Getting a New Puppy
I’ve had pets my whole life, and in recent years, many of them have been rescues, including dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, etc. This time around, I decided I really wanted a puppy. It had been many years since I had one, and I wanted to experience my dog’s life from the beginning.
A lot had changed since the last time I got a puppy. It seemed like there were so many puppy scams going on these days. I read how some people would pay in advance for a puppy, and when they showed up to pick it up at the address they had been given, the address was actually that of a business, not someone’s home.
I also read about people thinking they were buying healthy puppies only to find out they were brought in from puppy farms. There were also cases of people wanting to go and see the litter but were told no, and that they would have to pick from pictures and videos, and then their puppy would be shipped to them.
The above scenario happened to me.
I found a litter I was interested in and contacted the breeder to ask if I could come see the litter. I was told no. Instead, she told me to pick which puppy I wanted, and she would ship it to me.
I explained that I was only a few hours away and would much prefer to drive there and pick up the puppy myself. She said she would only ship it to me, and the cost for shipping was only $2,000. Only? I looked up flights from where she was to where I lived, and they were a little over $100. No, I didn’t fall for this scam.
I finally found a breeder who didn’t live far from me, who told me I could come out the following morning to see her puppies. I was so excited! It looked like I had finally found someone legitimate.
Choosing a Puppy
The morning couldn’t come fast enough. My son drove so I would be able to hold a new puppy in my lap when coming home.
When we arrived, the breeder had her daughter bring out the four puppies from the litter. She then immediately removed one as it was already spoken for, and that left me with three to choose from.
Two of them were very curious about me and were jumping up and down and playing at my feet. The third one was more aloof and stayed on the sidelines. The breeder explained that she was the calm one of the litter and didn’t do mischievous things like pull on shoelaces.
What happened next surprised me
There was something so sweet-looking about her that I had to walk over and pick her up. I was hoping she would like me. Well, just the opposite occurred. She started trembling as I held her, and I felt so bad that I was scaring her so much. I put her down and walked back over to the other puppies.
Both of the other puppies kept jumping up and down on my legs as if to say, “Pick me! Pick me!” Yet, as adorable as they were, I wasn’t feeling anything towards them. I kept watching them minute after minute, seeing if there was one I really wanted, and I kept coming up blank.
Then suddenly, the shy little puppy who had trembled in my arms walked over and laid down between my feet. I knew in that moment she had picked me.
Why is My Puppy Afraid?
When we got to the car, I put my new puppy, whom I named Mojo, on my lap and hoped the bonding experience would start on the car ride home. I was wrong. She went right back to trembling and also kept trying to hide her head in my arm.
I felt terrible at this point. In no way did I want to make her miserable. I started questioning if I made the right decision in getting her.
When we got home, I took her to the backyard, hoping she might find a new adventure there that would take her mind off being so scared. Instead, she just sat down and froze like a statue.
So what makes puppies so afraid?
Let’s take a look at it from their viewpoint.
Most puppies spend the first several weeks of their lives with their mom, their siblings, and as part of a family of people who give them love and attention. They’re used to the various sights and sounds of their surroundings as well as their daily routine.
Now imagine being plucked up from all of this and thrown in with strangers in an unfamiliar setting with unknown sights and sounds. Can you imagine if that happened to you as a young child?
What may seem like a normal sound to you could be a scary new sound to your puppy. For example, it may have come from a quiet home into a home with loud kids. Perhaps it’s not used to the traffic noise where you live, or maybe it’s never heard the sound of a loud vacuum cleaner.
It also needs time to start feeling comfortable with the new people in its life and begin to trust them.
With that said, it’s perfectly normal for a new puppy to be afraid. Your puppy needs time to adjust to everything new in its life, and if it hasn’t had enough socialization, it can take even longer.
Love and patience are key
The key here is to show love and patience. Do not get frustrated or angry with your puppy. That will only make things worse. Your puppy may come around quickly, or it may take a while. Just hang in there for when it does come around, it will be totally worth it. In my case, it happened pretty quickly.
Puppy Fears
As the day progressed and more and more household members came home and showered her with attention, Mojo began opening up, and her real personality started to come through.
By the following day, she was a completely different puppy. Gone were her fears, and she became a very playful puppy who loved to run and jump.
Remember how I mentioned earlier, the breeder said she didn’t do things like pull on shoelaces? That all changed when she discovered my husband’s shoelaces. Now, over three years later, she still pulls on them.
A ‘fear period’ is normal
Do you know that it’s perfectly normal for a puppy to go through a fear period? Don’t think that your puppy doesn’t like you. It just feels scared and needs time and your love to adjust.
However, if it seems too prolonged, it’s best to take your puppy to a vet to make sure there aren’t any underlying causes that you may not be aware of.
