Early contact with
people is so important for our pups to grow up into.
Well-adjusted dogs
before puppies reached 12 weeks of age.
They should meet lots of different people of all shapes and sizes
so that they aren’t scared of strangers later in life.
While socialized pups actually grow up to be more confident,
more loving, and even better at problem
solving
in the countryside of Derbyshire are two week old English pointer pup.
Molly has a visitor.
This is two year old Minka,
who is desperate for a puppy of her own.
It’s Molly’s first encounter
with a little human.
The part of Molly’s brain that’s devoted to analyzing
smells is 40 times bigger than ours.
And the information she’s sniffing
is helping her to understand what a human is.
This one comes in a wooly cardigan,
smelling of sweets.
Molly seems to approve
of a new human friend,
and it looks like the feeling is mutual.
Nobody enjoys a good cuddle
more than Bazil and his brothers.
You can’t see it,
but Basil is getting a chemical kick out of this cuddle session.
Just 3 minutes of petting releases a wave of hormones that makes basil feel
happy, relaxed, and more strongly bonded to his human owner.
It’s a bond that would last a lifetime,
and it’s why our pups make such good friends.
But sometimes
being part of the human world can be slightly scary.
Our assets are getting to know one terrifying
monster brought to life by the humans of the household.
The Hoover
to these pint sized pups.
This is a strange machine that gobbles up everything in front of it.
But confident
Basil is showing off just how brave he really is
and gets up close and personal to investigate
this noisy visitor.
Some pups,
like Basil, are hardwired to be fearless
and he’s showing off his confidence.
But his sisters
would rather keep their distance.
At this age, it’s normal
for puppies to be afraid of new things.
But this one may never make friends with this strange looking beast.
