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Your
puppy began learning even before you brought him home. A puppy's
mind is like a dry sponge, just waiting for information that he can
absorb. With early puppy training classes you can instill good habits
in your puppy rather than have to break bad habits when the puppy is
an adolescent at 6 or 8 months of age. It's much easier to teach a
good habit than it is to break a bad one.
At
one time it was popular to wait until the puppy was 6 or 8 months of
age to begin training but now with the acceptance of positive methods
it's possible to begin as young as 10 weeks of age as long as gentle,
positive methods are used.
At
a good puppy class you will learn how to teach your puppy to sit,
come, walk on leash without pulling and to greet people without
jumping on them. You will teach your puppy the appropriate toys to
chew and you'll learn all about housetraining your puppy.
An
additional and possibly the most important aspect of puppy class is
the socialization your puppy will receive. It is so very important
that your puppy be socialized to and have positive experiences with
strangers and with other dogs before the age of 16 weeks.
Aside
from socialization and preventing unwanted behaviors, puppy class
will enhance your relationship with your puppy. Training is a way of
effectively communicating with your puppy and to have fun together.
Training will help your puppy become the "family member"
and companion you'd had in mind when you first brought him home.
The
following is an open letter from noted Veterinary Behaviorist R.K.
Anderson DVM.
Robert
K. Anderson DVM
Diplomate
ACVB and ACVPM
Professor
and Director Emeritus, Animal Behavior Clinic and
Center
to Study Human/Animal Relationships and Environments
University
of Minnesota
1666
Coffman Street, Suite 128, Falcon Heights, MN 55108
Phone
612-644-7400
FAX
612-644-4262
Puppy
Vaccination and Socialization Should Go Together
TO:
My Colleagues in Veterinary Medicine:
Common
questions I receive from puppy owners, dog trainers and
veterinarians concern: 1) what is the most favorable age or period of
time when puppies learn best? 2) what are the health implications of
my advice that veterinarians and trainers should offer socialization
programs for puppies starting at 8 to 9 weeks of age.
Puppies
begin learning at birth and their brains appear to be particularly
responsive to learning and retaining experiences that are encountered
during the first 13 to 16 weeks after birth. This means that
breeders, new puppy owners, veterinarians, trainers and behaviorists
have a responsibility to assist in providing these
learning/socialization experiences with other puppies/dogs, with
children/adults and with various environmental situations during this
optimal period from birth to 16 weeks.
Many
veterinarians are making this early socialization and learning
program part of a total wellness plan for breeders and new owners of
puppies during the first 16 weeks of a puppy’s life -- the first
7-8 weeks with the breeder and the next 8 weeks with the new owners.
This socialization program should enroll puppies from 8 to 12 weeks
of age as a key part of any preventive medicine program to improve
the bond between pets and their people and keep dogs as valued
members of the family for 12 to 18 years.
To
take full advantage of this early special learning period, many
veterinarians recommend that new owners take their puppies to puppy
socialization classes, beginning at 8 to 9 weeks of age. At this age
they should have (and can be required to have) received a minimum of
their first series of vaccines for protection against infectious
diseases. This provides the basis for increasing immunity by further
repeated exposure to these antigens either through natural exposure
in small doses or artificial exposure with vaccines during the next 8
to 12 weeks. In addition the owner and people offering puppy
socialization should take precautions to have the environment and the
participating puppies as free of natural exposure as possible by good
hygiene and caring by careful instructors and owners.
Experience
and epidemiologic data support the relative safety and lack of
transmission of disease in these puppy socialization classes over the
past 10 years in many parts of the United States. In fact; the risk
of a dog dying because of infection with distemper or parvo disease
is far less than the much higher risk of a dog dying (euthanasia)
because of a behavior problem. Many veterinarians are now offering
new puppy owners puppy socialization classes in their hospitals or
nearby training facilities in conjunction with trainers and
behaviorists because they want socialization and training to be very
important parts of a wellness plan for every puppy. We need to
recognize that this special sensitive period for learning is the best
opportunity we have to influence behavior for dogs and the most
important and longest lasting part of a total wellness plan.
Are
there risks? Yes. But 10 years of good experience and data, with few
exceptions, offers veterinarians the opportunity to generally
recommend early socialization and training classes, beginning when
puppies are 8 to 9 weeks of age. However, we always follow a
veterinarian’s professional judgment, in individual cases or
situations, where special circumstances warrant further immunization
for a special puppy before starting such classes. During any period
of delay for puppy classes, owners should begin a program of
socialization with children and adults, outside their family, to take
advantage of this special period in a puppy’s life.
If
there are further questions, veterinarians may call me at
651-644-7400 for discussion and clarification.
Robert
K. Anderson DVM, Diplomate, American College of Veterinary
Preventive Medicine and Diplomate of American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
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