Take care of your dog

• Prepare your puppy’s den, and put up baby gates and a playpen in the garden. • Take someone with you to collect your puppy. • Take a travel kit in case of carsickness. • Check numbers match on registration and pedigree certificates. • Take your puppy home travelling in the footwell of the car, pressed up against your passenger’s legs. • Put him in his toilet area as soon as you arrive home and every half-hour afterwards.

At last. You have made it home with your precious new bundle. You pull into the drive and switch off the engine.  What now? The very first thing you need to do is take the puppy straight to his outdoor toilet area so that he can have a wee. Offer him a drink of water and make yourself comfortable. It may take him a while to decide that it’s okay to wee in this new place. Puppies vary in how they react to being placed on the ground in a strange place. Some are like little clockwork toys – you put them on the ground and off they go. Others will be more hesitant, and a few will freeze with fear. If your puppy seems worried, get right down on the ground with him, let him know that you are there for him and let him climb on your lap if he wants to, while he surveys this new world. He will want to stay near you but he will soon begin to sniff about and hopefully will decide to do a wee. Once he has emptied his bladder, you can take him indoors, but it is a good idea to set an alarm ...

The chances are that your puppy has never been in a car before. He has also never been away from the home where he was born and where he feels safe. If you put your puppy in a crate in the back of your car and drive home with him shut in there, one or all of the following three things may happen. He will scream very loudly most of the way. He will be sick. He will empty his bowels.  This reinforces your position as pack leader and is just good manners! This is simply because the puppy is stressed and feels abandoned. He may be perfectly safe in the crate in the event of an accident, but your driving is likely to be adversely affected by the noise and the smell. All in all, it is not a very good start to his new life. For this reason, when I collect a puppy, I always take an adult passenger with me, or get someone else to drive. Then the puppy can sit in the footwell on the passenger side of the car. Pressed up against someone’s legs, he will feel safe and won’t scream with fear. I...

If you are buying a pedigree puppy, make sure that the breeder gives you the registration certificate, and the pedigree certificate, and make sure that they are for the same puppy! Check that the KC registration numbers match. Your breeder has probably registered several puppies and it is an easy mistake to mix up documents. If the puppies have had their first vaccination, you will need your puppy’s vaccination certificate, too. Many puppies will not have been vaccinated at all, and that is perfectly alright. You can read up on vaccinations in Part One if you haven’t done so already. Don’t forget to check the relevant health certificates if you haven’t seen them already. Some breeders will give you a little piece of blanket or vetbed to take with you so that the puppy has something with the smell of home on it. Don’t forget to take some of the puppies familar food with you. Breeders normally give you enough for several days. Some breeders will give you a puppy pack with food sample...

The journey home will be much simpler if you take a friend to help you. You will need a travel crate of some description in case you have to restrain the puppy in the vehicle (more details below). Line the crate with vetbedding or an old towel. Take a travel pack with a couple of bin bags (to put soiled waste in), spare newspaper, a spare towel and plenty of baby wipes. It is probably a good idea not to wear your best clothes! If this all sounds a bit ominous, don’t panic – not all puppies are carsick but if you prepare yourself in this way, the worst that can happen is that you will need your kit. Hopefully, you will be lucky and have an uneventful journey home. Take with you a list of notes/questions that you want to ask the breeder. If your visit overlaps with someone else’s, or she is very busy, things can easily be forgotten. Note down any documents you need to see, and make a note to ask the breeder when the puppy was last fed, when he was last wormed and whether or not he has be...

AT LAST THE big day has arrived. The waiting is over and it is time to collect the new addition to your family. The day that you bring home your puppy is a fairly momentous occasion. You are about to begin a new chapter in your life and you are bound to feel excited, and perhaps just a little anxious. We all have our own way of doing things. If you like to organise every outing like a military manoeuvre, as I do, you won’t need me to remind you to make a list and plan the day carefully. If, on the other hand, you are a free spirit, who likes to take things as they come, I suggest you read through this chapter first. My objective is to help your day go smoothly. We’ll look at the best way to travel with a small puppy, what you need to take with you, and what you will need to bring home with you in addition to your new friend. Before you leave the house, you’ll need to prepare your puppy’s den and put up any baby gates that you are going to use. Have the puppy’s crate ready in a family r...

