Quote:
Originally Posted by Pbentley  It's so,hard to know what to do, I do agree with her to a point that Bentley is extremely bonded to me and only me and needs to be left alone with my husband and son etc.
She told me not to force the petting and holding, I had thought of picking Bentley up and giving him to my husband randomly to hold and pet but she said not to do that until he comes over on his own and let's my husband pick him up, pet him etc.
Any other views on "giving him to people to hold and pet" yes or no? |
Exhibitors will do this puppies to help socialize them and acclimate them to strangers touching them. Helps them accept various judges handling them.
The downside to this is that not everyone knows how to hold a puppy safely, especially a nervous puppy. Accidents can happen.
You can socialize without forcing holding. Simply taking your pup places and walking in busy areas around people is helpful. New experiences, always making them positive, helps build confidence.
My boys are equally bonded with me and my father, who lives with us. I believe this is because I leave them with my father a lot. Usually I am only upstairs in my office, not out of the house. My dogs have developed little routines and things they do only do with dad.
As discussed earlier, feeding meals and taking care of basic necessities helps create a bond. Forcing holding/cuddling will probably have the opposite effect. It's one thing to lift the pup to a counter for grooming for instance (always keep a hand on the pup to prevent jumping), but pups may be resistant to holding even by the ones they are bonded with most. We encouraged affection by letting the dogs come to us on their terms, and letting them know they are free to go whenever they want. They now use it to butter us up for meals, walks, and play time.