realistic about how much you can change the way your dog behaves is important, but, with knowledge, understanding and some effort, even the most unruly of dogs can be tamed.
THE PERFECT PUPPY
If you take on a puppy, you start with a relatively clean slate. Raising a puppy takes a lot of time and effort but at least the mistakes, or lack of them, will be all yours.
Most ways of achieving good dog behaviour are common to both adult dogs and puppies and are covered elsewhere in this book. However, a most important area that relates specifically to puppies is that of socialization. One of the primary requirements of a pet dog is that he is friendly with people and other animals. This will depend on the quantity and quality of social contact he gets with them as he grows up.
The early weeks of a puppy’s life are very important, particularly up to the age of twelve weeks. During this time, a puppy will approach anything unfamiliar without caution. Meeting plenty of people, including children, as well as other animals, makes it more likely that he will be unafraid and sociable with them in later life.
As a puppy gets older, he becomes more apprehensive of the unfamiliar and, as a result, socialization becomes more difficult. For this reason, it is essential that a puppy is obtained from a source where every care has been taken to ensure that the socialization process is well underway before he reaches you. Never be tempted to buy a puppy from someone who will deliver him or who has numerous litters of puppies, often from different breeds, for sale. Only buy from a place where puppies are kept in a home environment or where each puppy has been given enough individual attention to make him confident and outgoing.
It is unwise to buy a puppy that is older than eight weeks unless he has been well socialized with humans.
VACCINATIONS VERSUS SOCIALIZATION
You will also need to protect your puppy from contagious diseases until such time as he has developed sufficient immunity against them. Consult your veterinary surgeon for information on the disease conditions in your area and how to keep your puppy safe. There is always a balance to be found between keeping your puppy protected from disease and preventing him from growing up shy and unfriendly because of a lack of social contact. With care, it is possible to reach a compromise and keep your puppy healthy while ensuring that he socializes enough to become confident and friendly towards people and other dogs.
Take particular care if your puppy is shy or sensitive, and give him more opportunities to overcome his fears.
It is also unwise to buy a puppy that is older than eight weeks unless he has been kept separately from other dogs and has learned to relate well to people. Obtaining a puppy that has spent a long time playing with other dogs rather than people can result in a dog that is less than ideal as a pet.
Once you have collected your puppy, you will need to continue the important socialization process that has been started (or make up for lost time if it has not). Take your puppy out and about as much as possible, meeting a wide variety of people of different ages and characters. Take care not to overwhelm your puppy with too much at first and allow him to make all the approaches. Socialization will need to be continued until your puppy has become a mature adult to ensure that he remains friendly and interested in people throughout his life.
Take particular care if your puppy is shy or sensitive, and allow him more time to come out of his shell. Make sure that every experience he has with people and other animals is pleasant. Watch his body language to determine whether or not he is enjoying the experience and take action if he is not. Try to think ahead and prevent him from having any unpleasant experiences. If all of his early life is happy and enjoyable, he will grow up with a view of the world as a safe, comfortable place. This will allow him to be friendly and outgoing.
Having plenty of happy times with children and adults helps a puppy grow up into a friendly adult.
The reason why dogs make such popular pets is that they are so like us in many ways. However, their similarities to us can often deceive us into thinking that they are just like us in all ways; that they are a less complicated, furry version of ourselves or our children. We often expect them to think and act like small people. They cannot. All they can be are dogs. What is frequently overlooked is that they are members of a completely different species and, as such, often have surprising differences which can be the cause of problems between us. Understanding what dogs can and cannot do, and knowing their physical and mental limitations, is essential to having realistic expectations about their abilities.
THEIR PHYSICAL WORLD
It may seem too obvious to say that dogs experience things at a different level to us. But imagine what it must be like to live in a world where you cannot see the faces of the animals you live with when they walk around and where most of the interesting things they do, such as eating, take place way above your head. What must it be like to live in a house where you cannot see out of the windows without making a special effort and where most of the focus of your world is at knee height? Getting down to their level and looking at things from their perspective gives a surprisingly different view of the world we both inhabit.
Dogs need to adapt their behaviour when living in a world designed for humans.
A DOG’S SENSES
PAWS AND JAWS
Again, it may seem obvious, but dogs have no opposable thumb. This means that they cannot pick up objects easily with their paws and, instead, will often use their mouths in situations where we would use our hands. Dogs do not hit people when upset but bite instead. They can learn to be very accurate with their mouths and, once experienced, will only rarely make unintentional contact with their teeth on human skin. In other words, if a dog snaps, but misses, he probably meant to! Dogs will also explore using their mouths in the same way as we will touch unusual objects. Since their mouths are full of teeth that can cause damage, this exploratory behaviour often gets them into trouble, particularly when they are puppies.
The need to explore new objects with their mouths can often get dogs into trouble.
Another striking difference between our species is that, as primates, we like to touch, hold, hug and cuddle to express affection. However, dogs rarely do this to each other unless they are fighting or mating. This accounts for why some dogs will bite when hugged or stroked, especially by children. In order for dogs to accept our loving behaviour, they need to become accustomed to it gradually, preferably during puppyhood.
A SMELLY FACT
A weak solution of salt is odourless to humans but dogs are able