From the moment they were born, we followed Kifli and his siblings’ daily lives: how much they ate, how they grew, when they opened their eyes, when they stood up for the first time, how they reacted to the world. Kifli is special, not only because he was the first to be born, but also because of his quiet wisdom that comes naturally to him. Now that he is 13 weeks old, we asked his nanny, Anikó Horváthné Buderer, how the first month together went.

“Kifli surprised us. We had three border collies before, and we still have one, so we thought we knew a lot about dogs. But on the first day, we were surprised: the usual behavioral patterns worked differently with him,” Anikó began.

After the initial shock, they took out the puppy training guide they had received from our foundation, and everything fell into place. Kifli is attentive, curious, yet calm and thoughtful. He is the kind of puppy who doesn’t want to rush, but to understand.

It’s good to live with him, and there’s something special about him

“It took a day to realize how different this dog is, but from then on, everything went smoothly. Kifli behaves naturally, responds well to new situations and people, and takes everything new in stride. He has a wisdom about him even though he is so small. He is simply a pleasure to work and live with.”

He also learns differently than what they were used to before. The family’s border collies were faster, but Kifli is more attentive.

“Compared to our border collies, Kifli learns more attentively, and what he learns, he knows reliably after a few days. Our grandchildren also noticed that Kifli walks more beautifully at 13 weeks than our border collie did at 3 years old.”

From the very first moment, the puppy wore his collar and leash naturally, and later his harness too – as if he had always worn them. He also loves his kennel, where a soft rug, a large stuffed dog, and a cooler blanket make his den cozy.

“He sleeps beautifully through the night, sleeping until 7 or 8 in the morning. He has adapted well to the daily routine. When things get busy, he gets tired, retreats and rests. He simply knows what he needs.”

Kifli fit into the family as if he had always belonged there. He didn’t cry, he didn’t look for his siblings, he wasn’t uncertain.

“It was as if he knew he had come to the right place. And we have given him lots of love from the very first moment. He has settled in well with us and with our three-year-old border collie. He behaves confidently and knows that this is how it should be.”

Kifli is still just a puppy, who will grow up to be a guide dog, but when his trainers look at him, they often feel that they are not looking at a puppy, but at an old soul in puppy form.

We wrote earlier about Kifli and his siblings, that is, our dog Azúr’s second litter.