AFTER You Get Your Puppy
by Ian Dunbar
$12.95 (160 pages)
When you choose a new puppy, you need to meet six developmental
deadlines before your puppy is just five months old. If your
puppy fails to meet any of these deadlines, he will never achieve
his full potential and will be playing ‘behavioral catch-up’ for
the rest of his life.
AFTER You Get Your Puppy covers the last three developmental
deadlines that your puppy needs to meet before he is five months
old.
4th Developmental Deadline:
Socializing Your Puppy to People
Your Most Urgent Priority is to socialize your puppy
to a wide variety of people, especially children, men, and
strangers,
before he is twelve weeks old. Well-socialized puppies grow
up to be
wonderful companions, whereas antisocial dogs are difficult,
time-consuming, and potentially dangerous. As a rule of thumb,
your puppy needs to meet at least one hundred people before
he is three months old. Since your puppy is still too young
to venture
out to dog parks and sidewalks, you'll need to start inviting
people to your home right away.
5th Developmental Deadline:
Teaching Bite Inhibition
Your Most Important Priority is that
your puppy learns to inhibit the force of his bites and develop
a "soft mouth" before
he is eighteen weeks old. Whenever a dog bites a person
or fights with another dog, the single most important prognostic
factor
is the degree of bite inhibition and hence, the likelihood
and seriousness of injury. Accidents happen. Someone may
tread on
the dog's paw, or a child may trip over the dog while his
gnawing a bone. A dog may snap and lunge at a person when
hurt or frightened,
but if the dog has well-established bite inhibition, it
is
unlikely the dog's teeth will puncture, or even touch the
skin.
6th Developmental Deadline:
Preventing Adolescent Problems
The Most Enjoyable Priority of dog ownership is to
introduce your well-socialized puppy to the world at large.
Your
dog will only remain sociable and confident if it continues
to
meet and
greet at least three unfamiliar people and three unfamiliar
dogs every day. Meeting the same people and dogs over
and over
is not sufficient. Your dog needs to practice meeting,
greeting, and getting along with strangers, not simply
getting along
with old friends. Regular walks with your dog are as
essential as
they are enjoyable. |
