Leather dog collars with buckles are a popular choice.

One of the fundamental decisions you will make is whether to buy a collar or a harness.  A harness typically wraps around a dog’s chest and forelegs, distributing the force from the leash over the top half of the dog’s body, rather than centering it on the animal’s neck.  Harnesses are important primarily for smaller dogs whose windpipe may be compromised by a collar during a boisterous walk. Harnesses may also help stop your dog from pulling on the leash and taking you airborne.

Another option is the head collar, which wraps around the dog’s muzzle and neck.  When you pull on the leash, the head collar puts light pressure on the dog’s muzzle and the back of the neck, just as a mama dog would when training her puppies.  This light pressure establishes you as the pack leader, and helps the dog learn to follow you rather than lead you while on a walk.

If you have a small dog or if you have a dog who is a puller, you might choose a harness or head collar.  Otherwise, your dog will likely do well with a conventional collar, but you still have many choices to make for functionality as well as style.  Collars are generally classified by their function and by the material from which they are made.

A harness distributes the dog's weight across the chest and shoulders.

Many people (and their dogs!) like a simple buckle collar, which is a strip of material with holes punched in it to accommodate the pin of the buckle attached to one end.  For puppies who are still growing, a buckle collar is a natural choice, because it can be adjusted as the puppy grows to adulthood.  Buckle collars may come in leather or nylon.  Nylon is preferred if your dog will be spending any time in water, and leather may be better for dogs who chew through everything they see.

For ease of use, many people prefer that the collar be fastened by a clasp rather than by a buckle.  Clasp collars are basically the same as buckle collars, but they close in one easy click (similar to a seatbelt), which is easier than having to make your dog stand still while you fasten a buckle.  Clasp collars are typically made of nylon and are adjustable by means of a portion of the collar which is folded back on itself through the clasp.

Nylon collars come in a wide variety of fashion choices, including different colors and patterns, or they may have an assortment of beads or jewels embedded in the nylon.  Sporting dogs may wear nylon collars in bright orange which makes them more visible to hunters.  Beads and jewels may also be embedded in leather collars for those fancy occasions when a plain collar just won’t do.

Training collars, also known as choke chains, are often used for training.  A short tug on the collar can get your dog’s attention when you give a correction.  A choke collar must be put on and used correctly, so make sure you know what you are doing before you use one.    Choke chains should not be your dog’s everyday collar, but should be used only during training sessions.  Dogs should never be tied out on a choke collar due to the very real possibility that they will choke themselves.

Prong collars are controversial but they are one option.

A variant of the choke collar, the prong collar, is somewhat controversial.  These metal collars have prongs that dig into the dog’s neck when a correction is given.  Although they don’t cause physical harm when used correctly, they do cause some measure of pain.  They can also become easily entangled in a dog’s fur, particularly on long-haired breeds.

No matter what type of collar(s) you choose, make sure that each one has a D-ring on it so you can attach the dog’s tags including registration, rabies, and identification.

As far as sizing, your collar should fit tightly around your dog’s neck so that only two fingers can be inserted between the dog’s skin and the collar.  Any looser, and the dog may slip out of the collar; any tighter and he or she may choke.  Tight collars may also cause hair loss and red, irritated skin.  Check your dog’s neck frequently to make sure the collar still fits as the dog gains or loses weight.

Drs Foster and Smith offer more advice on choosing the right collar for your dog.

Leashes

As with collars, leads and leashes come in a variety of styles and materials.  The most commonly used materials are nylon, leather, metal chain, and retractable cable.  There are also leashes made from recycled materials and from a reinforced elastic material that is meant to prevent pulling. Your choice will be based primarily on personal choice; however, you must make sure the leash is strong enough for you to keep your dog under control.  The bigger the dog, the wider the leash should be.

Leashes come in different lengths to serve different purposes.  For your average walk, a leash of four, six, or eight feet will do just fine, allowing the dog to do at least some exploring, while keeping him or her under your control.  With your dog walking at your side, you should be able to have the leash hang loosely from your hand to the dog’s neck without touching the ground.  This length will obviously vary depending on the difference between your height and the dog’s height.  Some leashes come with a handle sewn in the middle of the leash to allow you to hold up the excess length to keep the dog from tripping over the leash.

Retractable leads sometimes extend to as long as 30-feet which can be valuable when you are teaching your dog to stay.  It allows you to be a fair distance from your dog while still keeping the animal from bolting. When you want to keep your dog closer to you, simply push a button on the retraction housing, and the excess length is rolled up.  You can then lock the roller mechanism when the desired length of cable is retracted.

Chain leashes are not recommended because they can easily become entangled in the dog’s fur.

If fashion dictates that you just have to have a bedazzled leash, make sure the gems and jewels are sewn in securely so the dog doesn’t chew them off and choke on them.

The PetSmart website offers more advice on choosing the correct leash for your dog.

The theory is this: each time your dog experiences something new and lives to tell about it, he or she knows there is one less thing in the world to be scared of. So, if you expose the dog to as many different things as you can during puppyhood, when dogs naturally know no fear, you will reduce the number of fears he or she has as an adult.

For example, many dogs become fearful when they meet new people. It’s probably because of one of two reasons: either the new person reminds them of an unpleasant experience from their past, or they haven’t been properly socialized so that they are comfortable with strangers.

If your dog becomes shy when introduced to one specific type of person, for example men or children, chances are he or she had a bad experience with a man or a child in the past. In that case, you need to use positive reinforcement to entice the dog to start trusting members of that group. You might ask the men at the dog park to give your dog a treat whenever they see the animal. You might work with the neighbor kid on lying very still and letting the dog approach him at his or her own pace.

If, on the other hand, your dog is fearful of all people, it usually means the dog has just not had enough experience to know that there are at least a few good people in this world. Try taking your dog with you when you run errands. Expose him or her to the great big world out there. But take it slow. It won’t do any good to try to socialize the dog if you rush the process and the dog simply becomes overwhelmed.

Try taking the dog on short errands where you don’t expect to run into more than a few people at first. Gradually increase the length of the trip and the number of people the dog interacts with. Be sure to reward your dog with a treat and lots of affection and praise when you see him or her responding in an appropriate way to the people you meet.

If taking your dog out poses too many challenges, you can also socialize him in your own home. Simply begin inviting people over for dinner or have your kids’ friends come inside when they stop by to pick up your child for a date or an outing. Give them some coaching ahead of time so they know to let the dog approach them at a pace that is comfortable for the dog.

If your dog has fears related to noise, you might try tape-recording the noise, then playing it back to your dog to help him or her get used to it. Start out with the playback at a very low volume, played far away from your dog. If he or she doesn’t run and hide under the bed, reward the dog with a treat and lots of praise. Gradually increase the volume and the proximity until your dog is totally comfortable with the noise.

It bears noting that some dogs will bite when they are fearful. If this is a concern, you will probably want to practice socialization with your dog wearing a muzzle. Safety first!

If possible, it is best to socialize your dog during puppyhood. Puppies are likely to be more willing to explore before they have bad experiences which can show them the hurtful things in the world. When you bring a new puppy into your home, make sure you take the time to properly socialize him or her. It’s just as important as obedience training. A new puppy should come with you whenever you leave the house, if possible. He or she should get used to riding in a car, being near loud traffic noises, hearing kids playing, seeing lots of sounds, smelling lots of smells, and touching lots of different surfaces.

