by katiek0417 » May 2nd, 2006, 6:29 pm
Ummm....hmmmm....
When a dog exposes it's belly, it is submitting. From the time I bring a puppy home (8 weeks old) I do a thing I call "be a baby." I hold the dog, on it's back, in my arms (the way you would hold a baby). I then talk to it gently, and touch every part of it's body, check it's privates, check it's ears, check it's mouth. This shows the dog I'm in charge, and it gets the dog used to allowing me to check it's body. The act turns positive because of the touching, and because I'm not doing it in a threatening way.
I have heard many people say that the way to check the temperament of a puppy is to hold it on it's back to see how it reacts. I have personally never done this before getting a puppy, and both my dogs seem to have great temperaments....
I think being around the puppies every day, holding them, etc is a better test of the temperament...but that's just me

"Rumor has it, compulsion is evil."
Katrina
Sacha CGC - Dumb Lab
Nisha CGC, PDC, PSA TC, PSA 1 - Crazy Malinois
Drusilla SLUT- Pet
Nemo - Dual-Purpose Narcotics
Cy TC, PSA 1, PSA 2, 2009 PSA Level 3 National Champion
Axo - Psycho Puppy
Rocky - RIP My Baby Boy