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SELECTING AND TRAINING A PUPPY
Choosing the Right Puppy
Picking a puppy can be a challenge. To begin your search, familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the breeds you are interested in. Knowing what a breed was initially bred for (e.g. hunting, herding, retrieving, guarding) is useful. Too many people select a puppy because it’s cute (all puppies are cute) without considering adult size, breed activity, coat care, breed temperament, or inherited medical conditions. Do your research first. You will not make a rational decision while you’re holding a puppy.
Prospective owners may get puppies from pet stores, humane shelters, or breeders in private homes. Unfortunately, pet stores and shelters usually don’t have information about the early influences in a puppy’s life (e.g. contact with people, early handling, the parents’ temperaments, the nutrition and environment of the mother and pups). This lack of information can be a drawback when obtaining puppies from these settings because studies have shown that nutrition and social interactions in the early developmental stages can affect later behavioral development. Also, pet store and shelter environments usually can’t provide adequate, positive human contact. Human handling beginning shortly after birth has a marked effect on personality and human bonding.
There is no guaranteed way to predict a puppy’s adult behavior but there are many clues to look for. If it’s possible to meet the mother, note if she is shy and anxious or friendly and outgoing. Many of a puppy’s personality traits are learned from mother.
When first approached, a puppy may come close, run away, or do nothing. A puppy that approaches people is usually outgoing and friendly. As an adult, this puppy may be more assertive than other dogs. A puppy that doesn’t readily approach people or runs away may be shy and fearful. As an adult, this puppy may be withdrawn, fearful, and uneasy in unfamiliar situations. A puppy that does not move toward or away from people until something distracts it from its littermates may simply be busy with something else. Also keep in mind that a puppy that does nothing may be ill.
The best time to obtain a new puppy is when it is between 6 and 8 weeks of age. The puppy will have had time to be with other dogs and learn appropriate canine interactions but will still be open to new experiences. Moreover, during those first six to eight weeks the puppy should have interacted with people and been handled. And at this age, puppies are willing to bond with new people.
Bringing a New Puppy Home
When making the transition to a new home, a puppy needs a quiet, safe place to stay when unsupervised. This can be a small room or a crate. A comfortable crate can minimize destruction and maximize house-training efforts. A crate also protects an unsupervised puppy from injury. The crate should be big enough to accommodate the puppy as an adult. When introducing a puppy to a crate, you should first use the crate as a resting and feeding spot and should always associate pleasant things with the crate. If the puppy cries at first, it should be kept in the crate until it is quiet, and then removed. Don’t leave the puppy in the crate for so long that it must eliminate in it and avoid leaving food and water in the crate overnight. The puppy must have plenty of opportunities to exercise and to eliminate outdoors.
How do you bond with your new puppy? Puppies are impressionable at this age and are willing to bond with people. What is needed for bonding is calm, patient, and consistent attention. Allow the puppy to become familiar with the routine for eating, voiding, and playing to strive for positive interactions, not negative. Spend a lot of time with the new puppy. One method is to leash the puppy in the room where you are. This allows the puppy to be with you yet avoid getting into trouble. The puppy should see you as a source of affection, interaction, and comfort. Puppies deprived of human interaction for long periods of time will often resort to attention-getting behaviors such as jumping up, running, and play biting.
Promoting Socialization
Socialization in dogs takes place between 4 and 12 weeks of age when puppies are most receptive to certain stimuli. During this period, puppies easily make social attachments and learn how to interact with other dogs and species. Although socialization is lifelong, what happens during this early period can be crucial. At this age, you should expose a puppy to many new people. When you leave the house, take the puppy with you as often as possible. Introduce house guests to the puppy. These meetings should be fun and pleasant. It’s also advantageous to expose the puppy to new things: stairs, elevators, different types of vehicles, umbrellas, bicycles—the list is endless. By being introduced to people and things in a calm, reassuring setting, the puppy learns to handle new situations without fear. And as an added bonus, the puppy learns to trust you.
Enroll your new puppy in a puppy class once preliminary vaccines are given. This gives the puppy the opportunity to socialize and play with other puppies. The minimum age for puppies to start a puppy class is usually 8 to 10 weeks.
Training a Puppy
Proper training helps ensure a puppy’s successful transition to adulthood. Teach your puppy to tolerate being handled. Brush regularly, bathe occasionally, clean ears, clip toenails, and brush teeth. If a puppy is taught early on to tolerate and even enjoy these interactions, caring for your pet will be easier.
Accustom your puppy to having its food and possessions touched. Petting the puppy and handling its food bowl while the dog eats helps it not to feel threatened by these intrusions. To accustom a puppy to having its possessions handled, gently take toys from the puppy, say “Thank you”, and return the toys. These techniques send the puppy the message that it is all right for people to handle its possessions and may make it easier for you to take things from the dog’s mouth in the future.
Puppies must learn bite inhibition. Puppies chew on everything, including each other and people. Puppies start to learn bite inhibition with their littermates. If Puppy A bites on Puppy B too hard, Puppy B will yelp. If that doesn’t work, Puppy B will leave. This sends the message to Puppy A that its bites were too hard and if it wishes to continue to play, it needs to be gentle. In the beginning, owners often allow their puppies to chew on them without reprimands and the puppies assume that the behavior is acceptable. Instead, the message you should send is that mouthing and chewing on hands will not be tolerated.
By using positive reinforcement young puppies can be taught simple obedience tasks such as sitting, lying down, and standing. Puppies have short attention spans, so training sessions should be brief but frequent (several 5-10 minute sessions interspersed throughout the day).
A good puppy class will teach these commands and others. Early training helps get the puppy off to a good start of listening to and obeying the owner. By continuing training throughout the first year of ownership, owners establish basic good behaviors in their puppies.
Summary
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