If your dog is already past puppyhood when he or she comes into your family, your task will be a little bit harder, but certainly not impossible. If you take your time and allow your dog to lead you, you’ll both feel better in no time!

As you are socializing your dog, you want to be sure you allow him or her to experience success early and often. Don’t rush, and watch for signs your dog is becoming stressed, then remove him or her from the situation before full-blown panic sets in. Stress signs include putting the tail between the legs, yawning, hiding, and losing control of the bladder. Here is a good article from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department on recognizing canine stress.

If your dog does well with an exercise initially, then begins to fall apart, remove the dog from the situation and praise him or her for the progress made. Reward each little step as your dog progressively gets closer and closer to the goal.

For more information on socializing your dog to relieve his or her anxiety, read this article from our doggies den or this one from veterinary partner.

General Tips for Training a Puppy

If you have human children, you know that youngsters aren’t known for having especially long attention spans.  This is true of puppies as well, so you will want to keep your training sessions short and fun.

Work with your dog for no more than five minutes at a time, but you can do several sessions each day, as your schedule permits.  Use your puppy’s natural desire to play as a motivator to help him or her learn the lessons you want to teach.

Positive training methods work much better than aversive training, allowing the dog to learn a skill more easily and to retain it for much longer.  Your primary tools for positive training are attention from you, play time, and treats.  With puppies, you’ll want to rely mostly on the first two to keep from upsetting immature tummies.

Never, never, never hit your puppy.  They have delicate bones that can break easily, and hitting will only make them more ornery.  It will not make them conform to the rules.

Dogs, as well as people, can be intimidated into doing only exactly what you tell them to do.  However, they can be encouraged to work to their fullest potential, even when you don’t make specific requests by using positive training such as praise and attention.

It is easiest for puppies to learn if only one person is in charge of training, so choose a person who has enough time to devote to the effort each and every day.  Once the dog learns the commands, he or she should respond to other family members saying them.

Teaching your puppy to walk on a leash

Before you can teach any of the other commands, your puppy must accept the idea of being attached to a leash.  In most jurisdictions, your dog must be under your control at all times, and a very good way to achieve this control is to keep your dog on a leash whenever he or she is off your property.

Some dogs take to a leash immediately, while others need a little encouragement.  You might start by letting the dog sniff at the new collar to see what it is before it is put on his or her neck.  Leave the collar on for as long as the dog will tolerate it, building up the amount of time each day.  By the end of a week or so, the dog ought to stop noticing the collar, so it is time to start with the leash.

Again, let the dog sniff at the leash to check it out before you attach it to the collar.  Start by allowing your dog to carry “your” end of the leash around the house for awhile on the first day.  Monitor the dog to make sure he or she doesn’t get stuck on something that could cause strangulation.  Again, build up a few minutes each day until the dog thinks nothing of having that extra weight around his or her neck.

Next, begin taking the dog outside, with you holding onto the end of the leash.  If the dog lies down or plants his or her feet, refusing to walk, you may want to have your spouse, child, or some other assistant walk in front of you holding or shaking a favorite toy for the dog to follow.

Entice the dog to walk toward the toy, then praise your baby as if he or she is the smartest animal in the world.  Play with the puppy and the toy as a reward for walking even a few inches on the leash to get the toy.  Increase the distance to the toy by a few feet each day, and soon you will have the dog wanting to walk on the leash because you have taught him or her that play time comes soon after a walk.

Once your dog is fully comfortable on the leash, you can move on to basic obedience commands.  Your dog should now be able to concentrate on the new commands because the leash has begun to feel natural.

Teaching your puppy to sit/stay

The best way to keep your puppy under control is to teach the sit/stay commands.  To get the dog to sit, think of your dog’s body as a teeter-totter.  In order for the back end to go down, the front end must go up.  Hold the dog’s toy in front of his or her eyes, then slowly raise it and move it back toward the tail so the puppy must lift his or her snout to see the toy.

As you are doing this say the puppy’s name, then say, SIT, in a loud, serious voice.  This is not the time for baby talk or begging.  You are the alpha dog in your family, and showing that you mean business is the only way your puppy will learn this.

If the dog doesn’t start moving his or her rear end toward the floor when you hold the toy above the head, you might want to gently push down on the dog’s back at the base of the tail, just enough to give a hint of what you are trying to accomplish.

The dog may not end up totally seated, but be sure to reward each small step toward success.  Even if the dog’s back end only sinks a little, give praise and affection for partial compliance, and for each time he or she gets closer to the goal of getting butt on pavement, even if the puppy jumps back up immediately afterward.

Once your puppy has SIT mastered, you want to work on STAY.  To do this, give your dog the sit command, and once the dog is seated, place the palm of your hand in front of the dog’s eyes and say the puppy’s name, then say STAY in your command voice.  Wait a second or two, then say “okay” and move your hand back to your side.  If your puppy remained seated for the few seconds you had your hand up, give praise, and play time.

Work your way up a few seconds at a time, and when your dog is capable of staying seated for about 30 seconds, you will begin to work on distance.  Put the dog in a sit, give the stay command, then back up a step or two.  Your goal is to have the dog remain seated no matter how far you back up, so you will increase the distance you back up by a few steps each day.

The final goal for sit / stay is for the dog to remain seated even when you are not focusing your entire attention on him or her, and without maintaining the hand signal.  It may take several weeks to work up to this, but your dog will eventually master the skill if you work consistently each and every day.

Teaching a puppy to come when called

The “come” command is one of the most important commands for safety.  Puppies, like toddlers, are naturally curious and fearless.  They are going to explore everything they come into contact with, and they explore by using all of their senses, including their sense of taste.  If your puppy wanders away to investigate something new, whether it’s a passing car, a yellow jacket, a can of paint, or a much larger dog, you can only assure safety by teaching the youngster to come back each and every time you call.

To teach the COME command, you will want to have your dog on a leash in a sit / stay.  Holding the free end of the leash, walk a few steps away from your seated dog.  Turn to face the dog, say his or her name, then give the command COME.  Again, no baby talk or begging.  You want the dog to know you mean business.  If the dog doesn’t come independently, you can tug gently on the leash for encouragement.  Your dog will likely want to come see you, so this isn’t usually a hard command to teach.  Of course, if compliance with the command is followed immediately by play time, affection, and praise, it will make learning that much easier.

Teaching the LEAVE IT command

The last safety-related command is LEAVE IT.  This command is used when your dog takes an interest in something you would really rather he or she didn’t.  It might be a dead animal, a poisonous substance, or even the holiday ham on the kitchen counter.

When your dog begins to sniff at something undesirable, you will want to immediately say the dog’s name, followed by the words LEAVE IT.  This really needs to be your best command voice because there can be no doubt in your dog’s mind that you are not to be ignored.

Get your dog to turn his or her head away from the item by presenting a treat or favorite toy on the side of your dog’s head away from the item.  As soon as the dog walks away or stops sniffing the object, give lots of praise and attention.

This skill is sometimes hard to work on because you might not encounter undesirable substances every day at training time.  You will have to plant some objectionable items in the dog’s training area in order to get some regular practice.  As your dog gets better at leaving things alone, begin to move the treat further away from his head so he will walk away from the objectionable item.

Don’t forget to socialize your puppy!

Although you might not set aside a formal time to work with your puppy on socialization, it is an important part of training.  Exposing your dog to many different sights, sounds, situations, and both human and non-human playmates will help the puppy feel comfortable throughout his or her life no matter what pops up.

