September-October201.. - Dogs Naturally Magazine

we were able to take our puppies out and socialise them. Westarted by walking in the lanes and fields around our house(we live in the hills in Scotland so there are very few people orcars around.) At twelve weeks we took them to nearby villages,and gradually built it up until they came with us tonearby cities. If you can introduce your puppy to all sorts ofsights and sounds before they are 16 weeks old, you’ll probablyhave an adult dog who is bomb-proof.of having a healthy puppy. Rob and I work towards making thehome as peaceful as possible, and then – in the evenings – thepuppies are allowed to do what puppies do, and chargearound and play. We get to enhance our immune systems,too, because we play with them and we love to watch them,and they make us laugh. More bubbling energy is expendedduring twice-daily walks. Their bodies are still growing, so thewalks at first were short and are gradually getting longer.The fourth factor to dictate our dogs’ health is stress. Essentially,the immune system and the emotions mirror oneanother,so if you have a happy puppy you have more chanceFor the rest of it, we can only hope that we grow healthy, wellrounded,confident pups, and pray that God will bless us withtheir presence for many, many years to come. Dogs...Naturally! September/October 2010