Puppy Class!

How cute is that?! Very cute but the behavior of hiding when things get scary will need to end. They were using the wagon as a crutch for their safety. They'll need to learn to be more self confident which will come with age, training and time.

Illy wanders out to check out a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy

A 5 month old Great Pyrenees puppy was very gentle with them

Aise hangs by dad

Both pups sought refuge in the lap of this little girl. Aise yawns, trying to calm herself from the stresses of something new.

Neil works with Aise

Last night was our first puppy socialization class with Aise and Illy. It was wonderful to have Neil here to take one puppy. we ended up swapping puppies half way through so they get each get an equal dose of each of us and form individual bonds with us.

They responded as most of my Hedlund puppies have. They weren't used to seeing dogs that look different to them and they SCREAMED about it for quite some time every time they were approached by another of those strange looking creatures. They both hid under a wagon for about 10 minutes until they felt comfortable to wander about. H edlund Husky puppies, as any dog does, needs to be well socialized to help bring out their full potential.

Illy was the first to come out of her shell and began walking around checking out the different puppies. Aise was still a bit tentative but by the end did settle down and participate in the class.

I can see the drive and focus in Illy already beginning to present itself. During the recall, the instructor hung on to her leash while Neil walked to the other end of the room. Illy let out a blood curdling scream as she lunged into her collar that lasted until her leash was released. She then took off at full speed across the room the Neil. She wanted to get going and didn't want anything to get in the way of it! Aise was a bit more tentative at first but after the second try, she ran directly to me despite the distraction of a long row of miscellaneous puppies and people staring at her.

The biggest lesson we learned last evening was that Aise relies too much on Illy for her comfort and safety. We will need to separate the two more often and build up Aise's confidence in herself. We'll begin by having one puppy in at a time with an adult then swap for another puppy and another adult. The mix and match adults so the puppies don't get too dependent upon one individual. For the most part, we want them to be interdependent with us, their people.