Why I Am Sharing Drift’s First Week, and How Often You Will See It
Video 1 shows Drift’s first week home. It is quiet by design. That is not because nothing is happening. It is because the early days with a puppy are mostly about what you choose not to pile on.
Drift is 8 weeks old in these videos. She is tiny. At this age puppies sleep a lot, often 18 to 20 hours a day. So when you see her resting, that is not me trying to make her calm. That is her being the age she is. Sometimes the most useful thing you can do with a puppy is let them sleep and get out of the way.
8 week old Hungarian Vizsla puppy sleeping
What this looks like in practice is simple, everyday stuff. Short trips out. Standing and watching. First experiences of places like a cafe. Gentle play with the other dogs. Moments of big feelings. Lots of stopping early and plenty of rest in between. Nothing dramatic. Just the small choices that shape how a young dog learns to live in a human world.
There is a lot online about training puppies. How to fix things. How to get the perfect start. The message is often that there is a right way to do it and that if you just find the right plan, everything will be smooth sailing.
Most people find out fairly quickly that real life has other ideas.
What you are seeing in these videos is not a system to copy. It is me getting to know the dog in front of me and adjusting as we go. Some days Drift copes well with new places. Some days she does not. That changes with sleep, with how full the day already is, and with what else is going on around us.
I am also trying to show Drift that I am her safe place, wherever we are.
Not by hovering over her or shielding her from the world, but by being close enough that she can check in and know I will step in if she needs support. That way she does not have to face new things on her own before she is ready.
Over time, that is what lets confidence grow and the bond between us deepen. Not because I push her into things, but because she learns she is not on her own in them.
That is why I am careful about how I structure early exposure. This early senstive period window, often called the socialisation period, is not about throwing puppies at everything and hoping it goes well. It is about choosing moments that are small enough to be useful. Enough novelty to learn from. Enough space to come back down again.
YouTube thumbnail for episode 1 of The Dog In Front of You
That is why video one looks the way it does. Short moments. Quiet spaces. Leaving while things are still fine. The learning is in the coming back down, not in how much she sees.
You will see this kind of content regularly on the channel.
I am aiming for 1 longer video most weeks, with shorter clips in between when they fit. Not because there is something new to teach every week, but because living with a dog is made up of lots of small, ordinary decisions. Watching those choices play out over time is often more helpful than being told what to do.
Some weeks will look calm.
Some will look messy.
Both are normal.
If you are here for quick fixes or perfect puppy behaviour, this probably will not be your cup of tea. If you are here to watch a real dog grow up in a real home, at a human pace, you are very welcome.
