If you had read the text, dear Ina, you would have found that between the 4th and 16th week it is the most important work for socialization to be done. Please tell me where the puppy is during this time? Normally till the 7-8th week at the breeder and then in his new home. So you can imagine where 1/3 is in.
That is why I wrote in german forum many times that the breeders should work with their puppies. It means not to put them in the kennel with maybe some others dogs or only in one room. No, it means that the breeder should bring in unkown people to the puppies, drive some car, give them some noise which is in every household and so on. But this work only is done by a very few csw breeders. And that is a pity. People ae wondering why their dogs are shy or even not interested in other people, surroundings like bars restaurants and so on. And I mean not the dogs behave - ok, please don´t look at me, please do so as if I am not here -, but I mean selfconfident dogs, ok, hi everybody, my name is Andre, I am a csw and who are you? That is the point, people in germany are proud of their csw because they behave so well during shows. My opion is that most of them don´t behave like typically csw because they are mostly very very "calm" - as I wrote, please do so as if I am not here -. And we all know that a csw is far from beeing a "calm" dog. And that is the difference between a well socialized dog who doesn´´t care where he is and "calm" csw.
Because I am coming from the french herding dog the berger de brie - briards -, my male is a stud dog, I know what a breeder can do with his puppies during the first weeks of their lives. But I didn´t found yet one csw breeder who does it like it is possible. Some try and are on a real good way. But lot´s of do more or less nearly nothing: puppies in kennel with the mother - 4 weeks - 1-3 weeks with other adult dogs. And that´is it. I know it is a very young breed and I hope and know that there is a developement. It is true, when Ina wrote that the judges see that. Now a days there are lots of csw who are not shy in shows. But to get to be a free mind dog between other dogs and people during shows and be like always is still a long way to go.
Ina, I wrote that I will write here the place where you can read it. But I have in the moment not the time to look in my book(s).
Christian
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