Hey, your reply on the thread 'When to separate boy/girl puppies' has me intrigued. You mentioned that the pups should be separated for periods of time and that they could form a closer bond with each other than their human owner. I had never even thought of this. Would you care to provide more info? For instance, should I begin separating immediately? For how long should these separations last at a time? Is this something that I should do as long as I own the dog/pup or can separating them stop once they get full grown? Any other info you think would come in handy on this subject would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.
*Question for REDYREROTTWEILERS*
- Thread starter Rayna 3
- Start date
R
Rayna, if you do a search on "critial periods" in puppies, you should find some good info on this. If you can't find it, let me know, and I'll dig it up for you. 
Puppies should be separated for sleeping and nap time by 12 weeks of age. If possible, playmates should be rotated on a daily basis as well. In other words, if you have 3 dogs, the puppies should go out with each other one day, and with the adult dog the next.
The main thing is that they have separate sleeping time at night, and separate one on one time with you for puppy training etc.
Puppies should be separated for sleeping and nap time by 12 weeks of age. If possible, playmates should be rotated on a daily basis as well. In other words, if you have 3 dogs, the puppies should go out with each other one day, and with the adult dog the next.
The main thing is that they have separate sleeping time at night, and separate one on one time with you for puppy training etc.
Hello again Redyre,
I did a search as you suggested and found all sorts of useful information that I hadn't even thought about yet!! Thanks
However, I still have 1 or 2 questions. 1) I found info where it said to separate the pups and such, but it didn't really explain why. Could you fill in on this? What happens if pups AREN'T separated? 2) In these same articles it also said that mine are at a good age to start taking out and meeting people -- pet stores, bank, etc. How do I control the pup in these situations? That sounds like a dumb question, but if I'm at Petsmart and the dog is trying to jump on everyone and everything, even while on leash, is it wise to actually pick the dog up and carry it to stop this behavior?
Sorry for so many questions, but I really want to do this right. Thanks for your time.
Also, I checked out your site and I loved it!! I hate someone posted something so unkind, though
I did a search as you suggested and found all sorts of useful information that I hadn't even thought about yet!! Thanks
However, I still have 1 or 2 questions. 1) I found info where it said to separate the pups and such, but it didn't really explain why. Could you fill in on this? What happens if pups AREN'T separated? 2) In these same articles it also said that mine are at a good age to start taking out and meeting people -- pet stores, bank, etc. How do I control the pup in these situations? That sounds like a dumb question, but if I'm at Petsmart and the dog is trying to jump on everyone and everything, even while on leash, is it wise to actually pick the dog up and carry it to stop this behavior?
Sorry for so many questions, but I really want to do this right. Thanks for your time.
Also, I checked out your site and I loved it!! I hate someone posted something so unkind, though
R
Rayna, you need to physically control the puppy to the behaviors your want.
Restrain jumping with the leash. Remind sits with food on the nose. Help the puppy to "sit for a visit". My puppies hear these words every time someone comes up to them. "Sit for a visit". Good puppy, (give treat). Hold the puppy in the sit position as they get petted and treated by the visitor. Release and praise as you move away from the visitor, and ask for another sit.
Your puppy is learning self control, and the self explanatory, "sit for a visit". With my large dogs, it is DOWN when you see a toddler. I also teach this from very early. "DOWN for the baby".
What happens if you don't separate the puppies is they develop a pack bond between them that can be so strong they are difficult to train or take out separately, and don't bond as well with their human pack members.
When you go out with the puppy, always carry delicious treats. Teach your puppy to watch YOU and pay attention to YOU when you are out and about. YOU are the source of all things good, and you are the benevolent but strong leader who will SHOW the puppy what is expected.
So when you are out with your puppy, you will be doing a lot of the "show and tell". SHOW the puppy what you want by helping him to do it, and as he is doing it, tell him the name of this behavior, as you are rewarding him.
