hello, i'm asking for a friend who just had a litter of puppies (4 of them).
They are 4 weeks old now, and fearful of people coming into their kennel (they are in a small kennel run with their mother in the garage). The breeder has had minimal contact with the puppies.
Is this normal?
Because they are 'fearful' e.g. moving away slightly and turning their head away in avoidance - are we meant to just 'handle them' gently?
And, doing so, will the fear go away if done a little at a time?
I've been reading online, but there's very little info on 4 week old pups...
maybe she should have handled them earlier, but she didn't because she wanted to leave them with their mother in peace... as they were getting on fine.
thanks.
They are 4 weeks old now, and fearful of people coming into their kennel (they are in a small kennel run with their mother in the garage). The breeder has had minimal contact with the puppies.
Is this normal?
Because they are 'fearful' e.g. moving away slightly and turning their head away in avoidance - are we meant to just 'handle them' gently?
And, doing so, will the fear go away if done a little at a time?
I've been reading online, but there's very little info on 4 week old pups...
maybe she should have handled them earlier, but she didn't because she wanted to leave them with their mother in peace... as they were getting on fine.
thanks.