The best way to socialize a puppy is to take the animal with you everywhere you go.  Of course, this may not always be possible – not all of us are lucky enough to bring our dogs to work every day – you should try to bring the dog everywhere possible.  Doing so may prevent fear-based aggression problems later in life.

In many shared-species homes the cat quickly asserts his or her dominance over the dog.  Oftentimes a swipe of the claws across the dog’s nose or a loud hiss accompanied by the cat’s hair standing on end is all it takes.  However, if the dog has a high prey drive and the cat chooses to run away rather than facing the dog, you may forever be trying to convince the dog that the cat is not a chew toy or an appetizer.

Choosing the Right Dog for Your Cat

If you already have a cat in your home, it’s worthwhile to take the time to find a dog who can peacefully co-exist with your cat.  Tell the breeder or shelter worker that you have a cat, and ask if the dog you are considering has been evaluated around cats.  They should be able to tell you whether or not the dog is cat-friendly.

If you’re at a shelter, you may even be able to walk a cat past the dog runs or walk a dog past the cat kennels to see what happens.  What you’ll be testing is the strength of the dog’s prey drive.  Ideally, you want a dog with a  very low prey drive, or at least one who doesn’t see cats as the ideal prey.

Assessing Your Dog’s Prey Drive

Dog behavior is driven by four main instincts:  pack, prey, fight, and flight.  Dogs who are driven by their pack instincts love to be around other animals and people.  The prey drive is what makes your dog hunt or chase anything that moves.  Dogs ruled by their fight drive are self-confident and enjoy games like tug-of-war.  The flight drive causes a dog to run away or hide rather than confronting new situations.

Each dog has all four instincts, but usually one of them will be dominant.  Partially determined by breed, partly by training and environment, the dominant drive determines how your dog will react to new situations or stress.  The most important drive to assess when determining if a dog will get along with your cat is the prey drive.

Historically, the prey drive is responsible for the survival of the canine species because it allowed early dogs to catch their food.  Breeds that have been domesticated for the purpose of hunting or herding have been selectively bred to reinforce the prey drive.  If the puppy or dog you intend to bring home has a high prey drive, it doesn’t mean the dog will forever chase the cat, but it does mean you will have to take a very controlled approach to the introduction.

A quick way to assess a dog’s prey drive is to simply observe the dog around wildlife such as squirrels and chipmunks.  Does the dog zero in on the wildlife, barking incessantly and trying to get to the prey in spite of all obstacles?  Or does the dog bark a little, then find something else of interest when it becomes clear he cannot catch the little critter?

If there are no woodland creatures available when you are assessing the dog, see how strongly the dog engages with you when you try to simulate prey.  Make a high-pitched noise and run a little distance away from the dog.  Does he give chase or does he look for a place to hide from the noise?

For a more formal assessment, you can evaluate your prospective pet using the C-BARQ tool from the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society.  If the dog in which you are interested is in a shelter, you might ask the staff to evaluate the dog using the American Temperament Test Society’s protocol. 

Planning the Introduction of a Dog and a Cat

Once you have determined how strong the prey drive is in your dog, you will begin planning his first encounter with your cat.  Your planning will revolve around controlling the environment where the introduction is to take place.  At a minimum, you want to have a calm place without distractions like screaming children or loud music.  Spend some time petting your dog and trying to get him calm and relaxed before you bring the cat into the situation.

For a dog with a very low prey drive, it may be as simple as putting your cat on one side of a baby gate and walking your dog past the gate to see what happens when he gets a whiff of cat scent.  If all goes well, you can allow them to interact more fully.

However, if your dog has a high prey drive, you will need to take the time to carefully plan how the early encounters between the dog and the cat will be handled.  Until you have firm control over your dog, it’s best to keep the cat totally isolated from the canine.  You might have to divide your house into two separate zones; one for the cat and one for the dog.  Give some consideration to where you might place baby gates or what doors need to remain closed until you are prepared to make the proper introductions.

Make sure your cat has an escape route.  Cats would much rather run than fight, for the most part, so you should be sure they can jump over a baby gate, hide under a bed, or leap to the top of the refrigerator if they need a break.

You may want to introduce the dog’s scent to the cat or vice versa by rubbing a towel over the animal’s body and placing it in the other pet’s sleeping quarters.  Once they can smell the towel without getting overly excited, put the cat in another room and let the dog check out the cat’s favorite spots so he recognizes that there are several places in the house that will smell like the towel smells.  Do the same for the cat.

Controlling Your Dog While Meeting a Cat

Once you have the environment as calm as you can possibly get it, you need to think about how you will control your dog.  You might play extensively with the dog before bringing the cat into the picture so your dog will be a little on the tired side, making a chase slightly less likely.  In addition, make sure the dog is not so hungry that the cat looks like a tasty snack.

Leerburg Kennels http://leerburg.com/dog-cat.htm highly recommends crating your dog or at least keeping him on a leash until you are sure of his response to the cat.  They recommend putting the dog on a leash when he enters the house for the first time so that he realizes the house is a place to be calm.  The dog is led to his crate and locked up, then the cat is allowed to come into the room.

If the dog barks or tears up the crate trying to get out, they scold the dog, then use discipline if the barking doesn’t stop.  They recommend covering the crate with a sheet, spraying lemon water in the dog’s face, or using a no-bark collar if the dog is older than four months.  Following any correction, make sure to spend some time loving on your dog so he knows you aren’t carrying a grudge and that you “hate the sin but love the sinner.”

When they want the dog to have some out-of-crate time, they simply lock up the cat in another room.  Once the dog has gone at least a week without barking at the cat from his crate, the dog is allowed to roam the house on a leash, possibly with a muzzle, depending on how aggressive the dog becomes.

Aggression is handled by correcting the dog strongly enough to make him think before the next time he wants to put the cat in her place.  The goal is to make the dog realize that the cat is part of the family pack structure, and should be accepted as such.

Leerburg recommends that you also treat the cat as part of the pack, scolding the cat when she teases the dog by staying just out of reach from the end of his leash, then runs around to excite the dog’s prey drive.  Scolding the cat tells the dog that you are the alpha leader of the house, even above the cat (although the cat will never admit this).

Using rewards

Both the cat and the dog should be rewarded for good behavior.  Each time they meet without starting World War III, both should get lots of praise and possibly even a treat or two.

Be prepared for this to be a long process, often taking a month or more before you can be sure your dog will not harm your cat.  Use short visits at first, and reward even the baby steps you see as they learn to co-exist.

For more information

PAW Rescue has an extensive library of tips about introducing your dog to cats, to other dogs, and to people.

Dog breeds are an individual choice

If you’ve spent any time at all reading our breed profiles, you know that different breeds have very different personalities.  From the independent Chow Chow to the always-underfoot Golden Retriever, different breeds are known for different traits.  And within each breed, there is variability between individual dogs.

Choosing a puppy means spending enough time with potential dogs to find one that matches the person’s lifestyle and temperament.  A very active person might like a Labrador Retriever, but the energy of that type of dog might be way to much for someone who leads a more sedentary life.  Small children might love a Great Dane puppy, but when the dog turns out to be huge a mere six months later, it could be a scary situation.

Even something as simple as the color of the dog may make a difference to the person for whom you are buying.  For example, if your girlfriend has all-white furniture in her home, she might not appreciate your buying her a red dog that sheds.  And some people are simply scared of big black dogs, even though color doesn’t have anything to do with temperament.