Have you: • Bought a crate, car crate and baby gates? • Bought vetbedding to fit the crates? • Bought some Kongs, a rope toy and a ball or two? • Puppy-proofed an outside area or bought a puppy pen for the garden? • Set up some garden lights where necessary? • Bought a torch and some slippers? • Arranged a puppy-sitter for when you go back to work? • Bought a game for your kids? • Stocked up on familiar food (the same brand as used by your breeder)? • Booked an appointment with your vet the day after your puppy arrives?

If you have never owned a dog before, and your puppy has not yet arrived, you will be aware that you are about to begin an exciting new chapter in your life. Nothing will ever be quite the same again. Unless you have small children, life without a puppy tends to be relatively civilised. You can get up when you want to, go out for as long as you want to, take weekend breaks or book a last-minute bargain holiday. Within reason, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want to do it. You can leave cupcakes on your coffee table, and bacon on the kitchen unit, in the knowledge that it will still be there in ten minutes’ time. No one will disassemble your shoes or chew a hole in your favourite sweater if you forget to put them away. And the chances are no one ever leaves suspicious puddles on your kitchen floor, or underneath your bed. Your world is about to change. But don’t panic. Many of the adjustments you will need to make in your life to accommodate this new family member are just te...

Routines play an important part in keeping puppies contented, and the establishment of a new home den for your puppy is the first key to his happiness. So it is a very bad idea to collect a puppy when there is a lot going on in your life. All good breeders will hold on to a puppy for a week or two rather than have it go to a new home at a difficult time. Don’t be tempted to collect your puppy on Christmas Eve, or the day before your daughter’s wedding. And don’t take a tiny puppy on holiday with you. You won’t be able to settle him in properly and he is highly likely to become stressed and unwell. Your puppy is going to need your undivided attention for some time. If you work full time, it is a good idea to book your annual leave in time to spend it with your new arrival.

If you intend to go back to work full time during your dog’s lifetime, you will need to consider in advance how you will make arrangements for his comfort and welfare. It is beyond the scope of this book to advise you on whether you should or should not own a dog. But remember that a crate is not a suitable long-term solution for a dog left alone during the day on a regular basis. Other than at night, you cannot crate a small puppy for hours at a time. He will simply become miserable and/or learn to mess in his crate. If you have to leave your puppy on a regular basis, you have two alternatives. You can arrange for someone else to attend to his needs while you are away, or you can provide him with a proper outdoor kennel with a run. A properly constructed kennel has a place where a dog can stretch his legs, a place where he can relieve himself, and a sleeping area where he has shelter from the wind, sun and rain. There are, however, major drawbacks to kennelling a puppy on his own. Dog...

The most important toys you can buy for your puppy are Kongs. A Kong is a hollow and heavy rubber toy, which is extremely resistant to damage from chewing. Kongs come in a range of sizes, so you can start out with a puppy Kong and work your way up as he grows. You will need three puppy Kongs to begin with. One for him to chew, one for you to wash, and a third to be filled with food and frozen. You give the puppy the frozen Kong when you have to leave him alone for a while. This fulfils his need to chew and keeps him from getting bored and  miserable. You then pack the centre of one of your spares with soft food and freeze it. Rawhide chews are another chewing toy and, in theory, are edible. However, they make many dogs sick when the bits are swallowed, and a puppy must never be left alone with one as he could choke on the pieces that he pulls off. Rawhide chews and rawhide bones are ideal for keeping a puppy occupied while he is cuddled on your lap, and a diversion from biting your...

