take a few weeks to acclimate the puppy to your home and new schedule and by three months take them for their vaccinations if you choose.  Rabies is not recommended nor required until the dog is six months.

Good Beginnings at SweetWater-Part One: Our Raw Diet

I thought I would get up on my soapbox for a little bit and share with you how I raise my dogs at SweetWater and why I do it.  As many of you know, I strive to rear my puppies and adults in the manner that provides them the best chance at a long and healthy life.  It's my personal belief that if you are going to own an animal, then you owe them certain things.  I give my animals lots of free space to run; a loving home environment; good & consistent boundaries to live by; clean water and fresh air and a really good diet.  And when necessary, I use alternative minded supports to maintain or recapture well being.

I started out with Shetland Sheepdogs and Rough Collies as my breeds.  And I started out following the traditional Western model.  A quality advertised dog food in a bag and lots of vaccinations and regular wormings.  Oh, and baths.  Lots of baths.  At that time I regularly showed my animals in conformation and obedience and always worried about them getting sick from contact with other dogs.  Well, long story short, I watched my beloved breeds become weaker and sicker over the years as they developed all kinds of genetic problems and diseases. Many fingers pointed at the preservatives in the dog foods.  But something wasn't working.

As I grew older I educated myself on nutrition.  A wonderful mentor in the Shelties had the outrageous habit of feeding her dogs cooked whole grains and tofu and all kinds of vitamins and supplements.  Her animals were vivacious and had lush coats and she would just laugh when her peers ridiculed her and would say, "I'll compare my dog food bill with your vet bill any day!"  She was a wonderful inspiration and I too, started to experiment with different diets on the dogs and read up on as much information as I could.  I happened upon a book entitled "The Complete Herbal Handbook for Dogs and Cats" by Juliette de Bairacli Levy and my eyes were opened wide.  While her methods were quite extreme, I found that it did make sense to something deep within me.  So I started to feed more raw foods and I was very pleased with the results.  My dogs were naturally lean and well muscled; had tons of energy and sharp thinking and focus; and just shone with good health.  My last four dogs have all been raised on good food and raw foods and they all lived to ripe old ages without cancers.  All of those dogs were never seen by a veterinarian except in the case of a trauma or accident.

It all makes tremendous sense to me.  I mean your dog is totally dependent on what you choose to feed him.  You can give him cardboard in a box for thirteen years or you can give him lots of variety and feed him similarly to way you feed yourself.  Nothing drives me more crazy than to see a really over weight dog.  What he eats and how he exercises is totally under the owner's control and is every pet owner's responsibility as far as I am concerned.  There's lots of information available today and lots of new products coming on the market.

And a raw diet is very easy, not expensive when you see the big picture of prevention, and is becoming much more popular with many choices available to people.  I prefer to keep it very simple and use a variety of raw meats-with the basics being beef, chicken or turkey.  I would say about 3/4 of the meal is good, fresh raw meat warmed to room temperature.  I add some boiling water and maybe a cup of high quality dry dog food.  The dog food is to add roughage and minor base supplements.  I sprinkle on some Wysong Call of the Wild supplement powder to cover any missing bases, add a teaspoon of a good fat----and done.

Every day to the basic meal above I can play with the variety a bit.  Sometimes the fat is flax seed oil, sometimes olive oil, sometimes raw butter or a slice of an avocado.  A teaspoon of finely chopped greens is always welcome--parsley, fresh mint from the garden, or a few sunflower sprouts.  If I can get fresh fertile eggs, I'll pop one of those in the meal on occasion.  If we have leftover steamed broccoli from last nights dinner, maybe a few pieces will be used.  I'll switch up the dry dog food from lamb to fish to add variety too.  Sometimes if I find a good deal I'll use fish or lamb instead of the usual meats.  You have to work with your budget and with your dogs tolerances.  But the general rule to remember is as fresh and raw as possible.  You want to include some fat and skin and bone and cartiledge-WHOLE foods.