Find another way to teach responsibility

One of the biggest reasons why parents give in to their child’s request for a puppy is because they believe that having a dog will teach the child responsibility.   Let’s think about that for a moment.  If you can’t even get your son to recognize that the garbage can doesn’t empty itself, how will you get him to remember to feed and walk the dog?  If your daughter can’t see past the text window on her cell phone, what makes you think she will take the time to train a dog?

Dogs, especially while they are puppies, are very high maintenance.  Do you really expect your daughter to get up in the middle of the night before an exam to take the dog outside to the bathroom?  Will your son, who throws up when he sees blood, be able to clean up dog poop and vomit?

Until your children understand that a puppy is a living, breathing being with needs as well as wants, it’s not fair to the dog to expect all of his or her care to come from a kid.  (It’s not fair to a young child, either.)

Unless you plan on taking personal responsibility for the dog, it’s better not to surprise your children with a puppy under the tree.

Christmas Day is crazy!

Have you ever considered Christmas morning from a small puppy’s point of view?  You have taken this very small animal from his mother and placed him in a box where it is dark and scary.  Then, all of a sudden the box is opened and bright twinkling lights assault his eyes while the shrieks of children invade his ears.  He is picked up – none to gently – and passed from person to person, and when he pees on one of them, he is scolded.  Then he is taken outside in the cold, where he has no idea what is expected of him.

By the time he comes back in, the children have begun ripping open their other packages, but when he chews on the ribbons, he again gets scolded.  All he wants is a place where he can lie down and hide, but that big cat took the best place in the house – on the heating vent, and she hisses at him whenever he comes near her.

He wanders out into the kitchen, where something smells heavenly, but he is not allowed to have any of it.  The doorbell rings, bringing in more loud people who pass him around, more food he is not allowed to eat, and more presents with ribbons he can’t play with.

Does that sound like fun to you?  It’s probably not for the puppy either.  Much better to get a puppy when your house is calm and at least one person has the time puppies need to have devoted to them.

Dogs live 12 – 15 years

If you buy someone a puppy for Christmas, keep in mind that most dogs live at least ten years, and some live to 15 years or even longer.  Is the person for whom you’re thinking about buying a puppy going to be in it for the long haul?  Even after the puppy has chewed up every shoe in the house and peed on every square inch of new carpet?

If you’re thinking about buying a puppy to impress a girl, think again.  My son’s girlfriend recently got a new puppy, and was doing a pretty good job of being a responsible pet owner.  Unfortunately, that meant she didn’t have much time for my son, and he ended up breaking up with her because he felt he had become second fiddle.  He knew this dog was likely to be “in the way” (his words) for at least the next ten years, and he couldn’t take it.

Although dogs become easier to care for as they get out of puppyhood, they still need daily walks or some other form of exercise, food, water, shelter, and lots of love.  Unless you know for sure that the recipient is capable of that level of commitment, a puppy under the tree is a very bad idea.

The excitement of a puppy wears off quickly

Particularly with children, the excitement of Christmas wears off fast, sometimes even before they go back to school.  After they’ve spent a few days playing with each of their gifts, they’re ready to move on to something else.  Unfortunately, the puppy won’t understand this.  He or she still wants to be the center of the child’s universe, regardless of how many X-box games were included with the game console.

It’s far better to introduce a puppy to the family at a calmer time, when all the focus can be on the dog rather than on the “busy-ness” of the holiday season.  Training and socializing a puppy can be all-consuming chores, and no one really has time to do this when there are so many other things to do.  Returning unwanted gifts, preparing and eating festive meals, writing thank-you notes, contacting far-away loved ones, and un-decorating the house all take up time after Christmas Day, but the puppy’s needs won’t diminish.  He or she will become just one more chore to take care of.

Oooh, baby, it’s cold outside!

In many regions, Christmas means cold temperatures and snow.  Have you given any thought to how you will housebreak a puppy when it’s so inhospitable outside?  Having house-trained dogs during both the winter and the summer, I can tell you it’s much easier in the summer.

You will be taking your puppy outside nearly every two hours around the clock.  Do you really want to mess with that when it’s so cold you wouldn’t even take out the garbage?  And what about the puppy?  His little feet may not appreciate the cold, and if the snow is very high, it may make it hard for a small pup to squat.

What about the free puppies that are always advertised around the holidays?

There are many reasons not to try to stretch your Christmas budget by getting a free dog.   First of all, there is no dog that can truly be had for free.  Sure, you may be able to procure the dog at no price, but your recipient will have to buy food, dog dishes, a leash and collar, grooming supplies, and veterinary care.  In the first year alone, most people spend close to $500 for a new dog.

The next biggest reason for not getting a “free” puppy for Christmas is that you generally get what you pay for.  Unscrupulous breeders know that everyone’s heart just melts at the thought of a puppy under the tree, so they try to unload their “lower quality merchandise” by giving away the dogs that haven’t been sold.  It may be that the dog is sickly or simply not show quality.  As long as the breeder has the puppy, he has to feed him or her and provide veterinary care.  If the breeder knows the puppy is not fit for sale, it saves him money to simply give the dog away; and he knows he can find someone to take the dog, especially just before the holidays.

What can I give instead of a puppy to the animal lover on my list?

If you are dead-set on giving a dog, check out local shelters and rescue organizations where you might find an older dog who is already house-broken, trained, socialized, and used to the commotion of a big family.  In addition, most shelter dogs are current on their shots and have already been spayed or neutered, cutting down on the expense associated with having a dog in the family.

Better yet, give your child a home-made gift certificate promising a puppy in three months, if the child works at a shelter every Saturday for at least two hours.  This allows the child to see what having a dog entails, and allows him or her to learn about the different breeds, and maybe to even fall in love with a shelter dog who will eventually come home.

If the person on your list loves all sorts of animals, consider buying a zoo membership or even adopting an animal at your closest zoo.  Depending on the zoo and on the amount of money you give, there may be opportunities to visit with the animals in the evenings when they are most active or even to help with feeding and care.

Learn more about alternatives to a Christmas puppy.

If you’re buying directly from a breeder, you should look out for those who have more than two or three breeds on the property, or if the puppies and adult dogs are kept in dirty, over-crowded cages you might suspect you are at a puppy mill.  However, most puppy mill puppies aren’t sold directly to families.  They’re sold to pet stores, who in turn sell them to unsuspecting people who want to have a purebred dog.

You may have seen pictures of puppy mills , and you might wonder why this type of operation is allowed to continue.  After all, many of the puppies who come from these mills have numerous genetic diseases and other problems as a result of the conditions of their birth.  The answer is that there are huge loopholes in the laws governing puppy mills, and as many as 17 states have no laws at all.

Federal Legislation

In 1966, the Animal Welfare Act was passed to regulate commercial dog breeding.  This law described the barest minimum standards of care acceptable for dogs which are being bred to be sold wholesale, to be enforced by the United States Department of Agriculture.

The major loophole in this law is that mills that sell directly to consumers are not bound by it.  Because this law was passed way before anyone had heard of the Internet, it didn’t include any provisions for puppy mills that sell on the Web.  In addition, many Internet puppies are bred overseas and are not subject to US law.

In 2008, the Farm Bill included an amendment that said puppies couldn’t be imported for the purpose of resale until they have reached the age of at least six months.  Although this was a major victory, it still didn’t address the problem of puppies sold directly to consumers after being born in either domestic or foreign puppy mills.