Before your puppy arrives, you need to decide where he is going to go to the toilet. This outdoor space needs to be puppy-proof. You do not want to be chasing your puppy around your neighbour’s garden with a torch at 3 a.m. because you didn’t fix the hole in the fence. Puppies can squeeze through smaller spaces than you might imagine. Some puppies are pretty good climbers, too. So make sure there is nothing against the fence that your puppy can use as a climbing aid to assist him in clambering over the top. Some puppies have the excavating capabilities of a mechanical digger, so don’t be tempted to leave your puppy outside unsupervised if there is no hard surface to prevent him tunnelling under the fence. And hedges, even thick ones, are not an obstacle to a puppy left to his own devices for very long. If you intend to allow your puppy the freedom of your garden, the entire perimeter needs to be secure, and you need to think about puppy-proofing what is inside it. Check that the puppy ...

Until house-training is well under way, you will need to restrict your puppy from unsupervised access to parts of the house that are carpeted. You will probably want to prevent him from going upstairs, too, as climbing steps at a very young age has been associated with joint problems. You can now purchase baby gates online fairly inexpensively and you may be able to find second-hand ones at car-boot sales or online. If you buy second-hand, make sure the gates have all four large screws that attach to each corner. These are needed to brace the gate against the walls, and are easily lost when old gates are packed away. For a very small puppy, you may want to attach a fine mesh wire to the gate itself to prevent him from squeezing between the bars, or put a board across the bottom. Most cats can walk between the bars of a baby gate or jump easily over the top, so this also makes a nice barrier through which the cat can escape when he has had enough of being bounced on and licked. You will...

A boisterous puppy rampaging around your car while you are driving is extremely distracting. Small dogs can also get under the pedals and prevent you braking or operating your clutch. And in an accident, an unrestrained dog can become a missile. So for safety’s sake, your puppy will need a secure place to travel in your vehicle. You can buy dog guards, which fit behind the rear seats and prevent the dog leaving the luggage area of your estate car or hatchback. However, these do not protect the interior of the luggage area from your puppy’s sharp teeth and from his urgent need to chew. Car crates are a better option. Travel crates can be purchased in a huge range of styles, and you will almost certainly be able to get one that fits neatly in the rear of an estate car. Saloon cars can be more problematic, and you may end up using a smaller carry crate initially, then transitioning to a dog harness on the back seat later. This isn’t ideal, because some dogs will chew everything in sight, ...

THE MOMENT YOU have been waiting for is drawing near. You have almost completed your preparations for the arrival of your puppy. In Part Two of this book we will be looking at the practicalities of living with your puppy and keeping him happy, healthy and safe on a daily basis. In the meantime, as the big day approaches, it’s time to check that you have everything you need, and to make sure everything is in place to ensure that the arrival of your puppy goes smoothly. Let’s look first at some of the purchases you will need to make.

• Make a safe home den for your puppy. • Choosing a crate has house-training advantages, but don’t keep him in it for too long. • Feeding him in his den will encourage him to accept it readily. • Make sure the crate is the right size. • Expect to get up in the night to begin with.

The home den is not just a bed or basket where the puppy sleeps. It is much more than that. Your puppy’s first den was the place where he first opened his eyes, where he was suckled by his mother, and where he slept with his siblings. As far as your puppy is concerned, this den is a place of absolute safety, even when his mother is not there. It is important to acknowledge that when you bring your puppy home, he will be leaving his home den behind. One of your first priorities will be to recreate a den in your home as quickly as you can – a place where your puppy feels safe. This is easier said than done, because many of the attributes of a home den, familiarity, scent and sounds, cannot be manufactured. There are, however, some features of a home den that all puppies have a preference for, and you can help your puppy settle in by making sure these are available for him. What does a home den look like? Your idea of a great place to sleep and relax may be very different from your puppy’...

WE CAN ONLY guess at how a new puppy feels when he leaves behind everything he has ever known and arrives in a brand new world. Although most new puppies are about eight weeks old when they leave home and still quite trusting of strangers, it is reasonable to assume that your puppy will miss his mother and his brothers and sisters for a while. Everything in your home must seem strange. All around him are new sights, new smells and new sounds. Without doubt, there is great potential for this little dog to feel very lost and lonely. The aim of this chapter is to help you settle your puppy in, and make him feel at home as quickly as possible. There are two ways to make any tiny puppy feel safe and secure. One is to keep him very close to you; the other is to place him in his home den. Your problem, for the first few days, is that your puppy’s home den is far away.

