Socialisation is an essential part of raising puppies, and one we take very seriously.
During the first few weeks, we play with the ears and paw pads of the puppies, and we handle them frequently to get them used to human contact. From birth, they will hear normal household noise such as the Kettle, microwave, radio/tv and us talking. They also will hear lots of delivery drivers and farm machinery, as well as the odd power tool.
We allow carefully selected family and some friends to handle them and play with them once they are older than 3 weeks – but not earlier, as the puppies are very vulnerable during the first 2-3 weeks. We gradually introduce them to new sounds such as animal noises, traffic, gunshots and thunderstorms. either in real life or if that’s not possible then via Youtube. They will have listened to a variety of music, often classical but also rock, country and other types of music.
As they grow, they will experience a wide variety of toys ranging from soft toys to kongs and lick mats. They will have had their food placed inside a food balls and hidden in various things, to engage their noses and minds. They will be introduced to different foods, like Sprats, apples, blueberries, pilchards, fish skins and some raw food like lambs ribs. We feed the pups a diverse range of foods so that their stomachs adapt quickly to whatever their new owners decided to feed them.
By the time they leave here, they will have walked on a variety of surfaces, including but not limited to: Wood, concrete, vet fleece, tissue paper, newspaper, grass and astroturf.
They will have seen and interacted with some of our adult dogs
Russbaca Retrievers 