BALL GROUND ALAPAHAS

NEONATE IMPRINTING

Imprinting is not new. Horses were imprinted long before any book about it was written on the subject. It was practiced by the Native American Indians and across the continent by the Arabian Desert nomads. Imprinting is a learning process that occurs in the critical learning stage of an animal's life. The information learned in this time period is thought to help shape responses to various stimuli in an environment and affect the temperament with permanent attitude

During the first few weeks of life, puppies have a cognitive sense of touch, smell and motion. There is very little one can do to alter what the puppy is physically going to become at a mature age. This is controlled by genetics, diet and exercise. It is important to remember that while temperament is genetic in nature, an animal's personality and behavior are not. These traits can be modified to produce a desired response. It is important that my puppies associate early on that the human is to be respected, trusted and sought for comfort, guidance and assurance. A dog that does not respect its owner is extremely dangerous. There should never be a question of a puppy challenging a person's position. Our puppies are handled from the first moment they are born. They are rubbed down by people and therefore the human touch is the first thing the puppy experiences about life outside it's dam's womb. Once they are safely delivered, they are placed on their dam to nurse. During the first three weeks, the puppies have learned the human touch and learn to sense the human along with the dam as their comforter. They come to trust that they will always be safe while the human is holding them no matter if they are held upside down, right side up, backward, forward or on its side.

Once the neonate imprinting process is over, the socialization can begin. It is extra work, handling the puppy from birth until about three weeks of age. It is a process that requires time and patience. When it comes time to placing the puppies into their expectant homes, I can confidently match each puppy into the proper loving home that offers it the correct environment for its personality and temperament.

Although the imprinted puppy gets time with its littermates and dam, my goal is to create a puppy that will live well adjusted amongst its human family. The imprinting reinforces the Alapahas Blue-Blood Bulldogs’ natural instinct to live with its family as a loyal companion and do so in a submissive manner. 

Neonate imprinting is not fool proof. The imprinting technique we apply to our puppy program inspires the newborn puppy's subconscious mind. It should be noted, however, that a puppy can still develop behavior issues in a home if the home is too quarrelsome, heavy handed, loosely structured, inconsistent in their rules or fails to assume a strong leadership role in raising their puppy. Consistency, proper socializing and basic puppy training usually create positive results.