The secret to training a puppy: let it bond with a bearded man
THE secret of how to make puppies well-behaved has finally been found, and it involves stroking them with a toothbrush and exposing them to men with beards.
Guide Dogs, a charity that trains 1,300 puppies a year, has created the first programme scientifically proven to have a long-term, positive impact on their behaviour.
Key to its success is allowing puppies to experience as many new environments and people as possible within their first six weeks of life so they are not startled, excited or scared by the strangers, or odd scenarios, when they venture outside.
Puppies are born blind and deaf, so the first two weeks of the programme centre on touch. Handlers offer comforting strokes, cuddles and comb their fur with a soft toothbrush to help them bond with humans.
They are also wrapped in different materials to become familiar with fabrics like wool, fleece and nylon.
Between two and four weeks, the puppies undergo a rapid period of physical development so training moves on to practising walking on different floor surfaces such as concrete and rubber. At this stage, they are also encouraged to listen to everyday sounds such as mobile phones, TV and washing machines. In the final five to six weeks, the puppies are allowed out- side to begin exploring, and also meet men with beards and moustaches, as well as people wearing hats and sunglasses. Trainers also open and closed umbrellas in front of the dogs so they became used to the bewildering action, and they are placed in front of mirrors to become acquainted with their own reflection.
Helen Whiteside, from Guide Dogs said: “When we do these little games with them from birth, they are much more confident, they are willing to engage with the environment. At eight months, these puppies are excelling.
“Dogs who do not receive this kind of socialisation as puppies can grow up to be anxious and scared, so this is an important breakthrough for breeders all over the world. This is the first time we have actually been able to scientifically prove that what we do with our puppies and when we do it can have a long-term impact.
“A lot of it is about opening up their world and discovering what other things there are in their environment.”
The programme was created and tested at the charity’s National Breeding Centre in Warwickshire by evaluating six litters of puppies. Each litter was divided into two groups with one receiving the existing socialisation training and the rest given the new enhanced training.
Dogs with high confidence and low anxiety levels are known to be easier to train and make better guide dogs and more sociable pets.
The programme is published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science and the authors hoped it could help prevent dog attacks. “Undesirable behaviour in dogs is on the increase. Up to 90 per cent of dogs exhibit behaviours that owners find unacceptable,” the authors wrote.
“This is the first socialisation program tailored to the development of puppies from birth to six weeks of age to demonstrate measurable, long-term effects on individual dog behaviour.”