A poodle puppy at Galavanting Poodles in Talkeetna, Alaska enjoys the outdoors
A perfect puppy for a home.
As I write this blog entry, my sweet puppy, Sojourner, is almost five months old. Life with him has been so special! In some ways, it feels like Sojourner has been a part of my Galavanting poodle crew from the beginning. He’s such a good, biddable puppy and he fits right in.
But then, isn’t that the goal of a breeding program; to create dogs that compliment a home?
Sojourner was around 8 weeks old when I knew for sure that he was going to stay with me. Even though he was a singleton puppy, it wasn’t a given that he would remain on the Galavanting homestead. I watched him grow and measured his structure, personality, and temperament to see if he would be a good fit. Of course, it wasn’t too surprising when he did stay. The whole point of doing the breeding that gave me Sojourner was specifically to create puppies that were exactly the sort of puppy I’d want to live with if I were acquiring a puppy from another breeder.
Watching my poodle puppy grow has been a highlight of my summer!
A newborn singleton poodle puppy on his first day of life. The poodle puppy is surrounded by socks stuffed with rice to simulate puppy siblings.
Sojourner’s training began as soon as he was born. I’m a big believer in showering new puppy lives with love, confidence and enrichment right from the start! I’ve found that by following some basic principles early on, the puppy has a much more enriching life as he grows into an adult dog. Not to mention the joy a confident dog can bring into a family and home!
And so, once again, even though Sojourner was a singleton, I still followed most of the protocols I would follow for a full litter. I had to make a few adjustments, due only to the fact that Sojourner had stuffed socks for siblings and not real puppy brothers and sisters to play with. But, honestly, the adjustments were minor enough that Sojourner still got all the enrichment necessary to raise a confident and loving poodle puppy.
A poodle puppy meeting another poodle for the first time
One advantage to Sojourner’s April birthday was that he would be old enough and strong enough to play outside just as our Alaska summer was coming into bloom! When Sojourner was only a few weeks old and not quite ready to go outside, I would hold him in front of one of our home’s picture windows and watch the birds fly about our property and feed. Sojourner loved this activity! He would perk up when he saw them fly close enough for his line of sight. It was just an early enrichment moment that taught him the value of curiosity.
By the time Sojourner was confidently toddling about on his four legs, the summer grass was ready for him to explore! It’s a big, new world, the outdoors. And introducing Sojourner to this wonderful world where he would grow up to spend much of his time was a valuable moment for me to witness. Sojourner learned early on to not fear or be intimidated by outdoor sounds such as wind rustling the trees, bird noises, other animal noises, rain, and other dogs. Instead, Sojourner showed his interest in new things he would discover outside. A puppy that loves outdoor enrichment! What a win for my vision of poodle perfection!
This poodle puppy is using a kangaroo pouch in a sweatshirt to explore the outdoors. Although the poodle puppy is too young to go for walks using his own legs, being carried on a short walk is a perfect way to expose the young puppy to new experiences.
Meeting new friends in the human form was also an important part of my poodle puppy’s growth.
A mother carefully introduces her toddler to a new poodle puppy.
Sojourner had human visitors at his whelping box from almost the moment he was born. My adult children came by to visit, my father also couldn’t wait to see this tiny new life, and my closest friends and dog mentors came by to see hello to the newest addition.
But, at about five weeks old, the fun really got started for Sojourner! He was fairly steady on his feet and was at the perfect stage to soak up new experiences without fear. This meant; bring on the human babies!
I invited friends with young children and babies over to meet Sojourner. The meetings with children weren’t long or drawn out. They were just enough to allow my little puppy time to interact and observe human children, and then he was given a break to nap and soak in all he’d experienced as his brain and body rested.
This early introduction to the unpredictability of human children has played a major roll in Sojourner’s affinity for meeting new humans of all ages.
Today, when Sojourner and I go for a walk in downtown Talkeetna, I never worry about his reaction to human adults or their children. He loves them all!
A poodle puppy interacting with a human baby while adults supervise the encounter. Careful exposure to human babies can help to raise confident dogs.
Growing up as a puppy with my Galavanting Poodles mindset has meant fostering an enrichment seeking attitude with my poodle puppy.
This same attitude is what I love to see in any puppy; the confidence to seek out new things and not be intimidated by the unknown while fostering a relationship of trust between poodle puppy and human. And watching this philosophy play out in Sojourner’s young life has reassured me that the protocols I have in place are paying off in spades as my puppy grows up!
A poodle mom and poodle puppy standing together while waiting to play fetch