Fri 14th April: Why a breed?

At 5 months this husky is very small

A husky puppy, that I have now called Natasha, was surrendered to us yesterday just days after having been bought from a pet shop.  The buyer admitted it was the wrong choice for the family and I'm not going to make any comment other than I'm very pleased the puppy came to us and will find a good home very quickly.  I subsequently received an email asking for advice about which breed would I recommend as being more suitable, and this was my reply:

"With all dogs it's not just a question of them being easy to train or with a calm temperament, but also how they are treated and trained that forms their character.  The easiest way to look at it is that as babies humans and puppies are the same.  They aren't born knowing the rules of life and need to be gently guided.  We use only positive training, that is, by reward and never punishment.  By rewarding desired behaviour the puppy will be motivated to repeat that "good" behaviour to get the reward, whether it's a treat or praise.  Punishment is not only ineffective because the puppy doesn't understand what it has done wrong, but it also instills fear. If you are kind and gentle to a puppy it will be kind and gentle back, it's really very simple.

On that premise pretty much all dogs will grow into well-balanced adults, although certain breeds do have inbred traits.  Sporting breeds like beagles for example, have a strong sense of smell and are incredibly greedy.  They can smell anything edible from a long way off and will do anything to get at it. Terriers are hunting dogs and are often high energy.  A Jack Russell for example needs a lot of exercise even if small. 

One thing I would like to mention is that pet shops are not nice places and their staff are sales people wanting to make a sale.  Breeders are the same but worse.  Pet shops deliberately starve the puppies to keep them small sized, and usually advise buyers to restrict food, as well as keep puppies in a cage.  We do neither.  Starving a puppy almost always results in food guarding, a problem we see very often in ex-pet shop dogs that come to us.  This can be a serious behaviour problem which is so easily avoided by making sure the puppy has plenty of food at each meal, which should be 3 to 4 times a day as a young puppy.  By 6 months it can be reduced to 2 meals a day. As an adult the meal sizes can be measured appropriately.

We highly recommend the website www.dogstrust.org.uk for all dog matters, including training videos which are easy to follow for all the family.  Consistency is the key so that it's clear to the puppy what is wanted, and then reward is given. The mistake most people make is assuming that the puppy automatically understands what is meant, but of course they don't. By rewarding desired behaviour the puppy understands that it has done well, so will repeat that behaviour or action. Smacking or any punishment should never be used, only reward.

We also do not use cages or crates for training, and if you need to confine a puppy for any period you can use baby gates. Toilet areas must be separate from eating/sleeping/play space, but always accessible so the puppy can use when needed.  Using this method of training, all of my baby pups are toilet trained at a very young age and without any input from me or their foster parents/adopters.  It's instinctive for a puppy not to soil its living space and to use the same place for toilet needs, so they will do this automatically if given the opportunity. 

Please also note that puppies have very sharp milk teeth which, like human babies, will fall out and be replaced by adult teeth (at around 5 months of age).   All puppies bite and it hurts because their teeth are sharp, but it's natural behaviour that must not be punished, only re-directed to something more appropriate, like a toy or a chew.  It's normal puppy play behaviour to fight with other puppies so they learn bite inhibition.  In nature puppies would not be alone, so when they are solitary it's vital that they are given socialisation opportunities with other dogs and puppies.

Every Sunday including Easter

On a final note, as a rescue organisation who has homed almost 8000 dogs and puppies, and as someone who has been working in this field for over 20 years, I would urge all would-be adopters to consider mixed breeds over inbred "pure". You might be very surprised at how beautiful many of our mixed breeds are, and how happy, sweet and friendly. Maybe I can persuade you to drop by at Whiskers N Paws any Sunday to take a look".

Impy as was, waiting for a haircut from Iris

By the time many of the small dogs come to us they have already suffered the results of poor training and all of the things I mentioned, and the result is that they are fear biters or food/resource guarders.  It's very hard to find adopters who are willing to take on such dogs and rehabilitate them but there are a few who do just that.  Here's an update received today from just such an adopter who took home a difficult dog called Impy, changed his name to Happy, and then set about turning his behaviour around:  "It's been 2.5 years since Happy came to the family. I just want to let you know you have done the right thing to give  those "rehab" dogs a second chance. Happy no longer bite people though sometimes when forced to do something he didn't like eg brushing his teeth and/or putting in eye drop, he will fight back. He get along well with everyone in the family especially our Mastiff. And finally I can hold him in my arm.... my wish did come true. 😊 With "time, patience and love", I am sure all rehab dogs can, one day, have a lovely home".