PET THERAPY: PUPPY PREP WORK PAYS OFF
Adding a dog to the family is easier if you’re well prepared
Spring is a time when many families add a new canine companion into their fold. Puppies are available throughout the year, but house-training a young pup is so much easier when the weather is nice. Not only can you leave the back door open for your new puppy to pee and poop outdoors at will, but young pups are also much more willing to venture outdoors when it isn’t raining. Having made the choice to adopt a springtime puppy, how do you go about choosing a new addition that you can live with for years to come?
Scientific studies suggest where your puppy comes from — including factors such as breed, gender, age at adoption, general state of health and social upbringing — has a significant impact on how it will behave as an adult. The recipe is simple: Well socialized, healthy pups from well tempered parents make the most well balanced pets. Behavioural problems are a major reason why young dogs are relinquished to shelters and sometimes euthanized, so it pays to do some homework up front.
Do you get what you pay for?
The popularity of designer dogs means that, in Canada at least, mutts and purebred dogs cost about the same. Depending on the breed mix, expect to pay anywhere from $400 to $1,400 for your pedigree Labrador or your crossbred Labradoodle.
As yet, there is no formal research that links the price you pay with the personality type you’ll get. However, if you do compromise on breeding quality to save a few dollars on the purchase price, expect the cost of veterinary and behavioural care to be higher later on.
Registered breeder or pet store?
While most pedigree dogs and designer dogs cost about the same, studies indicate dogs acquired from pet stores are more aggressive, more fearful, anxious when left alone, and have more house training accidents than dogs acquired from breeders.
Unless the pet store is working with a shelter, pet store pups typically come from puppy mills. The welfare of these dogs and their parents is often extremely poor, and this can lead to significant behavioural problems in your puppy as it matures. So, unless you want to adopt a project, go to a registered breeder, or a shelter that screens young dogs before they are adopted out.
Locally bred or shipped to your door?
If you have your heart set on a specific breed, chances are that your next pup might be a plane ride away. Canada’s population of dog breeders is far flung, and so it is not always possible for owners to meet their new pup or its parents before actually taking ownership. This not only runs the risk that your pup will be from fearful or aggressive stock (you cannot tell this simply from photos) but also the stress of a flight during your dog’s formative months can have deleterious effects on its long-term behaviour. If possible, shop locally for your next pup, so you can meet the parents and avoid this travel trauma early on.
Temperament tested or luck of the draw?
Many breeders assess the temperament of their puppies, with the intention of giving you a heads up as to whether your dog will be the shy, retiring type or the life and soul of the dog park. Breeders sometimes perform tests like squeezing puppies’ paws, restraining them on their backs, and noting if they are the first or last in the litter to run to a stranger. But, are these tests valid, or even humane?
Finding a reliable way to predict how a puppy will behave as an adult is the holy grail of companion animal behavioural research. And the studies that have been published to date indicate puppy tests really don’t predict much at all. Contrary to popular thought, the dog that greets you first out of the litter, squeals when you squeeze its paws or mouths you when restrained won’t necessarily grow up to be pushy or aggressive. Highly fearful pups can grow up to be fearful adults, but again, depending on how they are socialized, these are not hard and fast rules.
While it pays to do your due diligence when choosing a new pup, following the science doesn’t always guarantee you’ll end up with the perfect puppy. It comes as a big surprise to some owners when their carefully screened, well socialized pup still turns out to be fearful, hyperactive or aggressive.
Hope for the best, but have a plan for what to do if things don’t turn out as planned. Speak to your veterinarian if you have concerns — they will be able to co-ordinate the plan to get your pup’s behaviour back on track.
While it pays to do your due diligence when choosing a new pup, bear in mind that following the science doesn’t always guarantee you’ll end up with the perfect puppy.