Puppy boarding: Baloo’s tailor-made stay

Welcoming a 2-month-old puppy into a dog boarding facility is a delicate process that requires constant attention.Baloo, an adorable 2-month-old Berger de Beauce (Beauceron) puppy, recently stayed at Cani'Oc for 3 days. This stay was an opportunity to set up a tailor-made support program, adapted to the specific needs of his young age.

The specific needs of a 2 month old puppy

At the age of 2 months, a puppy is in fulldevelopment and socialization phase.
This is the ideal time to lay the foundations for solid behavioral balance, but also a period of great emotional and physical vulnerability.

• Sleep and rest:A puppy of this age sleeps between 18 and 20 hours a day. At Cani'Oc, we make sure to scrupulously respect this rhythm by offering him quiet rest periods, far from the agitation of other dogs. It is important for the good psychological construction of the dog.
• Fractional feeding:As his stomach was still small, Baloo benefited from 2 to 3 meals a day to support his rapid growth and avoid digestive problems.
• Cleanliness:Potty training is underway. Very regular outings (every 2 hours and after each play or sleep phase) have been established to encourage him in the right direction, even at night.

A premium service adapted to each dog

At Cani'Oc, we offer a premium service for our residents. This is not a simple surveillance, but a realfollowed with an adapted program.

For a puppy like Baloo, the emphasis is on socialization (inter- and intra-species), beginning training and reinforcing good behaviors. For an adult dog, we rather work on strengthening their skills and getting out of their comfort zone. We take age into consideration, but alsoindividual character and needsof each resident (need for distance, need for shopping, need for calm, desire for cuddles, etc.).

In addition, our residents are never far from humans: they spend most of their day with us andintegrate into our family life, which strengthens their integration and considerably reduces their stress.

To reassure owners, we send numerousmedia during the stay(several times during the first day, then a daily summary with photos and videos of activities and highlights).

Positive socialization and enriching encounters

Baloo has proven to be a great puppy: cuddly, curious and very playful! Socialization was at the heart of his stay.

In particular, he metArlo, our young Saint Bernard, 5 months old and 40 kg. Despite his impressive size, Arlo was able to get on Baloo's level to play on an equal footing with him. Their understanding was perfect.

During this 3-day stay, we also welcomedLaika, a young female American Staffordshire cross of one and a half years old. We saw this coincidence as a great opportunity for Baloo to have an additional special encounter.

Arlo brilliantly played the role of mediator and “big buddy” for the other two. Welcoming new dogs to his domain is completely natural for him, and he knew how to intervene gently to avoid any excess (a 2-month-old puppy can have explosive reactions!). The imposing and calm side of our Saint Bernard allowed a rapid and stress-free integration for both Laika and Baloo.

(Small aside: Laika will return to our boarding school in July. Her owners were delighted and we will work with her on her problem of emotional dependence and separation anxiety linked to a complicated past. A dedicated article will soon be dedicated to her!)

Manipulation and discovery of the world

We also worked onpositive manipulation(checking paws, cleaning ears and eyes, gentle brushing) and discovering different farm noises and textures (parquet floors, tiles, grills, bottles, sounds of family life) to strengthen their confidence in humans and their environment.

The importance of a meeting visit

For a puppy, leaving their home environment for the first time can be stressful. This is why we always recommend ameeting visitbefore any pension. It allows the dog (and it also works with adults!) to discover the place, to sniff the smells, and for us to better understand its personality to adapt our support.

The Beauceron: a breed to educate with kindness

The Berger de Beauce is a working dog par excellence — intelligent, loyal, but also very sensitive. At 2 months, he is like a sponge: he absorbs everything. This is why each interaction during their stay was designed to positively reinforce their confidence.

Baloo will need good, calm training. Like many dogs of this breed, he is sensitive to extremes and can quickly become blocked if the education provided is too directive or strict (or even coercive). This is why, at Cani'Oc, we advocategentle methods and complicitywhich give much better results in the long term.

(A future article will detail the benefits of non-coercive education and why some "educators" still take the unnecessary risk of working through coercion.)

If you also have a puppy to look after, do not hesitate to contact us to organize a meeting visit. We always adapt our services to the breed, age and personality of your companion.