For small breeds like our Terriers and Biewer Terriers, human arms are something special. For them, it is the safest place in the world.
We sometimes hear that holding a puppy spoils it. We do not see it that way. When a small dog feels safe in your arms, something precious is built within it. Trust. And it is from this trust that all its courage later grows.
Why a sense of security matters so much
A dog that knows it has somewhere to turn dares to explore the world far more. It sounds contradictory, but it is not. Security is not the opposite of courage. It is its foundation.
Imagine a child at a playground. It ventures among others most bravely when it knows someone who stands by it is nearby. It is similar with dogs. Arms, a warm word and the calm nearness of a person are the safe point from which a puppy dares to take a step forward.
How arms stay a place of calm
To keep arms a truly safe haven, we watch a few simple things. We always lift a puppy gently and support it well, so it never feels insecure in our hands. In our arms we also never expose it to anything that frightens it. Arms must stay connected only with calm, never with fear.
And we let it settle at its own pace. When it is restless, we do not squeeze it by force. Instead our calm voice and slow breathing settle it. Surprisingly quickly it calms down when it senses that we are calm too.
This small attention pays off richly. A dog that knows the safety of arms from an early age later handles more calmly the things that unsettle other dogs. A vet visit, a car ride, a loud day. Because it knows it always has somewhere to turn.
This is what we give every puppy
When a puppy leaves us for a new home, we want it to take this sense of security with it. So we always tell new families how important it is that arms and closeness stay a place of calm with them too.
It does not take much. A little patience, gentleness and calm moments together. From this grows a dog that looks at the world bravely, because it knows it has someone behind it who stands by its side.
References and sources
Overall KL (2013). Manual of Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Dogs and Cats. Elsevier Mosby.
Topál J, Miklósi Á, Csányi V, Dóka A (1998). Attachment behavior in dogs: a new application of Ainsworth's Strange Situation Test. Journal of Comparative Psychology 112(3):219–229.