• Vaccination will protect your puppy against fatal diseases. • Carry your puppy when out and about on socialisation trips until his vaccinations are complete. • Regularly treat your puppy for parasites, internal and external. • Consider taking out veterinary insurance.

Recommendation from a friend or neighbour is a good starting place in your search for a vet. Failing that you will have to pick a local vet and see how you get on. Most veterinary surgeons are dedicated professionals who adore animals and are committed to your puppy’s best interests. But you can always change to a different vet later on if you are not happy with your first choice. When you take your puppy along for his first check-up, which should ideally be within a day or two of collecting him,  you may be surprised to find that your vet suggests a date for neutering your new friend. Some veterinary surgeons, it must be said, have considerable enthusiasm for separating dogs from their reproductive equipment. This is for several reasons, including health advantages for the dog as well as for the more obvious birth-control purposes. Some of the health benefits to neutering are fairly significant, especially where bitches are concerned, but there are also some health disadvantages. ...

By the time you bring your puppy home he should have been wormed several times already by his breeder. You may have heard that humans can catch roundworms from puppies and this is true. It is therefore important to worm your puppy regularly and take a few sensible hygiene precautions. Make sure you don’t allow the puppy to lick anyone’s mouth and that small children wash their hands after playing with him. You should also keep little children well away from anywhere that the puppy has used as a toilet. Tapeworm infections are also common in dogs, and as he gets older, your puppy will need to be treated regularly to keep him free from these. You can buy worming medicines for older puppies that treat these two types of worm in a single dose. In some parts of the country, lungworms are also an issue. They are transmitted via slugs and snails, which puppies may eat deliberately or by accident when licking bowls and toys left outdoors overnight. Your vet will be able to advise you on protec...

One of the major concerns that all new puppy owners face is over the safety of their puppy until his course of vaccinations is complete. Your puppy has some protection against diseases even before he is vaccinated, in the form of antibodies passed on from his mother. These antibodies can interfere with the vaccination itself and this is why we need to wait until your puppy is around eight weeks old before he has his first vaccination. In addition, vets will often counsel the puppy owner not to take the puppy out in public until a week after the final vaccination. As the second vaccination is given three to four weeks after the first, if you follow your vet’s instructions to the letter, you could end up with a puppy that has not been out in public until he is twelve or thirteen weeks old. So how do you reconcile this situation with the urgent need to socialise your puppy? Most people compromise by taking the puppy out and about right from the start, ensuring that they keep him off the g...

Your puppy’s body has the ability to detect foreign and therefore potentially dangerous substances. Just like you, your puppy is able to produce antibodies, which identify and neutralise foreign invaders, such as bacteria or viruses. His system is able to recognise germs as dangerous, and so can manufacture the antibodies that he needs to protect himself. However, this manufacturing process takes time, and if a disease is serious enough, the puppy may not be able to manufacture sufficient antibodies in time to save his life. What vaccination does, effectively, is provide the body with a memory of the necessary antibodies in advance. So if and when your puppy is exposed to the disease that he has been vaccinated against, his body is ready and prepared to fight it successfully. What are we vaccinating against? The vaccination programme recommended by your veterinary surgeon will protect your puppy from a number of serious diseases, and these recommendations may change over time. At the t...

A healthy puppy is full of energy when he wakes from a nap. He plays enthusiastically and looks bright and bouncy. He sleeps often, deeply and quietly, although he may twitch his paws and make little sounds when he is dreaming. Many new puppies will get mildly upset tummies with the stress of moving home, and for the first few days some puppies will be carsick each time you take them out. This is normal. Since puppies are so small, they can go downhill rather fast if they get sick. So it is important to contact your vet if an upset tummy does not clear up quickly, or if you have any concerns at all. The following are reasons to call your vet without delay: If your puppy seems listless or won’t eat. If he has persistent diarrhoea, or is sick more than once within forty-eight hours, or twice in a week. If your puppy swallows anything you think may harm him, cries for no apparent reason or in an unusual way. If your puppy’s breathing is noisy or laboured. If he drags one of his limbs, is ...

