Ready to leave the nest ...

As you can see this litter ready to step out and explore what is out there.

Having said that, there are some guidelines to keep in mind before actually taking a puppy home, leaving his mother and littermates.

8 weeks is the minimum age pups should leave for new homes. Puppies go through five critical periods ... and it's very important that they remain with their mother and littermates until 7-1/2 to 8 weeks of age.

Week 0 - 3

During the first 3 weeks of life puppies have next to no mental capacity and their basic needs are provided by their mother. Little or no handling by humans is required (assuming all is well with mother and puppies). But handling at this time will go a long way in development of the pups.

Week 4
About the 4th week puppies become aware of other living beings and have very slight trainability. This is an extremely critical period and puppies should not be removed from their mother or littermates. Introduction to humans should be started - but carefully controlled.

Week 5 - 7

Pups begin socialization within the litter and also with humans. At this point they are capable of responding to voices and to recognize people. Training by their mother is in progress and they are becoming aware of the differences between human and canine socialization.

Week 8 - 12

During the 8th through 12 weeks puppies are removed from littermates and mother. They require human socialization, love and security. Play with children should be well supervised. They are capable of learning simple training such as Come-Sit-Stay-No. It is important that children or other animals not injure puppy -- either accidentally or maliciously. Introduction to people is important but should be closely supervised. Gradually expose to loud noises such as autos, washing machine, vacuum, etc. Puppy classes during this time are very important.

Week 13 - 16
A puppy's mental capacity is fully developed and needs experience. During this time puppy needs love, attention, socialization, discipline and security. Puppy will also try to establish itself as the dominant one. Your puppy is now capable of undergoing formal obedience training -- and can adopt a good or bad (positive or negative) attitude about training so please select your trainer with great care! Praise and reward for correct behavioral response will go a long way in training your puppy!


It's really important for a puppy to remain with it's mother and littermates as outlined above. During this time your puppy will learn about pack hierarchy, bite inhibition and proper social behavior within the pack. Taking a puppy home before 7-1/2 to 8 weeks of age really deprives the puppy of much needed training by mom and littermates and will make your job of training much more difficult.

Who said dogs cannot share?

"Ms. Malamute popped next door to borrow a cup of kibble from Ms. Maltese, faithfully promising: 

"I'll return it tomorrow, cross my "mutian heart!"
"Yeah, I'll bet," retorted Ms. Maltese. "The kibble stays where it is, Mute-breath!"

It is quite natural for dogs to be protective of food, bones, and other valuables because experience has often taught them that if other dogs expropriate valuable possessions, they may never see them again.

Some dogs however, are willing to share. Good buddies are often willing to share food bowls, toys, and bones. True top dogs will frequently share their possessions. 

Let's hope and pray Philippe is willing to share and play with Martin, and visa versa.

Where it all began ...

The litter contained 5 males and only one female pup, all chocolate of course.

    

    

    

Introducing Philippe

Dogs who are accustomed to being the only family pet aren't always overjoyed to have a new puppy enter their space. Martin never had to share his position in our family and therefore may act rather jealous of Philippe at first. However, handling the change with care will result the two dogs becoming inseparable pals in no time.

Puppies tend to demand more hands-on care and attention than older dogs, in this case Martin. Spending equal time with both Martin and Philippe will prevent Martin becoming resentful of Philippe. It is most likely that we'll spend more time with Philippe at first but we have to stay aware of the fact not to decrease the amount of time we spend with Martin when we eventually bring Philippe home. Demonstrating to Martin that Philippe is not replacing him in our affections, will help his self-esteem in this process.

One of the best things we can do when introducing Philippe to Martin is to allow both dogs time to get accustomed to one another. When giving dogs time to form their own relationship, it's very likely that they will become play-mates who enjoy each other's company as well as our company. Even if both Martin & Philippe don't seem to take to each other at first, we need to remember that dogs are pack animals by nature. In the natural order of things, dogs are meant to be around other dogs. However, they are also creatures of habit, and it takes time for them to get used to change. Best thing for us to do is stay out of the way and let both guys establish the pecking order in their new relationship.

Dogs tend to be very territorial creatures, and dogs who aren't used to sharing don't like to be forced to do so. To reduce the possibility of extended animosity between the two guys, we step back and don't force Martin to share things that have always belonged exclusively to him with Philippe.

What we can do to help the introduction period is to make sure that both guys have their own bed, food- and water bowls and toys. Once the two bond, they will probably start sharing anyway. To force them to share before they get to know each other, can cause lifelong conflict between them.

Knowing Martin, we can only cross our fingers and hope that things will take their natural course and that some of the nice characteristics of Martin will rub off on Philippe.

Welcome in the family!

May I introduce ...

PHILIPPE DUPONANT CHAMBON-MARQUES
Born November 17th at Breeder IJsven Bergeijk - Netherlands

PHILIPPE - A personal name, derived from the Greek Philippos (Φίλιππος), meaning "lover of horses" or "friend of horses".

DUPONANT - Meaning "from the west" In French it is an old navy word for west (in opposite to Levant).

MARQUES - The name Marques comes from the ancient culture of France. It was a Norman name for a nobleman who ranked just below the level of an Earl and is derived from the Old French word Marquis which signified this lofty position.

CHAMBON - as family name, Chambon comes from the Frank "ham" (strong), gallicized in "chamb", easier to pronounce for Gallo-Roman populations, to which the case subject -on was added. It is a very old French family name. Most of the Chambons come from Auvergne.

Philippe will make his grand appearance on Saturday January 3rd 2009.