How much to feed totally depends on the individual dog.  I have an adult male who is about 68 pounds and very laid back.  He eats about a pound to a pound and a half of meat and maybe a cup of food a day.
He takes about 15 minutes to eat.  I have an older female who is about 58 pounds and eats half that in one minute.  My teenage male who runs constantly can eat two pounds a day plus all the bones he wants.  And of course, growing puppies will eat more food more frequently until they slow down at two years of age.  You just have to know your dog.  On rainy days when we may skip the morning run, I feed less.  On a beach day when all the dogs run for several hours I might give extra.  If they whine and lick at their empty bowls--they might need more food that day.  It's all common sense.  You want them to be interested in their food and eat it all quickly with gusto.  I never, ever, leave food out all the time for them to pick at.  Blue Picardies are naturally long and lean, but you should never be able to see the ribs.  You want a nice layer of skin and muscle and fat before you feel the ribs.

The first thing you will notice in a dog fed a poor diet is the "pudgy" soft look of their bodies.  The coat is another key and will be brittle and harsh to the touch and dull.  They will have protruding bellies just like those sad television commercials with the starving children.  A healthy dog on a good diet just shines.  The eyes are bright and alert, the coat is soft and shiny, the muscles are lean and well formed over the body.  And the dog has energy.  We call this "bloom" in the dog world, when an animal is just bursting with good health.  It's very easy to spot.  The skin on these dogs isn't flaky, or red or bumpy.  The ears aren't waxy or dealing with yeast infections.  The eyes are clear and not filled with green gum. And the teeth are clean and the breath sweet.  Stools are well formed and not stinky.  Usually a dog on a raw diet has a much smaller stool than one on dry dog food alone.  And forget about having to have the anal glands cleaned out for dogs on a good, raw diet.  So many, many pluses for the animal.  Oh, yes.  Gas.  If you've ever lived with a dog that cannot digest his dry food, you know they can clear a room with the gas!  Imagine what's going on inside the dog's stomach!  Raw foods are digested more easily and completely, used better by the body and wastes eliminated easily.

And I should mention that Blue Picardies don't do really well on grains-especially corn and wheat.  And not too much soy or beans.  Dog food advertisers are getting tricky now and promoting "grain free" foods, but most of them are full of starches-in particular potatoes, yams and peas.  And too much starch is as bad as too much grain, so read your labels.  I stick to brown rice, barley or oatmeal.  In a perfect world and plan, the dogs get a meal or two a week of just oatmeal and the fats and supplements to rest the kidneys from processing all of the protein.  And once a week a fast is very appropriate.  Raw goats milk if you can get it, is a wonderful food for weaning puppies or for adults too.

A key feature of a good raw diet is raw, meaty bones.  Every day after running my dogs in the morning, I let them cool down and then feed them their main meal in the late morning.  (NEVER feed a dog before running them, and always let them cool down before a meal.)  Then in the late afternoon I will give them a raw bone of some variety.  Their absolute favorite is a raw beef rib with lots of meat on it--they will eat most of the bone also.  A nice big beef knuckle bone that's been cut in half and the fat trimmed off is consumed in whole!  Marrow bones they adore.  Smaller turkey necks, chicken wings or chicken backs are acceptable but they wolf down chicken necks like candy-crunching them to cleaner teeth.  The minerals and cartilage in these foods are crucial to a healthy dog.  They help maintain their teeth and bones but also the fluidity and development of the joints.  Many people worry about hip dysplasia and I am a firm believer most, if not all but the most severe cases, could be prevented with a great diet and proper exercising and consideration of the growing body.  A good bone can take an hour of a dogs attention and really works a puppy's jaws so they are less likely to chew something else.  All uneaten bone pieces are picked up promptly to keep the yard clean and discourage yellow jackets.

Another key component of the raw diet is lots of clean, fresh water.  Lots of people fill their dogs bowls with the garden hose---but if you read the label of those hoses they clearly state that they have cancer causing elements and warn you not to drink from them.  Water quality is something you think about for yourself, why not your animals?  Well water can have problems and so can tap water.  Get your water tested and do what's needed to provide your family and companions with a healthy source.  There are so many easy ways to filter your water now, and it makes sense seeing it's a diet component that is ingested every single day.

I rarely waste money on biscuits or treats.  For training I just use the dry dog food.  And I'd rather spend the money on the raw diet than the funky pigs ears and expensive bones.  Most of those things are full of chemicals, preservatives and artificial colors and flavorings.  And I believe much of that contributes to overloading the body with toxins over the years and eventually cancers.  Give them the raw bones.  Or a raw carrot once in a while!  On really hot days, my dogs love a chunk of cool melon for a change.  And if you really want a treat that will get attention during training, make a batch of homemade jerky in the oven and cut it into tiny pieces!

