We purchased a rough collie last week (now 10 weeks old). Nowhere can we find how their puppy life stages should be. I am a little concerned with him being timid and when he will grow out of it. He is getting better and we are giving him plenty of positive reinforcement but what is normal for the first few months after birth? After 2 days we brought him home and he warmed up and loves our golden retriever and boxer. At times he snuggles with us but at times he wants his own space and when I am walking (im 6'3") he gets nervous at times. His mom and dad were social and from a rough collie breader for 30 years (he breads not only to reduce genetic problems but personality traits). Any suggestions would be great, I was also going to reach out to him too to get info but wanted to get a second opinion. His name is Fraser. Also, there is a lot of stimuli but nothing out of control. Maybe that has something to do with it. It has been awhile since we have had a puppy and first with a collie. Thanks Jeff
Hi Jeff - you've only had him a week, give him a chance to get used to you It took my dog months to get used to his new surroundings as he lived all his life on a farm with his litter mates, so things like traffic was very new to him. I would say he'll start feeling comfortable after about 6 months, though of course it varies from dog to dog.
He's probably just a bit overwhelmed so many new things and people he doesn't know, just give him time to settle in, I think a lot depends on how the pup’s have been raised, those that have been mostly brought up indoors and have had lots of handling, and are used to things like people coming and going and all those things indoors which we take for granted, like the Hoover, washing machine ect: can be more outgoing and settle in easier than those raised outdoors as all these things can be very daunting, slowly introduce him to new situations.
Thanks all for responding. He keeps on warming up and i do see improvement. I spoke to the breeder and he said the same and he didn't see anything with him that concerned him. Again, thank you Jeff
Yep, just a matter of time until he settles and comes out of his shell. Then you'll be pulling your hair out with the puppy zoomies and teenage stage