70 Saber Tails Fall 2017

Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America

to dietary changes.  Give very small amounts to avoid intesti-

nal discomfort.

• 

Take it slow.  Don’t over-expose your puppy all at once.  

And don’t be concerned if your puppy exhibits fear.  This is 

normal.  You want to offer reassurance, praise and treats in 

ample supply to override the fear response.

• 

Watch your reaction to your puppy’s fear.  We hear this 

all the time when discussing children’s development but don’t 

always apply those same lessons to our animals.  Your puppy 

will frequently look to you for cues about how scary a situa-

tion is.  If you swoop in and cuddle the frightened puppy every 

time he looks unsure, he can easily learn that the key to being 

“rescued” is showing fear and overreaction.  If you instead give 

praise, smile and encourage your puppy to ‘come, see’ your de-

meanor will offer reassurance. 

• Involve family, friends and other family dogs.  If only one member of the family is focused on socialization, your 

puppy may only be comfortable in new situations if that one particular person is present.  You want your puppy to 

feel confident with a variety of people in the same settings.

S

ocialization is extremely important.  Start early!  Include a lot of variety!  Make certain you include a lot of different 

experiences!  Good luck!

Resources

“Puppy Socialization: Why, When and How to Do It Right,” Liz Donovan, June 4, 2015 http://www.akc.org/content/dog-

training/articles/puppy-socialization/

“How to Socialize Your Puppy,” Jolanta Benal, July 29, 2014  http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/pets/dog-behavior/how-

to-socialize-your-puppy

“Socializing a New Puppy,” https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/socializing-new-puppy#5

love from the people we have met through them.  And so many people have offered assistance and sent us gifts to cheer 

us up.  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!

O

ur lives are slowly getting back to normal.  The house is in mid-repair and we look like hoarders with the contents 

of our garage spread out on the driveway and lumber in the yard, but we are beyond grateful that we didn’t get 

water in the house and don’t have debris piles the size of our house out front like our neighbors.  We feel a bit like Jimmy 

Stewart in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” discovering how rich we are for all the friends we have who went out of their 

way to make sure we were safe.  As for the Sullivans...we couldn’t have better friends.  They still like us after hosting us 

for a week and seemed to ‘somewhat’ enjoy the experience of hosting our pack.  We did pay for a cleaning crew to come 

in and deep clean the house after we left.  It only seemed fair!

“Puppy”

Lilli - Submitted By Sarah Dye

“Puppy”

Dash - Submitted By Leigh Page

“Puppy”

Hunter- Submitted By Deb Pearthree

“Puppy”

Sammy - Submitted By Diane Dudgeon

“Puppy”

Hunter - Submitted By Deb Pearthree

Cont’d from p 58

Cont’d from p 69