Quote:

So during these first few weeks I take care of the dog by feeding him, giving him water and exercise but I don’t act all GUSSSSHY over him. When I take him for a walk I don’t play with him-- I simply walk him and put him away.

The dog senses an aloof attitude from me. Dogs know that pack leaders are aloof. You don’t see an alpha wolf run around acting like a happy puppy in front of his pack members.

http://leerburg.com/groundwork.htm

This quote is from “THE GROUND WORK” article by Ed. I'm curious how much of this mindset/methodology would be useful with a puppy? Or moreso only with a "new" (or dominant?) adult dog?

I'd suppose that Ed might be able to not fawn all over a new puppy, but I doubt my wife and 4 yo daughter will be able to restrain themselves quite so stoically.

Ultimately, I want a happy, respectful pup that will love to work with me - but I'm not sure how to balance affection with the much-spoken-of "aloofness" that pack leaders are supposed to demonstrate... ...or am I just overthinking it? :p

Everyone overthinks it with puppies.
It's hard not to. We want to create the perfect dog, so we agonize over the smallest details.

As long as you don't let the dog "demand" affection, I don't really see an issue. If you want to love on, pet and cuddle the pup, find an excuse to do it. Time your bursts of affection so that they coincide with good, desired puppy behavior.

Puppy sits? "Oh what a good boy to sit!", and love the heck out of him.
Puppy lays down? "Oh what a good boy to lay down!", and love the heck out of him.

If the puppy starts being obnoxious, let him spend some quiet time in his crate.

The big thing is to let the puppy experience what his life is really going to be like. Is every second of every day going to revolve around him? Or will he be expected to lay quietly at your feet while you watch TV in the evenings or check your email on the computer. The sooner you can begin showing him what "normal", everyday life will be like for him, the better.

Bottom line? You're not going to screw the dog up.

You and your speedy replies!

Thank you for the reassurance.

Hey Chris, I don't know if this would be of any use to you but I can tell you what we are doing right now with a 10wk old puppy, my wife,and 3 kids. It's kind of a compromise of sorts. I'm not doing a whole lot with the puppy.I feed or potty him some of the time. Walk him in different places to intro him to things, but it's mostly my wife and daughter doing the bonding and playing with him.
All were really concentrating on is not rewarding the unwanted things like Alyssa referred to. There's really not much gushing and cuddling done because the high energy of the pup makes it impossible.
The one thing he is extremly gentle about is taking food. So my kids call him over, give him a treat, a little pet, and then he goes back to playing and exploring, and of course chewing.The only "command" right now is come.

My daughter does a lot with him because at 11 she is strong and confident enough to handle and redirect the nipping and bites that are allready diminishing.
Be careful and alert to a 4yr old getting off to a terrible start with a puppy. That nipping and scratching can panic a child who may kick or hit the puppy, or running away from him causing problems you'll have to try and fix later.

He may never end up being as 100% focused on me as you would want later on when I do begin training with him but it's a trade off for having a dog in my family.

Good stuff, Steve; my 4yo daughter already doesn't like the concept of dogs that are bigger than her.

We had family visiting a month ago and they brought their boxer mix with them, an 11month old pup with medium energy and a 'puppies for dummies' amount of training.

Meara, my daughter, took 3 full days to get up the courage to pet the dog, due to its high energy level. She has had some dogs jump on her, knock her over, facelick her etc before when she wasn't ready for it.

Luckily, she recently had a very positive experience with another dog we've known for years so I think she's getting over her issues. I can't say I blame her, though; if a dog larger than me wanted to jump all over me and wouldn't listen, I'd be hesistant as well. :>

Chris, am I reading your posts right, you don't have a puppy yet?

Steve - you are correct!

I'm being proactive in my research, as I tend to do... and due to our schedules and such, we're waiting until after the holidays to start 'shopping'.

Thats the smart way to do it. Are you looking for a particular breed to purchase or are you going to look for a rescue? I did see you say adopt a puppy.

I'm somewhat on the fence about that...

Well, I grew up with parents who bred and showed Great Danes and, while I love them, a large breed is not an option due to size.

I have, however, always wanted a beagle... but I'm not committed to a purebred.

I do want a puppy... if anything for the 'blank slate'. If I can find a young beagle rescue, I'll consider it.

For example, at this very moment in my area, there are no less than 5 beagle "puppies" (>12months, I assume) awaiting a home. With any luck, I can find a pup from a rescue litter. :shrug: We'll see...

I think Beagle is a good choice. Good odds of finding the right match for your family. Good luck.