And it's important to always keep your vision on the bigger picture.  If a puppy was born of parents in vibrant health, and is given the proper nutrition to in turn bloom into vibrant health, then the body and immune system are in wonderful working order and able to do the job in warding off disease on their own.  Parasites and disease attack weak systems.  But in a vibrant animal, there is no need for chemical prevention methods and instead, the dog's body can be trusted to stay in balance and well being.

The bottom line is use your common sense and make it work with your lifestyle.  But fresh, raw and high quality is the way to go if you want a healthy, happy dog for many years to come.  We start 'em out right here at SweetWater and hope the new families embrace the philosophy.

Puppy development

My puppy was SO GOOD and now he's not listening to me at all!  She NEVER did that before!
These are the cries of my puppy owners as their puppies grow and change.

Puppies, like people, go through special stages in life relating to their physical, mental and emotional growth.  In this post, I'd like to share some of the main things to watch for in your puppy's development.  If you know what to expect, it can make it an easier stage to transition through.

A puppy is born both deaf and blind.  Their best senses are touch and scent.  They are completely dependent on the mother and it's a big job to feed, clean, and keep warm a whole litter!  That's why I usually give my mothers complete quiet and privacy the first week.  They need to recover from the birth and also to get into a rhythm with their babies.  The first two weeks the puppies sleep about 90% of the time waking only to nurse.  Even so, it's a critical stage to handle them every day and get them used to the movement of being picked up and stroked and set back down.  At two weeks the eyes and ears will start to open and the pups will begin to move about the whelping box.  Teeth are already coming in by 20 days and by three weeks they will begin to paw at and play with their littermates.

Even at such an early age, the pups are formed strongly by the actions of the mother.  Pups who live with an experienced, calm mother and are handled daily with regular living noises and actions about them are sure to get the best start.  Contrary to popular belief, this is not a time to "protect" the pups from noises and new experiences.  You want the pup to have these experiences so they can learn to adapt and adjust back quickly to a calm demeanor.  Puppies learn at this stage of development one of the most important lessons in a dogs life and that is to accept discipline.  Mother dogs can be very gentle and loving with their babies...but they also will "rough" them up and roll them over getting them to submit to her.  She'll start "talking" to them with grumbles and growls when they don't respond in submission to her messages.

From four to seven weeks, puppies are eating real food and are much more active and sophisticated in their play.  Lots of growling and chasing and physically wrestling.  Social interaction is crucial at this stage and the more people, animals and experiences they can be introduced to in a safe environment, the better.  It's absolutely critical that the pups have complete access to their mother and hopefully other dogs to learn how to be doggy social too.  Given the space and the situation, pups will begin to explore more independently and spend time away from littermates and adults.  From 5-7 weeks puppies have very little sense of fear and will explore and investigate if given the chance.  Most puppies at this stage are very trusting and friendly.  This is when each individual puppy's personality starts to show more strongly.

By eight weeks pups crave more individual attention.  They are ready to start permanently learning and bonding to new families.  But unfortunately,  from eight to ten weeks is also a period when pups will be more wary and fearful of new situations.  So it's important to go slowly with a new puppy.  Especially the first week set a strong schedule for the pup with ample rest and quiet periods.  You want to give him some time to adjust to the new environment of his home.  By all means still act normally around the pup and make sure they are continually exposed to sounds and smells and new things, but make sure you are paying attention and the puppy is in a safe situation.  You want to be a calm and reassuring presence, but allow the puppy to work things out on their own and thus, gain confidence in themselves.  Keep training consistent and situations positive during this period of 8-11 weeks.  A strongly negative experience at this stage can imprint on a puppy for life, so be conscious of what situations you are placing the pup.

From 9-12 weeks it's very important to give the pup many situations to develop in.  It's not the quantity of interactions as much as the quality of the experience.  A puppy who has always had a good interaction with other dogs but has only met five new dogs at this stage is a much more stable learning environment than a puppy who has been forced to meet every man, woman and child walking down the street, who never has a quiet, safe space to sleep uninterrupted and who has been beaten up at the dog park!  Puppies who never interact with other dogs at this stage will bond more closely to their humans, but they may never develop the proper doggie etiquette at dog parks when older.  It's best to have a nice mixture of people and puppy play so they learn to adapt to every situation.  Try and find a puppy of the same age so they can wrestle and be physical with each other.

