Natural instincts

Puppies get into a lot of trouble for simply being puppies. A great deal of that trouble can be avoided if we close the gap between what is expected of the puppy and what he is capable of. Understanding what is normal for puppies is the first step in that direction.


People have speculated and disagreed for decades on the true origins of the domestic dog, but DNA testing has finally put the debate to bed. Your puppy’s ancestors were wolves, and some of the natural instincts he still carries in his genes are relics from his past and evident in his early behaviour patterns. Despite the way in which his development has been influenced by domestication, your puppy is still very much a dog. He still comes programmed with a whole bundle of instincts designed to ensure that he is fit for life as a social predator. And some of these instincts, which are perfectly acceptable in a wild-dog family, may result in behaviour that is decidedly inappropriate in our modern world. Chasing your neighbour’s cat, for example, is unlikely to go down well, yet many breeds of dog are still physically capable of hunting down and even killing small animals.
Some of your puppy’s natural instincts are actually quite useful to us. We can use his instinct for chasing moving objects to establish an excellent recall and to teach him to fetch a ball. His wolf-like instinct for keeping his den or sleeping area clean will help you to house-train him. Some puppy instincts are less helpful. Gnawing his way through the legs of your antique table, or digging up the herb garden, are rarely approved puppy pastimes, yet chewing and digging are very natural to puppies.


Just like our children, puppies need to be educated and taught that some of their most basic instincts must be kept in check. They need to learn new and often unnatural (for a dog) ways to behave. They need to be taught not to use indoor human buildings for toilet purposes, to play gently with their human friends, and to obey our commands and signals. All dogs need to be confident moving around in public places and among strangers, and to be friendly to the people they meet there.