Tues 14th Feb: Puppy lessons from both sides

Puppies and small dogs sharing space

It's nice to see both Homing Centres enjoying the presence, and challenges, of puppies for a change, particularly at Ap Lei Chau where the space usually occupied by small-sized dogs is now a kindergarten strewn with toys.   We have managed to move a few youngsters into foster care, and thanks to those who offered to help out.  Both trainer Cactus and I have been kept busy responding to questions about feeding, toilet training and puppy biting (why is the puppy always attacking my socks?)

I'm so used to puppies that I forget everything that's involved, and I have to admit that by necessity I'm a hands-off "mother" who pretty much lets the pups sort themselves out.  Given the space to assign a designated toilet area (almost) all puppies will use it by choice, so cleaning up is easy.  I use newspaper, which seems to attract pups in the same way that cats automatically use litter, and I don't like pee pads for two reasons.  The first is that puppies tend to think they are toys and rip them up, and the second is that, just like human baby disposable diapers, they're very environmentally unfriendly.

Puppies beat each other up and there are screams and yelling, but this is an important part of play and learning and they should be left to get on with it.  It's really extremely rare that any pup will be injured, and by breaking up such play fights you're actually preventing them from understanding that biting hurts, a very important lesson.

Puppies should not be deprived of food or allowed to go hungry, and I never follow the feeding guidelines on the bags because they don't allow for individual needs.  Puppies will eat until they have had enough and then stop, and those that are under-fed (and constantly hungry) will often develop food guarding behaviour.  It's understandable that if food is in short supply you will fight to get and keep what you can, whereas if there's always plenty for everyone it's never an issue.  Most dogs are quite capable of controlling their food intake, and it's only certain breeds like labradors and beagles that will eat until they burst.

Wigbert is a lovely pup, we are now on day 4 without having any 'accidents' in the house! He's extremely mellow but energetic at the same time. Like any pup he's very inquisitive and he loves playing catch with a tennis ball or any ball actually. He will be at Whiskers and Paws on Sunday ready for adoption!

Everything that moves is attractive to a puppy, and that includes shoes and socks, preferably with feet inside. Puppy teeth are like needles which pierce the skin very easily, and this is just one of the reasons why we always say that very young children and very young puppies don't go well together. Puppies are babies without any understanding of what they are doing, and if they don't have older dogs to teach them then it's down to the human parents to do that job.   Expecting a puppy to know what is required and then punishing it for not understanding makes no sense at all.  Smacking or yelling is common, but that doesn't make it right.

Soft and soppy Dylan is already toilet trained

If you are thinking about adopting a puppy, why not consider one that has had the benefit of being in a foster home and is already trained?  Puppies like Wigbert, Dylan, Dallas and Cabo for example. Meet them all at Whiskers N Paws on Sunday.

Every Sunday!