Graveyard Run Retrievers - Neonate Puppy Imprinting Process

Imprinting is not new knowledge, it has been around for centuries and practiced by the native American Indians as well as across the continent by the Arabian desert nomads. Horses were imprinted long before any book about it was written. Imprinting is a learning process that occurs in the critical learning stage of an animal's life. The information learned in this time period is thought to help shape responses to various stimuli in an environment and affect the temperament with permanent attitude.Behaviourists have written books about imprinting, sharing stories of how animals that are born with the immediate ability to see, hear and walk will instantly bond with the first creature they encounter. It has always been thought that imprinting is only effective with such animals. Animals who cannot see, hear or walk at birth are thought to be delayed in receiving critical information early in life - after all how much imprinting can really be achieved on a creature that is born without the ability to see or hear? While the experts appear to have discounted these deaf and blind babies, I refuse to. The still have the cognitive sense of touch, smell and motion. Responsible breeders raise their puppies to the best of their ability, giving the litter a safe and loving environment and ensuring it has a proper nutritional diet. They will socialize their puppies and expose them to new experiences as soon as the puppy's eyes open and they are steady on their feet. Puppies of excellent health and mental stability are likely to be produced if a breeder has done the proper research of theparent of their litter. There is very little one can do to alter what the puppy is physically going to become at a mature age. This is controlled by genetics, diet and exercise. It is important to remember that while temperament is genetic in nature, an animal's personality and behaviour are not. A breeder can therefore modify these traits to produce a desired response. It is important that my puppies associate early on that the human is to be respected, trusted and sought for comfort, guidance and assurance. A dog that does not respect the human is not only extremely dangerous, it is also a huge liability to it's family. There should never be a question of a puppy challenging a person's position. Our puppies are handled from the first moment they are born. They are rubbed down by people and therefore the human touch is the first thing the puppy experiences about life outside it's dam's womb. Once they are safely delivered, they are placed on their dam to nurse. Our puppies are often supplemented by bottle feedings. They are held in various positions and held by different persons several times a day, everyday until they are old enough to see and hear. In this time period, the puppies have learned the human touch. They have come to sense that along with their dam, the human is the one who comforts them, relieves their bodily functions, gives them warmth, comfort and food. They have come to trust no matter if they are held upside down, right side up, backward, forward, sideways, they will always be safe with the human holding them. It is quite a sight to see a puppy remain as limp as an overcooked spaghetti noodle while being held upside down and backward. No struggles, no battle to upright itself. It is completely confident that 'life is good' because the person has hold of it. Puppies are periodically taken away from the rest of their littermates and learn to spend time alone, with their person. Puppies tend to startle, their bodies will jerk quickly, their ears will twitch and their heads will raise slightly as they hear noise. The television or radio is always left on. These vibrations of sound fill the room. There is no doubt in my mind that the litter is already used to various stimuli before their ears open.When their eyes open, the rest of their world does too. The neonate imprinting process is over and socialization can now begin. The majority of breeders will wait until this time frame to apply their socialization methods to their litters. Given that they are satisfied with their results, I do not expect that every breeder will care to apply neonate imprinting methods to their program. It is extra work, handling the puppy from birth until about three weeks of age. It is a process that requires time and patience. There is nothing quick or rushed in applying this technique. It is methodical and individually applied to each puppy in the litter. When it comes time to placing the puppies into their expectant homes, I can confidently match each puppy into the proper loving home that offers it the correct environment for it's personality and temperament. For those who think these methods cheat the dam from her duties and the puppy doesn't learn it's dog language, have no worries. The imprinted puppy gets time with it's littermates and it's dam. My ultimate goal however, is to create a puppy that will live well adjusted amongst it's human family. It is not my intent to create a dog to be a playmate with other dogs. My focus is to develop a family companion with the inner essence to subconsciously live submissively with it's family. My puppies must understand that it is the person it must want to please and seek out - not another dog. It is the person's responsibility to ensure a safe and proper introduction of other dogs to each other. In my observation, the imprinted puppy who has been properly socialized will trust in it's person that all is well. However, Neonate imprinting is not fool proof. The imprinting technique we apply to our puppy program inspires the newborn puppy's subconscious mind. It passively teaches respect in the human and promotes a desire in the puppy to WANT to seek out it's person while desensitizing and sensitizing the puppy to various stimuli. A strong bond is promoted between itself and it's people. With that said, one must realize that a puppy can still develop behaviour issues in a home if the home is too militant, heavy handed, loosely structured, inconsistent in their rules or fails to assume a strong leadership role in raising their puppy. Consistency, proper socializing and basic puppy training are always recommended to each of my families for the best success of living with their dog.