In September, 2008, the Puppy Uniform Protection Statute (PUPS) was introduced in the US House of Representatives, and a similar bill was introduced in the Senate.  It would have restricted the sale of puppies from puppy mills, and would have required breeders to provide out-of-cage exercise for each dog every day.  Due to the bills being introduced so late in the year, neither of them was passed.

A similar bill is now pending before the House of Representatives.  You can help your legislators see how important it is by following this link to contact them.

State Laws

One of the major problems in regulating breeders is that the Federal government considers breeders who sell directly to the public to be retailers, meaning that they do not fall under the purview of the federal government and should be regulated by each state.  However, many states categorize these very same operations as breeders, meaning that they must be regulated by the Feds.  As a result, no one inspects or regulates many of the nation’s puppy mills.

Even when puppy mills are raided due to reports of inhumane treatment, most existing laws are on the books as civil law, meaning that the most that can be done is to sue the owner.  No criminal penalties can be applied because the laws governing puppy mills are not criminal laws.  In order to get jail time, prosecutors must prove that criminal animal cruelty statutes have been broken, many of which do not address breeding conditions.  It’s a real catch 22.

In 2008, Virginia became the first state to pass meaningful legislation to help curb puppy mills.  The law limited the number of adult dogs that any commercial breeder could have at one time to 50.  Louisiana, Oregon, and Washington State soon followed suit.

As of this writing, 33 states have laws that seek to regulate the commercial breeding of dogs.  Many of them dictate only the minimum age a puppy must attain before being sold.  Some simply try to define what constitutes a “commercial breeder” or a “dog breeder,” which is just the first small step toward regulating these entities.  Some of them are lemon laws, aimed at protecting consumers who bring home a dog who later turns out to have a disease commonly associated with being born in a puppy mill, such as a respiratory infection or genetic defect.  Click this link to access an interactive map of state dog breeding laws.

Below is a summary of the bills currently on the legislative agenda in fifteen states.

Delaware

House Bill 95 defines a breeding dog, and prohibits anyone from having more than 25 of them at any one time.

Illinois

House Bill 198 and Senate Bill 53 state that no breeder can keep more than 20 intact dogs over one year of age.  House Bill 5771 defines two categories:  commercial breeders and dog breeders, establishing standards and licensing requirements for both.  Senate Bill 3841 defines three categories, calling them large-scale breeders, dog breeders, and hobby breeders.  Licensing requirements and standards are spelled out for commercial breeders and dog breeders.

Iowa

Three bills are currently being considered in Iowa:  House Bill 2280, and Senate Bills 2365 and 2233, all proposing standards of care for commercial breeders.

Massachusetts

Senate Bill 774 attacks the problem by prohibiting anyone who has more than 25 intact adult dogs from getting a kennel license.  Those who do get a license would be required to adhere to strict exercise requirements and to have their kennels constructed to meet minimum standards.

Minnesota

In Minnesota, House Files 253 and 573, as well as Senate Files 7, 201, and 500 seek to provide definitions for commercial breeders and hobby breeders.

Missouri

Missouri’s House Bill 1921 would apply to all breeders, regardless of how many dogs they own.  It introduces standards of care and prohibits anyone from having more than 50 intact dogs over the age of four months at any time.

New Hampshire

The Live Free or Die state has House Bill 1624 on its docket.  It would set standards of care for anyone who has more than ten intact dogs over the age of four months.  It would also regulate anyone who is involved in the negotiation, buying, selling, or transferring of dogs to an owner within the state.  Finally, it limits the number of intact dogs over four months of age anyone can have for breeding purposes to 50.

New Jersey

Assembly Bill 474 defines a breeder and requires that the state SPCA and the Humane Society be involved in creating rules for veterinary care.

New York

No fewer than seven bills related to dog breeders are being considered in The Empire State.  Assembly Bills 5507 and 6797 appear to be very vague, while Assembly Bill 7983 and Senate Bills 518, 4690, and 4961 would regulate the number of dogs which can be owned or sold by any one breeding operation.

North Carolina

House and Senate Bills 460 define commercial breeders and introduce new standards of care and penalties for these breeders.

Ohio

In Ohio, House Bill 124 and Senate Bill 95 define “regulated dog breeding kennels”.

Oklahoma

In Oklahoma, House Bill 1332 creates a quality assurance license for breeders, based on the number of dogs they sell, give away, or transfer in any calendar year.

South Dakota

The good folks in Pierre are considering House Bill 1146, which establishes a definition of a commercial breeder and prohibits ownership of more than 50 intact dogs over the age of one year.  It also allows the investigation of commercial breeders by humane society officials.

Washington

House Bill 1936 in Washington State establishes rules for anyone who owns ten or more intact dogs and prohibits any one person from owning more than 25 intact dogs over the age of four months.

Wisconsin

Senate Bills 110 and 208 define commercial breeders and dog breeders.  Only SB 208 sets licensing requirements and standards of care.

Many states also have other dog-related legislation such as spay/neuter and tethering laws under consideration.  You can see the full list here.

Get involved

I know, you already went to the polls to vote, but you can still be involved in the legislative process.  Use this link to find your state legislators’ addresses and drop them a line to ask them to support dog-friendly legislation.  Encourage them to support at least one of the proposed laws in your state, or to introduce a bill that would provide meaningful reform to the puppy mill industry.

In many of the states with more than one proposed statute, it is a very real possibility that none of the laws will be passed because legislators will continue to bicker over which one is best.  Encourage the legislators who represent your location to get over party politics and do the right thing.

The problem is that shelters are already filled past capacity, and they are being forced to euthanize dogs because they are out of space.  How can you help stop this alarming trend?  Aside from adopting shelter dogs, the best way to ease overcrowding at shelters is to keep your dog from contributing to the overpopulation problem.  Spay or neuter your dog as soon as your vet says he or she is old enough.

How bad is the problem?

According to the Humane Society as many as 6 – 8 million homeless animals are housed in shelters each year.  Only half of these animals are adopted.  The others are euthanized.  That’s about one every eight seconds.

Whose fault is it?  Many people want to blame the shelters or the Humane Society, but let me ask you this.  If you were forced to take other people’s pets into your home every day and care for them, how many animals would you be able to take, assuming your financial situation didn’t change?  Very few of us would be able to properly care for the number of dogs that would turn up without some sort of increase in our income.

Shelters are in the exact same situation.  Every day, new pets are dropped off because someone in the family is allergic or because they can’t afford to feed the animal, or because the dog bit Aunt Margaret, or because they didn’t realize how much work it would be, or because they didn’t know how big the dog would get, or because they didn’t know that puppies chew up shoes.

The list of reasons for surrender is endless.  Add to that the fact that many dogs wander away from home and are never claimed by their families.  Then add in the number of puppies that are the result of unwanted, unplanned pregnancies.

When irresponsible pet owners allow their dogs to get pregnant, it compounds the already bad problem.  It’s not the shelter’s fault they are out of room.  It’s a problem caused by dog owners who don’t spay or neuter their pets.  And it’s a problem to which all of us contribute when we don’t adopt shelter pets, when we don’t donate money to shelters to allow for additional cage space, and when we don’t volunteer our time in support of shelters.

The National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy is currently gathering and analyzing data in order to come up with recommendations on programs that will help reduce the number of homeless pets in the United States.

What if I want to breed or show my dog?

First, a word of caution:  very, very few people make any real money by breeding, unless they are in the business professionally.  By the time you take into account the vet bills and other expenses associated with puppies, plus the fact that you may not be able to sell all of the puppies, the profit margin just isn’t that big.  And caring for puppies, particularly if they become sick, or if the mother rejects one or more of the litter, is time-consuming, sleep-depriving, and hard!

