Last weekend, the first weekend with extremely good weather, I am sitting inside, having a seminar with Dr Doris Feddersen-Petersen, dog ecologist. But it is definitely worth it. My motivation doing this seminar is getting to know more about the social behaviour of dogs at the start of their life, from birth until puberty. This is the period my Luna-Tara has missed completely. Luna was found on the street in Kathmandu when she was about 4 weeks old, without mother and siblings. My goal is learning more about this period, getting a better understanding of Lunas behaviour and at the end trying to support her as good as possible.
Behavioural development of dogs.
The first day is about socialisation, how important it is that the pup grows up with its mother, brothers and sisters. They learn a lot how to behave, how to play, how to react to other dogs etc. They meet humans, kids and other animals, hear different noises, smell different smells, all that is important for the rest of the puppies life. Does the puppy not has these experiences he can get difficulties with particular situations in his further life. Unfortunately the missed period cannot be made up anymore. For me it was very helpful getting so much detailed and scientific information about the development of a puppy and later as a young grown up. It helps me accepting things as they are with Luna. With a lot of love, care and patience from our side I hope she becomes more and more confidence in her life and especially in the other dogs she meets during the dog walks.
Analogies in social behaviour between human and dog.
Still very impressed of the first day I am looking forward to the second day. What do man and dog have in common? Humans and dogs are living together for a very long time. Dogs are really adapted to humans and cannot live without them. Just look at a dog, they are always looking for a connection to humans. This day is about how dogs communicate (to us but also of course with each other) in their own language with their mouth, teeth, face and whole body. Did you ever see a dog smile? Doesn´t it look like a human smile ☺ And what about “talking”? Is your dog “talking” to you? Is he talkative? Learning about the communication of a dog, how he changes when being together with a human, was an eye opener for me regarding to Luna. How silent she was at the beginning when she came to us, just lying in her basket, avoiding eye contact, not giving any noise, even not barking! And now … she talks with her whole body, looks at me, gives many noises AND barks 😉
When you get the opportunity to meet Dr Feddersen-Petersen, go to a seminar of this special women!
I am very thankful for having had the opportunity being a participant in this course. Luna and I both will have the benefits of it.
More about Dr Dorit Feddersen-Petersen