We here at the Habibi Bear Central Hub in the beautiful PNW can’t believe that Valentine’s Day has rolled around once again. We are sure that you and your loving, cuddly Habibi Bear puppies, the Original Teddy Bear dog, celebrated the holiday of Love in full Habibi Bear style, with lots of cuddles, kisses and fun times. After all, Habibi means ‘my beloved’ and who better to spend the holiday with than your precious Habibi Bear pup bringing all the love? Who needs chocolates and roses when you already have the most adorable companion sitting next to you watching Hallmark movies on a cold winter’s day?
Last week we were reviewing why we do personality testing on our Habibi Bear pups, between 6-7 weeks approximately, when their true selves begin to peek out and shine like the furry little Superpups they are! We spoke about Stable and Adjustable traits, and this week we will go over what that means and what Stable Traits look like in a pup’s behavior.
Stable traits in this context are aspects of puppy’s personality that are not subject to change.
One of the first two stable traits we test for and the easiest are if the puppy we are testing runs over to us, ready to play, sniffing our shoes, approaching with messy puppy kisses, versus a pup who plays it cool, maintaining their distance and exploring the testing environment instead. Once the contact between puppy and tester is established, will the puppy attempt to engage the tester in play or kisses? Or is the puppy waiting to take their lead from the tester? These small interactions can show us how assertive a puppy is, especially at this young age, and if they are human or environmentally focused. We employ a scale ranging from high (focus met and maintained on humans), low (focus on discovering their environment) or a mix of both, medium, indicating equal time in both activities.
One of the next stable traits we test for is a puppy’s motivation level, and if they are willing to engage with the tester and play, or do they ignore the tester and explore on their own? Are they willing to play with a toy, ball, or rope with the tester, or do they go rogue, and continue to do their own puppy thing and refuse to engage? This can demonstrate a puppy’s innate level of motivation, and their willingness to please a human.
The next thing we look at is the energy level of the puppy during the testing period. To do this, we take a look at the litter as a whole and then adjust the energy level scale accordingly. We look for such things as if the puppy comes into the space running at full speed, bouncing, how quickly they are moving from one item to the next, and how long they maintain the initial excited phase and energy burst. Do they take breaks to rest, or do they slow down at all? This will give us a good indication of how active they will be even as they mature.
We conduct these uniquely developed tests in the hopes of accurately assessing puppy’s individual character and what makes them shine so that we can give you, the prospective puppy parent, the very best match possible for your home, lifestyle and family. Our decades long experiences and our own passion for learning styles, our love of dogs, and dedication to seeing the individual beauty in each soul has proven successful, bringing joy and love to hundreds of lucky homes and families throughout the years. After all, at Habibi Bears, we are all about the love! Do you have a special love story to share with us about your little Habibi Bear guy or gal? Leave a comment or drop us a line telling us about how loving your pup is! We love hearing from our Habibi Bear tribe. We are always here for you, cheering you on!