MODERN MEDICINES AND programmes of vaccination have made puppyhood, like childhood, a much safer stage in life. Not so very long ago, puppyhood was a risky time. Dogs could catch a number of horrible diseases, which were often fatal, particularly for puppies. However, not everyone agrees that vaccinations are now the best way to protect our puppies from ill health. So in this chapter, we look at the options available to you and at the current evidence relating to their safety and efficacy. We will also look at how to keep your puppy free from parasites and at how to judge whether or not your puppy is sick and in need of veterinary attention.

• Weigh up the pros and cons of feeding kibble or raw food. • Be aware of bloat. • Don’t allow him milk or chocolate – or any other sweets, cakes or pastries. • Until he’s three months old, divide your puppy’s daily ration into at least four meals.

Whatever diet you choose to feed your puppy, he will need it to be divided up into several small meals. He needs so much to eat at this point in his life that he cannot digest it all in one go. Small puppies need at least four meals a day until they are around three months old. Each meal should amount to one quarter of his daily food allowance. If you are feeding kibble, the manufacturer will give you guidelines about the recommended daily quantity required. This tends to be more with cheaper kibbles as they contain more fillers. Many puppies will eat far more than one quarter of their daily ration at one sitting, but be aware that if you try to feed fewer, larger meals too soon, your puppy will get diarrhoea. Quite aside from the unpleasantness of this outcome, diarrhoea in puppies can be serious, and sometimes can be hard to resolve. By three months of age, many puppies can cope with their daily ration being divided into three larger meals a day. If the new regime upsets his tummy, g...

As you can see, just like raw feeding, kibble probably has its risks, especially for certain types of dog. Without properly controlled studies it is not really possible to determine which is the safer long-term option for our dogs. Studies on dog food are normally sponsored by dog-food manufacturers and it is not in their interests to pay for studies that might reduce the sales of their products. So we are likely to remain in ignorance for the time being. Bearing in mind that good evidence in support of there being a right and a wrong way to feed your dog is sadly lacking, you’ll need to make your choice based on your personal circumstances and concerns. Reasons to feed kibble Feeding kibble is very convenient. You simply open a packet and pour it out. Kibble is also perfectly balanced with all the nutrients that your dog requires. Feeding a rapidly growing and developing puppy is not the same as feeding an adult dog. Getting the nutrient balance right is particularly important for pup...

The proponents of raw feeding will often declare that kibble is harmful, and responsible for all kinds of health problems, such as allergies and digestive troubles. But the truth is that there is no evidence to support many of these claims. As far as we know most dogs will thrive and live long and happy lives on kibble. Kibble-fed dogs tend to produce larger quantities of softer and smellier faeces than raw-fed dogs. Dogs that have soft stools may need their anal glands emptying. This usually involves a visit to the vet (you can be taught to do it yourself, but it is an unpleasant and smelly process). Raw-fed dogs that get sufficient bone in their diet do not need their anal glands emptying because their stools are firm. There is, however, an altogether more serious problem that may be associated with certain types of kibble. You may know that bloat is a condition that involves a serious swelling of the stomach. In dogs, this gastric dilation or swelling may be accompanied by a rotatio...

Over the last few years or so, there has been a steady growth in enthusiasm for feeding dogs on a more natural diet based on raw meat and bones. You may have heard it referred to as the BARF diet (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food), or RMB (Raw Meaty Bones) diet. These are actually two slightly different approaches to raw feeding. Many thousands of dogs in the UK and abroad are now fed on a diet of raw meat and bones, or in the case of BARF, raw meat, bones and vegetables. One of the most widely reported benefits of raw feeding is improved dental health. This is significant because, according to the Royal Veterinary College, 87 per cent of dogs aged over three years in the UK currently suffer from periodontal disease. This shocking statistic has wider implications than it might for you and me, because dogs often require a general anaesthetic for even quite basic dental treatment. The return to raw feeding is supported and indeed promoted by a number of veterinary surgeons, including To...