Same thing goes for showing.  If you are showing dogs just for fun, have at it.  But if you are hitting the show ring with the expectation that you will make money, approach it the same way you would tell your kids to approach a rock star career – don’t quit your day job!

That said, if you are going to show or breed your dog, obviously you won’t be spaying or neutering.  Therefore, you must be responsible.  Like so many things in life, most of the responsibility falls on the female.  The rule of thumb is that if your dog is in heat, she doesn’t leave the house.  Most dog sports will not allow dogs in heat to compete, and unless you have a fenced-in yard, you shouldn’t leave your dog outside without total supervision when she is in heat.

Isn’t it better for a female dog to have one litter before spaying?

This is a huge myth that has circulated for years.  The fact of the matter is that a dog who is not spayed before her first heat cycle has seven times more risk of developing breast cancer.  The sex hormones produced by unspayed dogs’ ovaries seem to sensitize or pre-dispose breast tissue to later develop cancer.  To give you an idea of how important spaying  is, dogs who are spayed prior to their first heat cycle have a risk of malignant mammary tumors of less than 1/10^th of 1 percent.  Dogs who are not spayed until after their second heat cycle have a risk of 26%.

What about male dogs?

Neutering does not show the strong link to cancer prevention that spaying does, but neutering has other benefits.  Like men of any species, intact male dogs are desperate to find someone to mate with.  They may become destructive as they try to tunnel out of your house or yard to find their true love.  Once out, they are susceptible to diseases, fights, injuries, traffic, and cruelty.

Some surveys suggest that as many as 85% of dogs hit by cars are unaltered males.  And, if your dog is not properly tagged or micro-chipped when he gets out, he may very well end up in a shelter, unable to get home.

Neutering has also been shown to make male dogs less aggressive, and it eliminates the risk of testicular tumors.

What if I want my children to experience the miracle of birth?

Puh-lease!  Buy a video or go online, and your kids can see all you want them to see, without creating puppies that will be hard to get rid of and may end up in shelters.  Plus, for every puppy you do give away or sell, that is one less puppy that will be adopted from a shelter.

What about cost?

This is one of those situations where you can pay now or you can pay later.  The cost of taking care of a litter of puppies is much more than the cost of the spay/neuter surgery.  And when an unaltered dog has puppies, or when unwanted dogs roam the streets, your tax dollars have to pay for their care.  The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that the capture, impoundment, and eventual destruction of unwanted animals costs taxpayers and private humanitarian agencies over a billion dollars each year.

If you can’t afford to take your dog to a regular veterinarian for spaying/neutering, check with your local shelter for low cost or free clinics.  Most communities, vets, advocacy organizations, shelters, and rescue organizations regularly host these clinics as a proactive measure for dealing with pet overpopulation.

If you’re really worried about cost, adopt your dog from a shelter that has a spay/neuter policy.  Many shelters will not release an animal until he or she has been altered.  The cost of the surgery is included in your adoption fee.  Alternatively, some shelters offer a spay/neuter deposit.  You give them a certain amount of money when you take the pet home, but then you bring back a certificate from your vet when you have the surgery done, and your money is refunded.

What does spaying involve?

Now that we’ve covered all of the reasons why you ought to spay or neuter your dog, let’s talk about the actual procedure.  Spaying is very similar to what is called in humans a hysterectomy.  Quite simply, the veterinarian anesthetizes your dog, then opens her  abdomen and removes her uterus and ovaries.  The opening is stitched closed, usually in three layers to hold everything together.  The two inner layers of stitches will dissolve, and sometimes the skin layer will.  If not, you will need to have the stitches removed in 10 – 14 days.

The vet may keep your dog overnight after the surgery to observe her for any complications, or she may be sent home as soon as she is up and walking.

After-effects of spaying

Your dog should not be fed the evening after surgery, as she may be a little nauseous from the anesthetic.  Regular diet can be re-started the next day.

Your dog may have a slight cough after surgery because of the breathing tube that was down her throat during surgery.  The cough should go away in a few days.

If your dog will not leave her stitches alone, you may need to borrow an Elizabethan collar from your vet to prevent her from removing her stitches.  It looks funny, and it’s not very comfortable, but it does work.

Try to keep your dog quiet for about a week after the surgery.  No long runs in the park, no wrestling matches with the kids.  If the dog is overly active, she may develop a fluid accumulation under her incision.  Sometimes this goes away on its own, but it should be vet-checked, particularly if it is draining.

As with any surgery, there is a slight chance of infection.  Monitor your dog’s incision for drainage, swelling, redness, and excessive warmth following surgery.  If your dog develops a fever, call the vet immediately.

Marvista Vet has an excellent overview of the spaying process on their website.

What is involved in neutering a dog?

The neutering procedure is much simpler than spaying.  A small incision is made in the scrotal sac and the testicles are removed through the incision.  Usually, there are no stitches required.  Afterward, the scrotal sacs simply shrivel up without the testicles inside to fill them out.  If desired, prosthetic testicles can be inserted to preserve the dog’s appearance.

What to expect after neutering

Your dog will be able to return to his normal activities within a day or two.  He may have a little swelling or bruising, but that should go away in a few days.  As with spaying, keep an eye out for infection until the dog is fully healed.  Here is the Marvista Vet page on neutering.

For more information on spaying and neutering please see our article on Doggies.com.

Shelter Facts

AdoptingADog.org is dedicated to educating the public about shelter dogs, providing information to help convince people to adopt their next pet, rather than buying from a pet store.  They offer the following facts:

• Number of dogs given to shelters annually:  8 – 10 million.
• Number of Greyhounds killed annually in the racing industry:  20,000
• Number of dogs in the United States:  52 million
• Number of homes in the United States that include a dog:  33.9 million
• Only about half of America’s unwanted pets are taken to a shelter.  The remainder are left to wander the streets or are killed.
• About 40% of dogs given to animal shelters are purebreds, but the shelters may not advertise this fact unless the person bringing in the dog has his or her papers.
• Over 3,000 dogs are born every hour in the United States.
• Every year, there are 10 times more dogs and cats born in the United States than there are homes for.
• A single unspayed dog and her descendants can produce over 4,000 puppies over the course of seven generations. 

How can I help?

The statistics are grim.  But there are ways you can help.  One of the biggest things you can do is to make sure you know what to expect when you bring a dog into your home.  If you want a small dog, don’t let anyone convince you that the runt of the Saint Bernard litter will remain small.  If you have neighbors who call the police whenever you turn on your stereo, you need to have a plan for how you will handle barking.  If your child is allergic to dogs, look for a breed that is hypoallergenic.  One of the biggest reasons why dogs are surrendered at shelters is that the dog simply didn’t meet the family’s expectations.  This is hardly the dog’s fault, but nevertheless it is the dog who suffers, often for the rest of a pitifully short life.

The next most important thing you can do to reduce shelter populations is to spay or neuter your dogs.  The only true solution to pet overpopulation is to prevent it from the start.  If you are not breeding or showing your dog, there is absolutely no reason to keep the dog intact.  Low-cost spay and neuter clinics are offered in nearly every jurisdiction in the country.  There is no value at all to the dog in waiting to spay or neuter.  Female dogs actually have an increased risk of cancer if they are permitted to have a litter, and male dogs may become less aggressive after neutering.

