Do You Have a Puppy?

I'm asking because, as a trainer, I can't tell you all how many times I get calls from people who want to come to puppy class and when I ask them how old the pup is, they clearly do NOT have a puppy. 

They have an adolescent or even an adult dog!  If this wasn't so serious, it would be funny, but the truth is that people wait way too long to attend a class with their dogs, and it's one reason why Dr. Ian Dunbar, well known veterinarian behaviorist, has launched a campaign to make people more aware that they should not "waste puppyhood." 

In an article in Modern Dog, he outlines the way puppies develop social skills and bite inhibition.  Dunbar also feels that many puppy classes have "gone downhill" since the 80's when he first developed them.  It is important for owners to seek out a trainer who is well acquainted with the stages of puppy development, and with how dogs learn bite inhibition and other skills from one another and from adult dogs and from humans. 

The primary focus of any puppy class should be on bite inhibition and social skills, because those things are what will keep that puppy in its home so that it doesn't end up homeless as a doggy teenager!  That doesn't mean that puppies cannot learn cues such as "sit" or "stay" because they certainly can, but those are things a dog can learn at any age - in puppyhood, you want your dog to first learn that it is inappropriate to use his mouth on his playmates or human companions in a way that causes pain or injury!   

The bite inhibition lesson is best learned early, with help of your puppy's breeder, later from class, and on an ongoing basis through puppy hood and early adolescence.  Some studies show that a dog that is still "mouthy" at age five months may never stop being mouthy! 

You may be wondering how you can accomplish getting your pup into class if he hasn't yet had all his shots.  The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, has issued a position statement on Puppy Socialization so that owners and vets will be more aware of the issues associated with early socialization and its benefits. 

So, do you have a puppy?  The answer is "yes" if your dog is between the ages of 8 and 17 weeks of age (the optimal socialization age is between age 8-12 weeks).  After that, you have a young adolescent, and if your pup is a year old or more, you may even have an adult, depending upon its breed.

If you thought you had a puppy, but don't, all is not lost!  While you may not be able to completely overcome any deficiencies in socialization for your dog, you can still train your dog.  In fact, no dog is too old to learn unless they have cognitive dysfunction.