Kibble is the dried and pelleted dog food that you can buy in packets and sacks from pet shops and online. It is a relatively recent invention, yet within a few years of its arrival, many of the UK’s dog owners were happy converts. Kibble was a much more convenient way to feed our dogs.  No more struggling with can openers and sharp tin lids, or thawing out blocks of smelly whale meat.  No more staggering back to the car with half a hundredweight of canned dog food in your shopping trolley each week, and no more worrying about how much dog biscuit to mix with the contents of each tin. The vast majority of dogs in the UK are now fed on kibble, and for a long time very few people questioned whether or not this was a good thing. More recently, the effect that this shift away from wet food and onto dried food has had on canine health (if any) has become the subject of intense speculation. It is not possible to own a dog for very long without coming across the raw versus kibble deb...

WE ARE ALL very aware that long-term health is at least partly dependent on a decent diet, and that this applies to our dogs as much as it applies to us. What constitutes a good diet for a dog is, however, a subject that is often hotly debated. This chapter looks at the options that are available to you for feeding your puppy, and investigates the pros and cons of each. For thousands of years, dogs were probably fed on the scraps left over by their human companions. But, as the status of dogs has risen, and as people have acquired more disposable income, an entire industry has developed around the production and distribution of commercially prepared dog food.

The final size reached by your dog will depend on a combination of factors, including his genes, whether or not he is neutered, and his general health and diet. Dogs of very large breeds may take two years or more to reach their adult size. A sick or chronically underfed puppy may never reach the size that nature intended; a chronically overfed puppy may exceed it. Providing a puppy with the right amount of food, and making sure he grows and develops at a healthy rate need not be complicated. You don’t need to keep weighing your puppy any more than you would keep weighing your children. Just keep an eye on his appearance, and make sure he does not get too thin or too fat. Unlike our children, we are not preparing our dogs for life in the world without us, and it is important that our dogs do not become too independent. So remember to use your small puppy’s dependent phase to build a habit of following you around whenever you are outdoors together. This will stand you in good stead when...

• Use your puppy’s initial dependency to establish a close bond. • Allow your puppy to follow you off the lead to lay the foundation of a good recall response. • Avoid overfeeding your puppy. • Don’t expect him to walk long distances. • Carry him up steps and discourage jumping to protect his bones and joints.

The rapid growth that takes place during your puppy’s first six months needs to be fuelled with adequate quantities of appropriate food. Too much food and the puppy may grow too quickly or become too fat. Too little food, or food of the wrong kind, and the puppy may not have sufficient nutrients to keep him strong and healthy. The object is to provide sufficient nutrients for steady, sustained growth, and no more. Most people worry that their puppy might not be getting enough to eat. In reality, it is unusual for a puppy in a caring home to lack sufficient nutrients for growth. Overfeeding is far more common. Weight control Perhaps one of the greatest threats to your dog’s health in our modern age is excessive weight gain. Obesity is a growing and serious problem in domestic dogs. Overfeeding a small puppy may lead to more rapid growth, which in turn is believed to be a contributory factor in serious joint problems, including hip dysplasia. As people have grown larger, so have their do...

The next phase in your puppy’s life, emerging independence, is heralded by a fairly rapid increase in confidence and an equally rapid decrease in your puppy’s dependence on your presence to feel safe. The age at which this phase begins varies from breed to breed and from individual to individual. Many dogs will reach emerging independence in the final third of their first year. A few will reach this point much earlier, and a very few will remain highly dependent for the rest of their lives. You need to assume, however, that the independent phase could begin at any point after four months. As the puppy grows in confidence, he will start to take pleasure in exploring by himself and in moving farther away from you. As emerging independence gets under way, your dog will leave behind some of the more annoying puppy behaviours. Teething is usually over by around seven months and your puppy will no longer be biting everything in sight. His need to chew the furniture may start to subside, and ...

