Picking the perfect puppy is one important task that is often overlooked. For all the adventures that you and your dog will go on, you want a dog by your side that is confident and a trusted companion with any situation.
For the ultimate companion for your adventures I suggest picking the Alpha Puppy. The Alpha puppy has the best genes, confidence and intelligence. This makes for a dog that is easily trained and not afraid of trying new situations later in life.
It’s important to note that all working dogs for the police, obedience competitions, animal actors, guide dogs, and protection training dogs have been hand selected at a young age to pick the most confident Alpha puppy. This is because they are easily adaptable to new scenarios and environments and are most intelligent in their litter. Below we will look at various methods on how to select the right puppy for you.
Identify Who’s Who
Picking the perfect puppy for a long life of adventures starts at 8 weeks old. If possible, spend some time with the litter to identify the various personalities within the group. These personalities are best characterized by Cesar Millan who identified that there are three types of personalities such as: The alpha puppy, the happy go lucky puppies and the sensitive puppy.
In the picture above, who do you think is the Alpha Pup and who do you think is the Sensitive Puppy?
Pick The Alpha Puppy
Observe who the Alpha puppy is. The Alpha is usually the one who gets to the food or mother first. The Alpha is also the puppy who will investigate new people and will not be scared to approach a welcoming friendly person. They will likely want to interact with you by playing and wrestling with your shoe laces, hands or clothes etc.
Other characteristics include: being confident, independent, courageous, self assured, strong decision making abilities and aware of their environment. Ask the breeder who out of the litter exhibits these qualities and characteristics.
The Bulk of the Litter – The Happy Go Lucky Pups
For the happy go lucky puppies they will follow the Alpha and take cues from the mother dog more often. They will also engage in playing but they will probably wont do it first. These dogs are the middle of the pack dogs and will still make good all round family dogs and dogs for first time owners. These dogs often are better with kids and families as they are happy to fall in line into the family hierarchy and will go with the flow. However if not trained they can likely be naughty and be over excited.
The Sensitive Souls
For the puppies that are last to the food and are least interactive with people are known as the sensitive puppies. These puppies are often the smallest of the litter and referred to as the runt of the litter. These dogs with early training still can make great pets.
They often need a more training and reassurance than their brothers and sisters. However with patience and a confident dog handler these dogs can do very well.
For living conditions where the dog will be neglected like in a busy chaotic family or living with an owner that doesn’t have time for their dog, these dogs can be very problematic and can cause bouts of anxiety, destruction and fear based aggression. They often will attach themselves to one owner within the family and could be hyper alert to what is going on.
For out on adventures – what to expect
Alpha Dog
For a dog that is confident in all the adventures with you then choose the Alpha dog. The Alpha will have the best example of the breed characteristics and will not be afraid of new environments, scenarios, people or situations.
These dogs will often be very alert to what is happening around them and in trying situations will listen to you. These dogs take to water and boats way faster than other dogs and don’t mind being on the back of an open pickup truck or Ute
These dogs are watchful of others and serve as a good guards. These dogs will also exhibit the best qualities and traits of their breed.
The Happy Go Lucky Pups
The middle of the pack puppies can also make good adventure buddies however they may need some encouragement if they are faced with a new situation. They need lots of encouragement when introducing themselves to environments for the first time.
Such situations may include water, boating, escalators, revolving doors, pickup trucks etc. however with training and patience these dogs learn that its ok and are then easily adaptable. In terms of being confronted with a threat these dogs could be good or they may not engage.
Sensitive Souls
For the dogs that are the back of the pack and are sensitive, these dogs may experience anxiety in a completely new environment. They need lots of encouragement, time and patients from their owners for new situations and places. These dogs will often not defend you and will either cower behind you or even run away to avoid the danger.
These dogs do best with owners who have predictable daily routines that meet the needs of the dog. If there was one adventure activity that you regularly go on, these dogs can be trained for it, they just need time and patience and may have to be introduced slowly over several days. However once the activity is learned and not changed they will be fine repeating the same activity.
to close…
So if you want a dog to jump onto a Standup Board, learn to surf or skateboard, defend you in any situation and to take like a duck to water then I would recommend choosing an Alpha puppy. However if you have a happy go lucky puppy or a sensitive soul you may need to spend more time and assurance with your dog that you are confident and that the situation is safe for you to both enjoy the adventure together.
Happy Adventures
