Five Weeks Old

Here are the five week birthday photos of Lukka Sola and Brana (and mom Kria).

One puppy has been reserved. I am waiting for Lukka Sola's new adoptive parents to tell me which puppy they want so I can tell other visitors which puppy is still available. I want the fit to be right!

They are full of energy now and are sleeping much less. The puppy with more white on her (the collar and blaze) has become a bit of an escape artist and has caught up to her sister in all details. (You might remember that her eyes opened later than her sister's eyes and she was slower to eat solid food.)

They play together a lot.

They love to be held and my company cannot get enough of them. (I encourage my friends to come over to hold the pups - - after washing their hands. See caution below about shots.) They quiet right down when they are in your hands. Soon they will be too big for hands and will need laps. The mostly black one is a bit more reserved than her sister now - - but just a bit. Icelandics are never shy nor truly reserved!! Ha!

Sometimes their playing gets a bit rough. One will grab onto the ear of the other and the bitten pup will scream. Mom immediately comes running and separates them. That is, of course, normal. Puppies learn not to be too rough or their partner will not want to play with them. That's a real important lesson in socialization: - you can play but there are rules. If you do not follow the rules, your playmate will run away and leave you alone.

It is extremely important to continue with puppy socialization after they leave their birth home so they can continue to practice polite behaviors with other dogs. Puppies that are not socialized grow up to be unhappy adults with socialization problems and issues with other dogs and/or people. Dogs are by nature pack animals. That is one reason why they get along so well with people. We are also social animals and we become their pack. They also need to maintain contact with canine companions to become truly socialized.

However, they must not have contact with other dogs until they have their full set of shots protecting them from common canine diseases. In other words, no bark parks and no dog schools until they have had at least two sets of inoculations. Ask your own vet and your local dog school about the right timing.

(Most dog schools are not familiar with Icelandics. Their training is somewhat different. They do not respond well to negative training and some instructors seem to want to do that. Always feel free to ask for my help if a problem arises.)

I do not take any of my dogs to bark parks because I am never sure how well behaved the other dogs are. (Icelandics are not big dogs.) I prefer the socialization of a semi-controlled environment like a dog school, preferably an all volunteer one.

Please visit my blog for my information. (See below in bold face.)

There's a puppy application if you scroll back a few pages. You could copy and paste that onto an email and fill in the blanks with your responses.

I do not promise a puppy to anyone without a deposit. I have always practiced a "first come, first served" policy. It's just fair.

Please visit the website below: - (You can copy and paste the address into your browser - Google, etc.)
http://www.icelandicsheepdoginternationalbreeders.com/