When I get a puppy, I do not look to Facebook or Twitter for advice, I look to the breeder, the rescue worker or shelter aide to tell me everything they can about the dog.

I am especially interested in seeing the mother, if that is at all possible.

Many people either don’t know or forget  that the mother is of profound importance in shaping the weltanschaaung or world view of a dog. Dogs are behaviorially shaped and formed in the earliest weeks of life, from eight weeks to months or even a year in some cases.

Very few people have even heard of the term weltanschauung, but the know-it-alls online would do well to study weltanschauung rather than tell other people what to do if they really want do right by their dogs and choose them wisely. I can’t overstate its importance to me.

The challenge of the dog owner who gets a rescue or older dog or a bred dog from far away is that they can’t see the mother or father or the dog’s interaction with the litter (the mother is most important, because she teaches the most, matters the most,  and provides nourishment, life itself. The father mostly provides sperm and hopefully, good health. This makes it all the more important that people interested in older dogs pay close attention to their behavior and learn as much as they can about  them.

When people demonize breeders, they either forget or didn’t ever know how hard good breeders work to identify healthy and grounded dogs. A dog like Rose or Red is not found on the street, they come from breeders who have worked hard, often for decades, to foster temperament and health.

That does not mean one shouldn’t rescue a dog, it means people have to do more work than simply feeling good about themselves and superior to others.

It is interesting for me to note over the years that the people who are the most adamant and intrusive about telling me how to get a dog are the ones who seem to know the least about dogs, or about how they evolve and can be understood.

People and animals acquire their worldview – the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the entirety of the animal or the individual’s knowledge or personality – when they are young.

Children take years to form their worldview it can change even in adolescence and beyond.

Dogs form theirs in weeks, sometimes months.

A world view can include natural philosophy; fundamental, attitudes or themes, values, emotions, and ethics.

For a dog, this speaks to fear or love of people, food hoarding and appetite, sociability, aggression, adaptability and trainability. For many people getting a dog has become a fashionable or moral statement. For me, is a very practical and serious process. I really want to know the kind of dog I am getting, and how he or she will behave in most given situations

I want to see mom if I can.

The mother (see Hannah above) in the litter is central to shaping a dog’s world view. Is she attentive? Does she have enough food to give? Is she generous and patient? Does she take care to share the food equally and make sure every puppy is fed? For the puppies, the litter begins the process of sharing the way they see life, and can shape them as much or more as any other factor. Once a dog’s worldview is formed, it is very difficult to change it.

If dogs have to fight for food in the litter, they may fight for it when they get older, even if they don’t have to. If they are tormented or bullied, they might be wary of other dogs. If they can’t get enough to eat when they are most dependent on their mothers, they might snap or bite at people or children who come near their food.

At every reading I have ever been to, someone raises their hand and asks what to do about an older dog who bars obsessively, is aggressive to dogs or people, or refuses a crate. I have nothing to tell them, really, I have no how the dog was shaped or formed. They don’t either.

This worldview of a dog is something every person who acquires a dog – rescue, shelter, breeder – ought to know or be told or try to grasp.

Hannah is Leroy’s mother and when I visit him, I watch her.

I have lots of time to bond with him later, not much to get to know her. And more than anything else, I am taken with Hannah’s mothering. This speaks well of Leroy. He gets everything he needs – food, support, affection, play. His worldview ought to be strong and solid.

The minute I got a good look at Hannah, I knew Leroy would be a good dog for us.

First, she let me and Maria approach Leroy without any sign of aggressiveness or anxiety. She watched closely, and reassured him repeatedly that she was there – by licking, staying nearby, staying calm. She also permitted him to approach us, be touched, play with the other puppies.

Anxiety and timidity is a major warning sign to me when getting a puppy or older dog. Fearful dogs are unpredictable and difficult to train. They cannot generally be therapy dogs, and I don’t trust them around children.

Hannah was affectionate with Maria and me,  but she was aware of Leroy all the time and never forgot to watch over him. Yet she also let him explore and experience new people and was not threatened by them.

She was not neurotic or overly protective in any way. She was appropriate, an important term when choosing a dog. Helicopter and Boomer parents could learn a lot from Hannah.

So in my two visits to Robin’s breeding pen, I am beginning to see some traits in Leroy that help me to project the kind of dog he is likely to be, and I am happy to put my money where my mouth is and predict the kind of dog he will be with us.

If I am wrong, it will be apparent and I will admit it. In the past few years, I have grown confident of my ability to do this.

First, Leroy is a dog of entitlement. He is used to being treated well, getting enough food, getting attention, being secure. For a dog, that means he is likely to be calm and secure. And adaptable. I don’t see this dog freaking out.

This will benefit him greatly in the therapy work I hope to do with him.

He is fine being held, he approaches people with curiosity,  neither too bold or particularly fearful, right in the middle, where I like him to be. When he wanted to get past me, he climbed right over my shoes. A good sign.

He is learning affection and playfulness from his mother, who does not see the world as a dangerous or frightening place. That means he probably won’t either.

I see  an active, high-energy and curious dog, but a dog who is intrinsically calm and grounded. That is a dog I can work with, and do almost anything with.

The more I see of Hannah, the more I believe Leroy is an exceptionally good choice for us.

Leroy will be living with Red and Fate (a very high energy and dominant dog) he will need to speak up for himself. And put up with rough play, and athletic companions.

There are also barn cats, chickens, sheep and donkeys around here. He will have to get used to all of them and move among them. And he will have to put up with me, no small challenge either.

He is up to it. He will have a good weltanschauung.