handlingpup.html

Socializing and handling puppies early
Written by Michelle Linnane

Everybody knows when raising a litter of puppies it is important to handle them
as much as possible. Often people will mark them with ribbon around the neck so
they can monitor the puppies and also tell easily which ones you have already handled.
A friend of mine Kurt & Angie Bertram in NH have developed a good system for
handling the puppies a great deal. They use kids wading pools to feed them in.
The puppies are always feed in a different pool then they spend when not eating.
Kurt and Angie feed them 4 times a day and by moving every puppy to feed they
each get handled at least 8 times a day. Just take a minute to hold each puppy when
placing in the wading pool to eat and then hold them for a little while when placing them
back.
Also while the puppies are eating in a different place is a great time to clean the whelping
box free of puppies.