UNWANTED DOGS
Ian Dunbar PhD, MRCVS
At eight weeks of age, many puppies already have incipient or existing
behavior and temperament problems. Most puppies are severely under-
socialized, even though the Critical Period of Socialization is
already nearly two thirds over. Few puppies are housetrained or
chewtoy-trained and hardly any have been taught to come, sit and lie
down. By the time they enter puppy class at 12-18 weeks of age, most
puppies have already developed significant behavior and temperament
problems that are already beginning to strain the puppy/owner
relationship. Problems increase and rapidly worsen as the puppy
collides with adolescence, whereupon many dogs are surrendered to
shelters for rehoming.
The Problems
The developmental course of behavior, temperament and training
problems is all too common and usually starts with two simple problems
� housesoiling and destructive chewing �two utterly predictable and
easily preventable problems.
Puppies leave their original (breeder's) homes at eight weeks of age �
when the Critical Period of Socialization is nearly two thirds
completed. Certainly, many breeders do a brilliant job socializing,
handling and training the young pups. However, some do not. Indeed,
far too many eight-week-old puppies are un-socialized, un-
housetrained, un-chewtoy-trained and haven't even been taught to sit
or lie down. For many of these puppies, their future already looks
bleak.
If not immediately trained in their new homes, the puppies will
eliminate anywhere and everywhere and chew anything and everything (as
they have become accustomed to doing in their previous home). Un-
housetrained and destructive puppies are often relegated to the
backyard by the time they are four to five months old. The puppies
continue to eliminate and chew indiscriminately, and soon learn to
learn to dig, bark and escape in their quest for some form of
occupational therapy to pass the time of day when left in the yard
alone. The lonely puppies become stressed and bored. When occasionally
invited indoors, they are overcome with excitement and express their
joy by enthusiastically circling, barking and jumping-up and so, they
are invited indoors less frequently. When neighbors complain of the
excessive barking, the dog, now a six-month-old adolescent, is further
confined to the basement or garage. With nothing to do in solitary
confinement, the dog destroys the basement. Living in social
isolation, the dog begins to de-socialize and is now less inclined to
want to greet his owners during their brief and increasingly
infrequent visits. The dog becomes wary and harder to catch and may
become agitated and snap and lunge if approached. By eight-months of
age, the dog is abandoned or surrendered to a shelter to be re-homed.
Rehoming unwanted adult dogs is an extremely expensive, time consuming
and labor intensive business. Also, rehoming is not always easy or
successful. Many shelter dogs carry significant behavioral baggage
from the lack of training in their previous home(s). Whereas most
behavior problems may be resolved fairly quickly and easily with
appropriate shelter training, dogs with temperament problems, such as
anxiety, aggression, and universal fearfulness, often take months, or
years, to rehabilitate.
For many unwanted shelter dogs, rehoming is simply not an option.
The Solution
The time to rescue unwanted adult dogs is during puppyhood. All
unwanted shelter dogs were once perfectly normal puppies. Friendly and
mannerly (socialized and well-trained) puppies stay in their original
homes and don't require rehoming.
When choosing a puppy at eight weeks of age: owners must realize that
all puppies are different. They may carefully choose one that is well-
socialized and well trained, or they might select a "lemon" � a puppy
that is already so developmentally retarded that they will be playing
catch up for the rest of the dog's life.
At eight weeks of age, all puppies should be: well-socialized,
especially to children, men and strangers; eager to approach; easily
handled; housetrained and chewtoy-trained; and at the very least
trained to come, sit, lie down, stand and rollover.
Having chosen a puppy at eight weeks of age: owners must appreciate
the enormous urgency for the puppy's socialization and training over
the next few weeks and months. There is so much to do and so little
time to do it. The most pressing items on the puppy's educational
agenda are: Socialization, socialization and socialization �
especially with children, men and strangers; and errorless
housetraining and chewtoy -training to prevent excessive barking and
separation anxiety.
Regardless of breed or breeding, owners will make or break their puppy
during his first couple of weeks and months at home. With timely and
appropriate education and training, the puppy will survive, and
thrive, to thoroughly enjoy spending his sunset years with his
wonderful owners.
Obviously, some puppy owners will require much more guidance than
that offered on dogSTARdaily.com, but at least access to dogSTARdaily
will keep the puppy on the right track until the owners come under the
expert tutelage of a trainer in puppy class.
Early socialization and education will not save every puppy but it
will save most, keeping them in their original homes. And certainly,
preventing problems during puppyhood is considerably easier and
quicker and a whole lot more fun than the prospect of trying to
rehabilitate and rehome an unwanted two-year-old dog that is
universally fearful and snaps at strangers.
Please forward this email to every prospective and new puppy owner
that you know.
Thank you.
Ian Dunbar
www.dogSTARdaily.com