This brief stage in your puppy’s life is marked by his need to be close to you. It includes the all-important window for socialisation, which we looked at in the previous chapter. Your role during this phase is to make your puppy feel safe and secure in our human world, to teach him to be friendly, and to make the most of the opportunities that your puppy’s dependence offers you. In particular, this is an opportunity to establish a great recall response, and a close bond with your puppy. The dependent puppy is afraid of losing contact with his grown-ups, so you can place him on the ground just about anywhere, set off in one direction, and he will trot along after you. The faster you move, the more he will want to stay with you, and the more times you change direction, the more he will concentrate on what you are doing. His primary goal is to make sure that the contact between you is not broken. This lovely inherited behaviour was essential in wild dogs, where separation from the family...

PUPPIES GROW UP very fast and the cuddly bundle in your arms today will look very different in a few months’ time. In the space of a single year most puppies complete the bulk of their physical growth and have become sexually mature – rapid growth and development are fairly important in a social predator whose parents would normally reproduce on an annual basis. Domestication has had an effect on the development of our dogs, though. Unlike wolves, dogs retain some juvenile behavioural characteristics, a willingness to play for example, for most of their lives. Whilst most puppies are not mentally mature at a year old, and some larger dogs still have some growing to do, a year is approximately what it takes to turn your tiny puppy into a full-sized adult dog. And a year, more or less, is not a very long time in which to grow up and find your place in the modern world. People tend to worry quite a bit about growth – how much their puppy should weigh, and how tall he should be, at any giv...

• Puppies need our help to become sociable. • Expose your puppy to as many people, sights and sounds as possible before he is twelve weeks old. • Speed is of the essence in socialising your puppy. • Don’t plan to train him to be a guard dog or to bark.

A fully socialised dog has come across all manner of people, objects, vehicles, animals and buildings, and is not afraid of anything he meets on a daily basis. Essentially, the whole human race and all its comings and goings has become part of his accepted social group. Socialising your new puppy thoroughly may be the single most important thing you ever do for him. It takes a little commitment, but it is worth every moment you spend on the process. Understanding the relevance and importance of effective socialisation will help you cope with its sometimes inconvenient demands. In some respects, the process gets easier as your puppy grows, if only because you don’t have to carry him everywhere once his vaccinations are complete. In the coming months your puppy will change a good deal. He will grow in confidence as he matures and as you teach him that the world holds nothing to fear. Some dramatic changes will occur in his physical strength and size. Understanding how your puppy changes ...

Socialising our puppies is vital, and your commitment to this will help to ensure that your puppy grows up confident and friendly. The effects of socialisation are a bit like compound interest on your savings. The more you put in, the more you get out. The more experiences your puppy learns to accept, the more easily he accepts each new experience. The object is to end up with a dog that is able to cope happily with almost any eventuality. I say almost because there are always exceptions. We need to be aware of our dog’s limitations and protect him from being put in situations where he may feel very threatened. Any dog, no matter how well socialised, is likely to become afraid when he is injured, for example, or when faced with an experience he simply cannot match against any of his experiences so far. If your dog is hurt, you need to assume he may bite. If your dog is exposed to human behaviour he does not understand, and is not allowed to move away, you need to be willing to entertai...

We have seen that wild dogs need to have a natural fear of strange and therefore potentially dangerous creatures, items and events. But dogs are social animals, and nature needs a mechanism to provide puppies with sufficient time to get to know and bond with all the members of their social group, before this fear of novelty kicks in. In a wolf family, it is vital that each cub learns to recognise, and regard with affection, all those adults on whom his safety depends. Consequently, nature has provided a brief window of opportunity during which cubs are unafraid of new objects and experiences. Dogs have inherited this developmental window and the process of domestication has expanded it a little. During this period, puppies will readily bond with those who show them friendship and take care of them. Once it is ended, a natural wariness, and even fear, of novelty sets in. This short time is the critical period for socialisation. Most puppies are right in the middle of it at the age when ...