At 4 weeks of age the puppies are taken out into the woods where they
spend the day with their parents and other dogs. (We plan ahead so pups are born in spring and summer, making all
of this is possible). They romp and play all day with other litters of Salt Lick hound puppies. People drop in to play
with the pups on a regular basis. They have their own swimming pool to play in and keep cool. We have a very unusual situation
here that allows us to raise social imprints.
At 5 weeks of age we take the pups to the Shenandoah River
and when we wade out into the river the whole litter is confident to swim out and follow us. By 6 weeks our pups
are out swimming like beaver. Also at that age we start taking litters out to local baseball games and outdoor ice
cream vendors where the pups get to meet people of all ages. These experiences make our pups friendly with children,
adults (stranger anxiety goes away) and other dogs (our pups become non-aggressive).