From 13-16 weeks pups are cutting teeth and becoming independent.  Puppies who have been very compliant might start forming an opinion of their own and testing dominance and boundaries and even resorting to some temper tantrums!  It is a very critical stage of learning for the puppy and extremely important to make sure you are training in small lessons every day what you want from your puppy.  The puppy can distinguish between playtime and worktime now and so puppy classes are good.  Lots of distractions are also good, so a puppy learns to focus on the owner and to comply when told to, not when they feel like it.  This is the time above all others to follow through on your commands.  Never let a puppy run away and ignore you now, or growl or snap at you.  You don't want to bully them, but you do want to make it clear that you will stick it out, EVERY TIME, and stay with the lesson until the puppy complies.  Very, very important time to teach your puppy to tolerate grooming, nail trimming, children, other animals......set the standard now for what you expect the pup to live for the rest of his life.
This is not the time for impatience or rushing.  Be calm, patient and consistent in your lessons.  Establish to the pup you are the leader and you are to be obeyed.

A very important stage to watch for is a "flight" instinct which can occur from 4-8 months.  It can last for a few days or several weeks.  The puppy who came when called every time may suddenly become "deaf" to your calls.  It's important to limit situations where the pup is off leash at this stage and ignoring you.  Keep them on leash as much as possible in open situations and praise them up for correct responses!  Once the pup is listening well again, you can slowly go back to off leash situations, but once a pup has learned it can run from you and isn't corrected, you're in for a frustrating time.  In the pack, a leader would never tolerate a pup to ignore them and would chase them down and correct them hard.  When mother calls, puppy comes-always.

There is also a second "fear" period that comes to the puppy from 6-14 months.  It is usually regarding a fear of new situations and may come and go during this period so be patient and don't label your puppy as fearful.  It's very, very common for this period to be uncertain for them and even when they look all grown up at 14 months, the fear response can surface.  It's normal and part of their development.  A well socialized puppy who has been outgoing with people and new situations may overnight start to fear people and things it would never have noticed before.  Again, don't stop the new things,  just make sure the overall situation is safe and allow the pup to figure things out on their own.  NEVER console a fearful puppy--you are reinforcing the fear.  Just be calm and encouraging and allow the pup to gain their own awareness and self confidence.  Never pressure or force at this stage, some situations may take minutes and some much more time.  Give them the time needed to work it out.  The puppy is still teething and having hormone changes and growth spurts so it makes sense they may feel out of balance and unsure.  It's often helpful to keep a light, playful attitude and show the pup that all is well.  I learned this with my Australian Shepherd who started to become very fearful and aggressive in this stage whenever the doorbell rang.  I wasn't having much success with correcting the behavior, it was only intensifying her reaction.  But my wise friend asked to try and when the doorbell rang, she jumped up and exclaimed very excitedly,  "It's Bob!  It's Bob!" and ran to the door, knocking the dog aside!  My puppy forgot her fear and got caught up in the excitement and wiggled her way to see who is this fantastic being Bob at the door?  My friend had the guest "Bob" give the pup treats and before you knew it, my dog loved to hear the bell ring!   So keep it light and keep on track with the big picture.  If the pup is unsure and you are uptight-bad combination.

By 18 months to 2 years you are on the downward slide.  Most puppies are still filling out their leggy, long bodies but if you've done your work, they are making a smoother, more consistent transition to their adult behavior.  A dog will usually make a big shift in energy at age two and show a settling in and calmer demeanor.  By now, they are pretty confident in their abilities and trusting of your leadership.  They have gone from the Ugly Duckling to the Beautiful Swan and will continue to mature until about age four.  There is still much to learn from age one to age four so by no means think your dog is done developing!  But there should be a more relaxed training and learning going on as you've established your relationship solidly.

The development of a good dog starts with the breeder in choosing good genetic stock and sound parents.  From a good beginning with the dam and breeder, a new owner must give the puppy what it needs as far as socialization and consistent training.  Put the time and effort into those first two years and you will see your puppy reach their full potential and become the dog you've always wanted.