My friend called me and asked for help in choosing her new puppy … oh my goodness … can I choose a puppy for my friend I asked myself? This is a responsibility that cannot be taken lightly!
Whilst I feel really honoured that I have been asked by my friend Sarah (not her real name) to choose a puppy for her, I think Sarah needs to contribute input also.
The litter on the way are black and white Border Collies so we arranged to see the litter in person when they are about five to five and a half weeks old.
In the meantime, Sarah and I had to discuss what her needs were to introduce this new puppy into her household.
We met together at Sarah’s place over a very welcome cup of coffee and chatted about her plans. Sarah was looking for a puppy that would be a willing performance dog as she was thinking that she would like to do obedience work with her puppy with the possibility of entering obedience trials to see how they both went as a team. Sarah was also keen to have a male puppy.
With this aspect in mind, we needed to be mindful of the puppy’s response to us when we met for the first time.
The breeder of these puppies was very helpful and offered that at the first meeting we did not have to make a firm choice, we could select two or three puppies of interest from this litter and make our final decision at the time of pick up.
The day arrived for us to meet the puppies which was a much-awaited day, and on the way, we excitedly chatted about each of the puppies we had been following on webcam.
Sarah was not keen to have a high drive puppy as Sarah’s nature was more on the mellow side, however, sometimes these puppies with the right upbringing can be very willing workers as they like the stimulation of learning lots of new exercises to keep their minds busy which can channel them away from what we call getting into mischief. Mischief being pulling plants out of pots, digging, chewing anything that takes their fancy and the list goes on.
This is not mischief really, they have active minds, and need to be stimulated, plus they are teething for the first few months.
I have found that if you are consistent with stimulating their minds, keeping them close to you, and providing a routine right from day one, the issues that will arise are not as stressful as you may imagine. Plus, if you have a pen or crate ready as a calming exercise for your puppy to settle down in with something to chew on, this provides respite for all.
Back to the first meeting of the litter with Sarah.
Puppies as always are delightful, their antics and showing how happy they are to meet you cannot but bring a smile to your face. They certainly did this.
We asked the breeder if we could have some food that the puppies were used to, to see which puppies responded to coming us to receive these yummy morsels.
One particular little boy (we will call him Puppy One) was the most eager each and every time to come to us to receive this food treat for himself each time we called the puppies over to us. He also seemed quite content to stay and play with us without wanting to return to his litter buddies.
There was also another puppy we had our eye on, (Puppy Two) who seemed to be more reserved, but still willingly ran for the treat, however, not quite as quickly as his litter brother. Whilst Puppy Two was happy to play he also enjoyed a cuddle and a contented snuggle on our lap.
I was watching Sarah’s reaction as she responded to the antics of these two puppies and was quietly thinking that the quieter puppy may be more suited to Sarah’s personality, knowing in my heart that I can choose a puppy for my friend, as I wanted the right puppy for her.
Sarah lives on an acreage, so having room to run around was not an issue.
Mind you, dogs being a pack animal will most likely stick around the house when they are outside as they love to be near you. Of course, they will go off and explore, stalk any birds that are visiting looking for worms, and check that all is well in their world.
Our next exciting day arrived at long last and off we went to collect Sarah’s forever puppy.
We talked about the personalities of the two puppies of interest and we decided that the clincher would be how both puppies reacted when they met us again and which one was the most eager to please and be with you.
Both puppies were delighted to see us and had been separated from their litter mates by the breeder so we could concentrate on choosing the right puppy for Sarah, so we just had the two of them.
Sarah lured both puppies into sitting positions with the food treats, both responded really quickly and Sarah was saying, “which one, which one?”
I gently said to her, which one captivates your heart, as they both will obviously willingly work for you, that is not an issue.
Guess which puppy won Sarah’s heart?
You guessed it, Puppy Two, because it was a tad more of a lap puppy than Puppy One as Sarah also wanted her puppy to dote on her … so, can I choose a puppy for my friend, well, yes, except I knew Sarah had to make the final selection so that this puppy was special to her and not special to me, because that is what friends are for! To guide and support!
Until next time…
With Love, Success and Inspiration
Robin Oliver