You will need to take each puppy seperately to work on these things. When you take them out, take a crate, and leave one in the car, or take one one day and the other the next.
Restrain jumping with the leash. Remind sits with food on the nose. Help the puppy to "sit for a visit". My puppies hear these words every time someone comes up to them. "Sit for a visit". Good puppy, (give treat). Hold the puppy in the sit position as they get petted and treated by the visitor. Release and praise as you move away from the visitor, and ask for another sit.
Your puppy is learning self control, and the self explanatory, "sit for a visit". With my large dogs, it is DOWN when you see a toddler. I also teach this from very early. "DOWN for the baby".
What happens if you don't separate the puppies is they develop a pack bond between them that can be so strong they are difficult to train or take out separately, and don't bond as well with their human pack members.
When you go out with the puppy, always carry delicious treats. Teach your puppy to watch YOU and pay attention to YOU when you are out and about. YOU are the source of all things good, and you are the benevolent but strong leader who will SHOW the puppy what is expected.
So when you are out with your puppy, you will be doing a lot of the "show and tell". SHOW the puppy what you want by helping him to do it, and as he is doing it, tell him the name of this behavior, as you are rewarding him.
You will need to take each puppy seperately to work on these things. When you take them out, take a crate, and leave one in the car, or take one one day and the other the next.
I know I'm not Red, but I just had to add my two cents...
One of the main things I've noticed with puppies that were never seperated is the level of anxiety they display when they actually are seperated. Depending on the dog, of course, you could end up with a real basket case
Dogs that seem to be very well trained will regress and forget all training once they're seperated if they've lived together all of there lives. You never know when something may happen that would cause puppies to HAVE to be seperated. It's one of those things that even if it doesn't appear to come in handy, it doesn't hurt if you do but it does hurt if you don't.
One of the main things I've noticed with puppies that were never seperated is the level of anxiety they display when they actually are seperated. Depending on the dog, of course, you could end up with a real basket case
Dogs that seem to be very well trained will regress and forget all training once they're seperated if they've lived together all of there lives. You never know when something may happen that would cause puppies to HAVE to be seperated. It's one of those things that even if it doesn't appear to come in handy, it doesn't hurt if you do but it does hurt if you don't.
This basically goes back to the breeder. My pups were usually to their forever homes about 8 weeks. ( I always sent them home on a Friday so they would have a weekend of family life ). Starting at 5 weeks, each pup would have one and one with me, their Mom and my other Goldens away from the litter. This built up their confidence and trust. I never kept 2 pups from the same litter ( mine) so I never had to separate pups. First of all, I don't recommend 2 from the same litter. If you do, separate during the day and work each separately. They can have play time, eating time and even night time together. Any training time should be separate, from potty time to walk and socialization time. Otherwise, their attention is away from you and on each other. Believe me I know !! Before I knew better, we got a male and female from the same litter ( 1964 ) ... I then once sold two (1980) to a family, but told them what problems could occur. They did have problems, and luckily another family member took one of the pups.
Thanks guys .
I went right out and bought a second crate to put the other one in. My boys were 12 weeks this past Sunday. I'm afraid I've waited too late now. I didn't realize all this until I read one of Red's posts. Anyway, I've got the 2 crates side by side and my husband says I'm defeating the purpose of separating the pups if I put the crates side by side like that. What do you guys think?
Also, I've been separating them at night, for training, walks, and occasional alone time with me, but during the day I've been putting them together. Is this also a no-no?
Thanks as always.
.I went right out and bought a second crate to put the other one in. My boys were 12 weeks this past Sunday. I'm afraid I've waited too late now. I didn't realize all this until I read one of Red's posts. Anyway, I've got the 2 crates side by side and my husband says I'm defeating the purpose of separating the pups if I put the crates side by side like that. What do you guys think?
Also, I've been separating them at night, for training, walks, and occasional alone time with me, but during the day I've been putting them together. Is this also a no-no?
Thanks as always.