Fri 7th Aug: Things that make me see red

I have a feeling we're going to have a busy weekend after two puppies were adopted today as well as three-legged Tippy being offered a home.  Kit had just come back from having his cherry-eye surgery so is having to wear a come for a while, but it's done and over now at least.

The other puppy leaving was new girl Pumpkin, one of the recent intake that came with Tippy. 

I do have to remind puppy adopters once again that ALL puppies bite, and it's rare to find one that doesn't want to try out his or her teeth on the furniture.  Even now, although my Lamma dogs are all mature adults, destoying things and ripping up bedding is something a lot of them find to be a lot of fun and extremely entertaining.  

We now have our free information booklet that every adopter is given, as well as the back-up support of our very experienced trainer Cactus, but ultimately the responsibility for dealing with normal puppy behaviour lies with the adopter.  Stay calm when the pup gets over-excited, pick it up and give it something else to do, like chew on something tasty (not a boring rubber bone). Yelling and getting angry will only have the opposite effect to what you're trying to achieve. 

Unlike "naughty" puppies, some things do make me so angry and upset, like this surrender request for example.  The man was complaining that the dog bit (lightly) their toddler, so I asked for some information to assess whether it really was the dog that had a problem or if it was the situation.  I got this reply: "The dog has plenty of space (the family lives in a 550 square ft.apartment). flat. Now he rarely goes out for a walk because of the kid (time allocated to the kid)."   Whose fault is it that the dog is so wound up?  The photo I was sent shows a totally cowed and terrified animal, no doubt beaten for "misbehaving".  Does life suddenly stop for a dog when a child comes along? Does the dog not need walking any more, or is it supposed to take up knitting and meditation? 

Some of the treatment dogs are subjected to doesn't bear thinking about, and even owners who think they're doing the right thing are actually destroying their pets.  Like another surrender of a small poodle who was sent away to one of those terrible training camps in Yuen Long.  The poor dog is broken now, scared and a fear-biter, as anyone would be after that sort of "training".  If any trainer doesn't use 100% positive reward-based methods, please stay well away.  There are many really terrible trainers in Hong Kong, and your dog will end up being a biter if they're used.