Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook.pdf - Mr. Walnuts

CONSIDERING DISPOSITION
Young puppies should be alert, playful, and full of vitality. Personalities vary
with breed type, but a sweet disposition is essential to all. An unfriendly puppy
certainly has no place as a family companion, especially with children. The
unfriendly puppy may struggle and bite to get loose, or growl when picked up
or petted. This puppy will require considerable discipline and training.
A puppy who shrinks back when spoken to or runs away and hides is shy.
The puppy may possibly overcome this later, but taking a chance is hardly
worthwhile. This puppy will not be easily socialized.
The ideal puppy for a family pet holds his tail high, follows you about,
accepts petting, struggles when picked up, but then relaxes and licks your hand.
Most breeders use some version of the puppy aptitude test developed by
well-known dog trainers Jack and Wendy Volhard. Ask if the breeder did
puppy testing and if so, what the results are. Realize that a puppy may have an
“off” day and the breeder can fill you in on his or her perspective of the individual
personalities of each pup, as well as give you the test results.
Because good health and good disposition so often go hand in hand, it is
perhaps wise, in making the final selection, to pick the individual who
appears to be really bursting with vitality and self-confidence. The largest,
most rambunctious puppy may be more of a handful than the average family
can handle, though, especially if this is a male puppy. The pup with a middleof-the-road
temperament often makes the best family companion.
Training Advice for Your Puppy
PEDIATRICS • 517
The training advice included here is simply a start on the manners and obedience
any good companion dog should know. More dogs are dropped off at
shelters for training and behavior problems than for any other reason. If you
start your puppy off right, you are laying the foundation for a long life and a
wonderful partnership.
Start obedience training as soon as possible. The important exercises are
come, sit, stay, down, and walking on the leash. It is much easier to teach a
puppy how to learn and how you want him to behave in your home when he
is young and hasn’t developed bad habits.
The two basic principals of all training are:
1. Once you begin an exercise, see it through to the end. If you allow a
puppy to have his own way, he is very likely to interpret your leniency as
a sign that he really doesn’t need to do what he’s told.
2. Always reward a puppy with praise and petting when he does the
right thing. Dogs instinctively want to please. Approval builds selfconfidence
and reinforces the point of the exercise. Much training