Make sure your dogs are tagged and / or microchipped.  Many lost dogs end up at shelters, and if they cannot be identified and returned to their families, they may be euthanized.  Alternatively, they may take up scarce space, meaning that another dog will be put down.  If you are traveling with your dog, make sure your dog’s tags include your cell number so you can be reached on the road.

Last, but certainly not least, adopt a shelter dog when you are looking for a new member for your family.  Shelter dogs come in every shape, size, and personality, so you will definitely find the one you want.  If you are willing to adopt an older dog, the need is especially great.

Choosing a Shelter Dog Part One:  Before You Go

Before you make your visit to a shelter to choose a new family member, you should do some basic research to increase the odds of finding the perfect pet.  Petfinder.com is a great resource.  You can also use the website of your local shelter.

Look at several of the dogs listed as available, even if they are not dogs in which you are interested.  Do their descriptions indicate that anyone has actually evaluated the dog or do they all say the same thing?  Shelters and rescues that use foster homes rather than institutional cages can usually give you a better idea of what the dog is really like.  The description should be clear as to whether the dog is good with children, cats, and other dogs.  Any special needs should be fully described, as well as on-going medical care the dog may need.

Check the shelter’s return policy.  A reputable shelter will have a policy in place that allows you to return the dog if things don’t work out.  Most shelters will take a return, or in fact insist upon a return, at any time.  Large shelters with limited resources may set a time limit for returns.  In most cases, your adoption fee will not be refunded if you return the dog, although any deposit you have made for spaying and neutering should be refundable within a short time frame.

Narrow your list of shelter choices to those that look best based on the above criteria, then call each shelter on your list by considering the following:

What is the spay / neuter policy?  Many shelters have adopted a policy that no animals are available for adoption until after the animal has been spayed or neutered.  This is admirable because it helps with the overpopulation problem.  However, this may mean you cannot take your puppy home with you on your first visit, so distance to the shelter must be considered since you will be making two trips.  Also, a strict spay / neuter policy means that very young dogs are being put under general anesthesia, which is somewhat risky.  To avoid this risk, some shelters charge a deposit, and once the animal is spayed or neutered, the deposit is refunded.

Ask if the shelter does any temperament testing before placing dogs on the available list.  You will want some assurance that the dog is suitable for your family before you agree to take the dog home.

Check out the shelter’s adoption policy and fees.  Is there any kind of an application that would indicate the shelter is screening families to find those who are capable of taking good care of the dogs or will they release the dogs to anyone who shows up?  What do the fees include?  In many cases, the shelter will include the cost of microchipping and spaying or neutering the dog.  If your dog doesn’t need either of  these services, you may be able to negotiate a lower fee.  Other shelters may ask for whatever donation you are able to give to help defray their costs.

While you are on the phone, try to get some sense of how the staff feels about dogs.  Are they just identified by a cage number or does the person you talk to know the dog by name?  Are the dogs considered an inconvenience or are they treated as loving, lovable beings who have run up against some misfortune in their lives through no fault of their own?

Choosing a Shelter Dog Part Two:  At the Shelter

What should you look for in a shelter dog?  As when you are choosing any dog, you should be most interested in how the dog fits with your family’s lifestyle.  If you are outdoorsy, spending many weekends camping and hiking, you will want a sturdy dog, probably with short fur that will be less likely to pick up burrs.  If you live in an especially warm climate, you will want a dog with a lighter coat, rather than something like a Siberian Husky or a Bernese Mountain Dog.

Try to go in with an open mind.  You may have your heart set on a certain breed, but you may end up going home with a dog of another breed or even a mutt that ends up being a better match for your family.

Ask the shelter to bring the dog to a larger room so you can see how the dog reacts to you when he or she is away from the other dogs and outside of a cage.  Ideally, the dog will interact with you and your family willingly.  If the dog has his or her tail between the legs, head down, or hackles up, it is likely the dog has had unfortunate experiences with people in the past.  You should only take a dog like that if you have had experience in rehabilitating abused dogs.

Try to interest the dog in playing with you by throwing a ball or offering a tug toy.  Again, the dog should willingly want to play, but should not be overly possessive of the toy.  You should be able to take the toy away from the dog without causing a major upset.

Put a treat and a toy down near the dog and see which one generates the most interest.  This will help you to determine the dog’s primary drive, which can help you decide how to train the dog or if the dog will be good at certain sports.  For example, in dock diving, the dog must be willing to chase a toy into the pool.  If the dog’s primary drive is food, it may be harder to train the dog to go after a toy.

If possible, take the dog for a short walk to see how the dog reacts to distractions.  Ideally, the dog will remain focused on you even while other dogs are nearby or when cars go past.  A dog who can maintain his or her concentration will be much easier to train.

Through a fence, introduce the dog to your children.  Have your child put his or her hand flat against the chain links and see how the dog reacts.  Under no circumstances should your child put fingers into the pen.  Once the dog has met the child, have the child run or make loud noises and see what the dog does.  If the sudden movement or sounds are upsetting to the dog, this is not the dog you will want in your home.

Learn more about choosing the right dog for your family and bringing a new dog into your home in our doggies den.

Birth and infancy

After about 8 weeks in the womb, a puppy comes into the world inside an amniotic sac.  The mother begins licking the puppy to break the sac and to stimulate the puppy to start breathing.  Inside the womb, the puppy’s lungs didn’t have to work because oxygen from the mother’s bloodstream provided oxygen to all of the puppy’s body systems.  However, as soon as the umbilical cord is cut, the puppy no longer has access to the mama dog’s cardiopulmonary system and must begin breathing on his or her own.

Once the puppy has been cleaned, he or she will generally find a way to the mama’s teats and start nursing.  No one knows exactly how puppies find their way because until about 10 – 14 days of age, they cannot smell, hear, or see.  It is possible to tell which puppies are going to have alpha personalities by watching where they feed.  The teats in the center of the mama’s belly are generally considered prime real estate, and that’s where the alpha puppies will head.  Less dominant puppies will get the teats at the top and bottom of the abdomen, while truly meek puppies will usually have to wait until the others are done eating.

Early vocalization

It takes about 3 weeks before a puppy will make much sound other than a whimper.  Any loud cries should be immediately investigated because they likely mean the puppy is in distress.  In large litters, some of the smaller puppies may not be getting enough feeding time because they are shoved aside by their larger brothers and sisters.  Bigger puppies may also inadvertently hurt the smaller ones when they are playing, or the mama dog may sit down or roll over on a small puppy.  So if you hear your puppy crying, you need to go check on him right away.

Transitional

Between two and four weeks of age, puppies begin to open their eyes, crawl around, bark, and wag their tails.  They start realizing they have brothers and sisters, as well as a mama (a distinct creature, not just a source of nutrition).  Their baby teeth begin to come in, and they are generally started on solid food at this time, although they will still nurse from their mother, too.

Childhood

From four to twelve weeks, puppies start to learn socialization.  The puppies will begin to play with their littermates and learn how to “play bite”.  They use these little nips to warn each other when play is getting too rough, but the bites are not intended to inflict pain.

Puppies can begin potty training at about five to eight weeks, and their mama may be their best teacher.  Let them follow mama outdoors as often as possible, and they may begin to get some idea of what is expected of them.  You can also confine them to a smallish area because they won’t want to mess up their sleeping area.  If you keep them in a small area, then let them out frequently to relieve themselves, it will also help them to get the idea.

By eight weeks, puppies are usually fully weaned and can be sent to their forever homes.

