Puppies
Puppies, like any
babies, are awfully cute and appealing!
But anyone who has ever had a baby knows that babies take lots of extra
time, attention, and work. Many people
think that dogs must be obtained as puppies in order to make good pets and to
bond with their family. This is not the
case! Adolescent and adult dogs usually
bond quite well to their new families.
So take the time to think about what kind of dog really suits your needs and lifestyle before deciding on a pup.
First of all, you
should consider your own schedule.
Paper-training is not the best
method of training a dog if you eventually want Fido to do his business
outside. Puppies need to go outside for
potty-breaks after they wake up in the morning, after naps, shortly after every
meal, after vigorous exercise or play, and at timed hours. “Timed” means in hours in accordance with the
age of the pup in months plus one. In
other words, a pup that is two months old needs to go out at least every three
hours in addition to the other times
mentioned above. A four-month-old, every
five hours (in addition to the other times mentioned) and so on. If you work outside the home, it is unfair to
leave the puppy confined for long periods of time. It will seriously stress the pup and hinder
your housetraining efforts if he is forced to soil where he eats and sleeps.
Puppies are prone
to illnesses such as parvo, too. They require
extra trips to the doctor and a series of shots. They go through stages, including periods of
teething and chewing, and require intensive socialization at least through the
age of 16 weeks. While puppy cuteness
can be an important element of bonding, remember that this cute stage only
lasts for a few months, or even weeks, and that your commitment to your dog
will be for the dog’s lifetime.
If
you get a puppy, get one that has spent the first eight weeks of its life with
its mother and littermates. By that age,
the mother will have taught the puppy that he cannot always have what he wants, a lesson you will be happy he already
knows! He will also have learned from playing
with his littermates to inhibit his bites.
A puppy’s teeth are needle-sharp, so you want him to have good control
of those jaws!
Puppies and
Socialization
You must also be
committed to socializing your puppy.
There is a critical period of
socialization up until the pup is about twelve to fourteen weeks old. During this time, he is open to new people,
places, animals, and experiences. After
this period it is much harder to introduce things, people, or events that are
new. Invite people over, and make sure
the puppy has some positive experiences with them. Make sure to include people of both genders,
of various races, and children of different ages. Supervise and manage carefully, particularly around
children. Puppies go through a fear
imprint period between eight and nine weeks of age and one traumatic event
(such as a child accidentally dropping or stepping on him) could affect his
behavior negatively for life. Once the
puppy has had his first set of shots, your veterinarian will probably tell you
it is ok to expose him to other nice puppies and dogs. Take him on some play dates with other nice canines
in your neighborhood, or enroll him in a puppy class that schedules time for
the pups to play together. Continue to
introduce him to new people, places, and experiences through the first year of
life and beyond. If socialization
sounds like too much work, you shouldn’t get a young puppy. Consider an
adult or teenage dog, instead, that already has good social skills.
Why? Proper socialization is one of your
responsibilities as a dog owner. The
following quote from the Dogs Scouts of America website explains it nicely:
Properly socialized dogs are not
fearful of a particular age group, skin color, or body type. If they are not
fearful, they are less likely to run away from these people, bark at them or
bite them to try to make them move away. Poorly socialized dogs lack
confidence. These are the dogs that might bite a child in the face if cornered.
They may pull out of a collar and run away in fear of a stranger. They may bark
at the sight of every strange thing that they never became accustomed to during
their socialization period—people in wheelchairs, people wearing funny hats,
people who walk with a limp. These biters, bolters and barkers often end up
with a one-way ticket to the dog pound—all because they were never properly
socialized as puppies.
The intense
efforts at socialization last until the puppy is through the first twelve-to-sixteen
weeks of age. You should continue to
socialize your dog as he gets older, too.
Give him regular opportunities to interact positively with other people
and nice dogs and to visit new places.
Positive interaction includes petting, being fed nice treats (preferably
by hand), and playing off-leash (in a fenced area) with a variety of dogs that like
other dogs.
How much
interaction Fido has with other dogs is a judgment-call on your part. If your dog becomes aggressive or is a bully,
or if he belongs to a potentially dog-aggressive breed such as a pit bull, you
should limit Fido’s playtimes to doggy “friends” he knows well and likes. Think twice about allowing a very big dog to
play with a very small one, because there is an increased chance of
injury. Since being leashed can increase
dogs’ tendencies for aggression, realize you need not take Fido up to every dog
he sees on your walks in an effort to “socialize.” This is especially true if you don’t know
what the other dog is like! Plan your
introductions carefully.
Adult Dogs
Adult dogs have
more ingrained habits. A 4-year-old dog
that chases cars, growls at the mailman, or has other undesirable traits will
take more effort to re-train than a younger dog, to be sure. And not every thoroughly-learned,
unwanted behavior can be changed at all.
But the dog will still be able to be trained at 4 years (and even older).
You can train an old dog by using
positive training methods like those I advise in this book!
There are also
advantages to older dogs. First, an
older dog that has had positive experiences with a variety of young children is
often calmer and more predictable around them than a puppy or adolescent. Second, a senior dog may need less in terms
of exercise, making him well-suited to a home that cannot provide a fenced-in
yard and long walks. Third, unless they
have medical problems, older dogs (once trained) can tolerate longer periods of
time between visits to their bathroom-spot.
Fourth, there is also the principle of WYSIWYG: “What
You See IS What You Get.” Through careful inquiries and observations, you
can often find a dog that is already housetrained, or used to children, or one
that meets your needs in other ways.
Older dogs can be
awfully cute, too! My experience is that
they are perfectly capable of bonding well with their families, especially when
trained using the methods I shall describe.
Older dogs probably have had some or all of their shots, but you need to
check; you cannot assume the dog’s former owner has been responsible.
Adolescent Dogs
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