 Barked: Tue Jan 1, '13 1:18pm PST |
 | |  | | Tonka, what I am trying to say....and it's not directly to you, as you did what you thought you had to for your family, and that is your right....is that the reality isn't consistent with your own interpretations. If you need to feel that way for your own peace of mind, ok, but that doesn't mean you are right. It means you do what you need to do, for you.
I have long been mentored by breeders. I don't think I'd be exaggerating to say put all together....200 years of experience. Toto is here too, and what I am about to say, as a breeder of long term, I know in advance she will agree with. The sad truth is that breeders don't know 100%, ever, their placements, and given enough time, there will be a bad placement, where something terrible happens to a puppy, and he comes back as not what they sent....a basket case. But what a breeder will ALSO tell you is that these puppies end up fine. Quite a few of them don't even do much....they are not behaviorists....but just put a puppy in a good place, give him some normalcy and happiness, and he comes around. Gets over it. Which they are primed to do.
They are puppies. They learn about the world every day, constantly adjusting their translations and viewpoints. I know several instances of show dogs who suffered severe trauma as young puppies and went on to be thriving champions in the show ring.
Even on a genetic level, the potential is still there, although harder than just one bad experience. On the Southpaws Facebook, a woman posts there named Zoe F*wler. Saying that for a reason. Her Truffle came in as one of a litter we had complete history on....they were quite young....and he stood out as genetically quite fearful. He was always in the back, and we ceased taking him to adoption events as he would panic so terribly it was not safe for him. I made the decision to hold him back and stay with me for a time. I didn't really do work with him....I just gave him normalcy and time. When he was eight months old, I thought he was ready for a transition and sent him to Dogster Lucille, to pick up fostering and just expand his horizons a bit, get some feedback. She did very well with him, and he was then placed with his family, who have a lovely puppy they rave about. You would not know he was in such a frightful panic as a young puppy. Because puppies learn, and as he learned he matured away from his pronounced fear. It is not they love him because he's a nurture case....they love him because he is a great puppy.
I do agree with Toto, that the disturbing part is that you do coach and counsel others, and you are, at the end of the day off your viewpoints, a non believer. I am telling you that there is no particular reason to believe this puppy will mature to fear aggression. She is far, far from the only puppy who has gotten attacked by an unrelated adult.
I've been around puppies a very long time, and I have yet to meet one who does not have good promise for a functional life. They scarier ones are those who as they mature, with no bad experiences, start to show some hardcore aggression. There is a Guest Dogster posting on such a dog now. My rescue adopted to a gentleman this year who rescued a puppy who out of the blue at age nine or ten months started to showing high aggression and off the charts drive....an ACD mix. He saw trainers and behaviorists and tried to curb the problems, but this was intensely genetic. Then you can feel very overwhelmed, and it may be beyond you as a pet owner. But with a young baby, who are already wired to do nothing but learn and grow, their future is still wide open. |  |  | |  |
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