By about twelve weeks, your dog should have been vaccinated against most easily-transmissable infection diseases and is ready to begin playing with other dogs.  Socialization to other dogs is important because it can prevent your dog from being overly aggressive or overly fearful later in life.  You should also socialize your dog to other household pets, including your children.

Growth

From four to six months, your dog’s primary job is to grow.  It may seem that they add inches and pounds literally overnight.  Although your new puppy will be very energetic, you will want to keep an eye on him or her to prevent rough play from injuring growing tissue.  Joints are especially prone to injury, so you should try to keep your dog from jumping off anything too high up.

During this time period, your dog will also begin to try to figure out the social structure at your home.  It is vital that you show the dog that you are the alpha member of the household and the he or she belongs well down the social ladder.  Some things you will use to establish this pecking order include basic obedience training, and teaching your dog to do things only when you have given permission.  For example, make the dog sit and stay before you put the food dish down.  Allow the dog to get on couches and beds only after he or she has been invited.  Feed the dog after the rest of the family has eaten.  You must reinforce the fact that you are above the dog at every opportunity during these formative months, or you may struggle for supremacy for the remainder of the dog’s life.  That may sound heartless and cold, but if your dog doesn’t understand that he or she must be subservient to you, it can cause major behavior problems later on.

Adolescence

From six to twelve months, your dog is going through his or her adolescent phase.  Just as with human teenagers, this can be a difficult time to be a parent.  Your dog is now big enough to cause real damage to your home or your children (particularly if you have a large breed), yet young enough not to understand that rowdy play might not always be appropriate.

Somewhere between one and two years old, your dog will reach social maturity and begin to settle down.  For some dogs this maturity isn’t attained until as old as three years, but it will come eventually – don’t lose heart!  Just keep working with your dog until he or she learns you are the boss and in charge of all the good things in life.

For more information

• Dumb Friends League Developmental Stages of Puppy Behavior
• The Puppy Portal Seven Stages of Puppy Development
• Diamonds in the Rough Developmental Stages and Socialization
• Doggies.com Newborn Puppy Care

One final note

One of the biggest reasons why dogs are abandoned to shelters is because the dog doesn’t match the owner’s expectations.  Spend some time thinking about what you want out of a dog, and research the various breeds to match your lifestyle and expectations to the breed’s expected temperament.  Realize that your puppy will take a long time to mature, so be patient and continue with socialization and training to get the dog you desire.

The importance of bonding

Although dogs are often called “man’s best friend”, ideally your dog will be a better friend to you than to the other people in the neighborhood.  You can accomplish this if you take the time necessary to properly bond with your dog when you first bring him or her into your home.

Bonding allows your dog to develop a special link to you and your family such that the dog will do anything you ask him or her to.  This is especially important if you will be using the dog as a guard or if you will be participating in obedience trials.  However, every dog will benefit from close bonding with one or more humans.

As pack animals, dogs require social interaction.  While it’s true that you want to quickly establish your place as the alpha dog in the pack, you will also want your dog to know that he or she is a valued member of the social structure.  This can prevent many behavioral problems later in life.  Dogs who know they are valued are less likely to suffer from separation anxiety and less likely to destroy your home when they get bored.  They may also bark less and are less likely to be overly-aggressive.

How is bonding accomplished?

The most important factor in how well you and your dog will bond is time.  Quite simply, the more time you spend with your puppy, the better and stronger the bond that the two of you will forge.  The other requisite for a tight bond is that you use positive methods to work with your dog so he or she will want to form a special connection with you.

Beyond those two items, how you bond with your puppy is entirely up to you.  You will likely use a number of different activities to promote bonding, ranging from grooming to taking walks to playing games to training.  Even just taking your dog with you when you run errands can help to strengthen the bond you share, even while providing important socialization opportunities.

Bonding with your puppy through grooming

Grooming your dog provides a great opportunity for bond formation.  Make sure to use tools that won’t scare your dog to keep the experience positive.  For example, if your dog has long, curly hair, you probably don’t want to groom with a brush that pulls the hair rather than smoothing it.  If your dog doesn’t do well with noise, a toenail grinder might not be the best way to trim his or her nails.

Assuming you are bringing home a young puppy who has had no prior bad experiences with another guardian, you should be able to easily get your dog used to the grooming techniques you will be using throughout his or her life.  Each time you introduce a new grooming tool, give your dog time to sniff at it and get used to whatever noises it might make.

For example, if you will be using a hair dryer after baths, let your dog smell the dryer before you turn it on.  Next, place the dryer a few feet away from the puppy and turn it on, letting the puppy go to the dryer to check it out, rather than bringing the dryer closer to the dog.  Only after your puppy is used to the sound should you try to actually use it to dry him or her.

Bonding with your puppy through walking

Another great way to bond with your puppy is through walks.  Obviously, new puppies need plenty of walking, so you will have lots of opportunities.  Spend some time each day getting your new dog used to his or her leash and collar before you begin taking walks.  Put a collar on your dog for short periods of time, rewarding the dog with play and praise each time he or she leaves it alone for a few minutes rather than scratching the dickens out of it.  Let the dog drag the leash around your living room for awhile before you attempt to pick it up and lead him or her.

Stay close by your dog as you go through these activities to reassure the animal that you won’t let anything hurt him or her.  Your puppy will bond closely to you when he or she realizes that you are a safety net against all things terrifying.

Bonding with your puppy through play time

Puppies have an uncontrollable urge to play, and you should make sure you are a part of play time.  Bonding requires that your puppy learn to depend on you to provide the games, toys, and interaction that make play so desirable. Play serves another important purpose:  figuring out what drives your dog so you can use it to your advantage when you begin obedience training.

It’s not too hard to figure out what drives your puppy.  Simply present him or her with several choices and see which one draws the most attention.  For example, you might set down a bone, a squeaky toy, and a tug toy.  Bring your dog into the room and let him or her sniff each toy.  It won’t be long before he or she picks one of them to play with.  Whichever one he or she picks will be your reward toy to use as you work on deepening your bond by providing positive rewards.

Regardless of which toy your puppy chooses first, he or she will likely want to play with all of them eventually.  Spend some time playing with your dog each day.  Get down on his or her level and just be silly.  Your dog needs to know that it’s not all seriousness, all the time.  Your willingness to participate in unstructured, all-out goofiness with your puppy will help the dog attach to you very quickly.

Bonding with your puppy through training

As your puppy begins to get a little older, you will likely want to start obedience lessons.  This gives you an opportunity to continue your play sessions, but now they will be a reward for a job well done.

Young dogs have notoriously short attention spans, so be sure to keep your training sessions short.  You can repeat the lessons several times throughout the day, and each training session should be followed by a play session.  When your dog obeys a training command, make sure to praise the dog lavishly and give a meaningful reward such as a small treat or a few minutes of play time with a favorite toy.  Then, at the end of the entire training session, allow the dog to play with you without the requirement of performing a skill first.

The entire training session should be based on play, letting your dog know that following your commands results in a rocking good time.  Negative training methods such as spanking, using a rolled-up newspaper, or yelling at the dog will cause most dogs to rebel, greatly extending the length of time required for training.

No matter which of these opportunities you use to develop a bond with your new puppy – more likely you will use several of them – make sure you take the time to enjoy your dog and make him or her the center of your life during those important formative months.  It will pay great dividends as your dog grows and develops into a wonderful companion for you.

For more information on bonding with your puppy, check out the articles on  Pet Place and Veterinary Partner.  You might also be interested in our article on the benefits of dog massage.