Erica Peachey
1. Jingo, a medium sized crossbreed was referred to me for aggression towards other dogs. If on his lead, the sight of any dog, big or small, male or female, would cause him to lunge forwards, barking and snarling. Although initially better off his lead, Jingo had now reached the stage where he would race up to another dog if he had the opportunity and immediately grab it around the neck and pin it down. If the other dog fought back, a fight would ensue.
‘I don’t understand it’ Mrs Smith told me, ‘he used to love other dogs. Everyone always laughed at the puppy classes because he never listened to me, he just wanted to play with the other dogs.’
Jingo had been acquired as a young puppy from a local rescue kennels. Keen to do the right thing, Mrs Smith and her family had enrolled him for puppy classes as soon as he was clear from his vaccinations. Jingo only had eyes for the other dogs, the highlight of his lesson was when all the puppies were let off the lead to ‘socialise’ with each other. He became the joker of the class, leaping over other puppies, bouncing on them, and generally encouraging them to play. How could a puppy who loved other dogs develop such an aggressive reaction, or was it this same rough play that had caused the aggression?
2. Milly loves people. She has a lovely nature – when she sees a person, all she wants to do is be close to them. Unfortunately, this means that her owner can no longer let her off the lead on a walk because Milly will run over to anyone and jump up repeatedly. A powerful, young Golden Retriever, she has knocked young children over and has even knocked dog-loving adults off balance.
In the home, Milly’s passion for people means that visitors are rare and the children are not able to have any friends to play unless she is shut away.
‘The instructor at the puppy classes said that we should socialise her, so we took her everywhere and she met hundreds of people. She was so cute and small then that no-one minded when she jumped up, some people even encouraged it’
Was Milly’s owner given wrong, or incomplete advice? Would Milly have been a better behaved dog if she had not attended classes?
3. Miss Brown told me that Sheeba had always been the perfect dog. Sheeba had always been shy of other people and dogs and on walks she did not cause any problems, keeping her distance from everyone else and never moving far away from her owner. Then one day, when Sheeba was five years old, she was on her lead on the way to the park, a small boy jumped out from his drive and threw his arms around her. Sheeba struggled to get away, with a yelp or a snap, but unfortunately a tooth grazed the boy’s cheek. It was not a serious injury, and fortunately the boy’s parents were understanding, but Sheeba’s owner was devastated. Sheeba had not attended any puppy or dog classes. ‘I never saw the need’ Miss Brown told me. ‘She always did everything I asked of her’. Would Sheeba’s attendance at puppy classes have meant that her negative response to this incident would have been avoided?
There is no easy answer to these questions. We cannot know because we are dealing with pet dogs in families and therefore cannot run controlled studies to find out what would have happened if things had been different. However, certain patterns are identifiable and this allows us to understand the causes and what programmes of behaviour modification are likely to be able to help.
We all remember our first experiences of something important. Music lovers will know the first record they ever bought, but probably do not know the second. I remember how much a bag of chips used to cost when I first bought one, but have no idea when they went up. How many people remember their first kiss? But what about the second? First experiences are very powerful in our memory and there is no reason to expect this to be any different in the dog. So it is essential to ensure that the first time creates the right habit and the correct learning. In times of stress many of us revert to the first thing we were taught often without realising it. Therefore, if a puppy’s first experiences were unpleasant resolving what it learnt can be a long and difficult process. However, good initial experiences will greatly assist a dog throughout its life.
There are many and varied definitions of socialisation and these change according to time and context. We talk about adults ‘socialising’ during a night out, children ‘socialise’ when they play together. According to different dictionaries, ‘socialise’ means:
either:
1. To behave or interact in a sociable manner.
2. To make somebody fit or prepared for life in society
or
1. To make social
2. To act in a sociable manner.
Therefore, in general terms, socialising refers to behaving in a sociable way, or the process of learning to do this.
However, ‘socialisation’ has a stricter ethological meaning. It can be defined as ‘the process during which animals are particularly receptive to stimuli and when various social preferences are established.’
It is commonly thought of as the process of learning how to recognise and correctly react with the species with which it is familiar. For wild animals, such as a wild dog or wolf, this is relatively easy as this involves one species. However, for our pet dogs, at least two species and possibly more are familiar, humans and dogs, and possibly cats or others. Some regard this as socialisation, others do not. We can immediately see that we are expecting more of our pets and that selective breeding has allowed them to cope with this ‘extended family’ as their wild counterparts never could.
Another definition of socialisation is that ‘an animal develops appropriate social behaviour’. Therefore, a dog is said to be socialised to something, when it displays a recognition and acceptance of it and behaves accordingly. It therefore follows that two puppies may experience the same circumstances but because of differences within them, one may be said to be ‘well socialised’ and one may be ‘poorly socialised’.
Because of the popularity of pet dogs, the definition of socialisation has broadened in meaning. Rather than simply referring to the development of an understanding of one or two species, it is commonly used to mean the entire process of reacting to and fitting in with life as a pet dog. In the past, this has been termed ‘social referencing’ but as discussed in the second chapter – the development of maintenance stimuli to enable behavioural organisation and emotional homeostasis is a more accurate concept. This model is able to cover social and non-social stimuli, i.e. learning to adjust with people, traffic, vacuum cleaners etc. The aim is to equip the puppy or dog with the necessary knowledge to allow it to adjust and behave in an acceptable way in our society. It results in a dog that is better able to cope with novel experiences, unpredictable situations and fearful circumstances. Breed differences play a part in this. Some breeds and types have been selectively bred to react in a certain way. For example, gundogs are normally required to work closely with people and react well to other people and dogs. Livestock guarding dogs are bred to bond closely with their flock and keep intruders away. Terriers have been required to work independently of their owners, pursuing prey and not back down from threats.
We want to raise puppies that can cope well in our society. What we are aiming to achieve can be described as: ‘an active process of teaching a dog how to behave in all situations, through pleasant experiences.’ This definition encompasses several important points.
• ‘Active process’. This means actively searching for different situations and controlling the circumstances to ensure the right outcome is achieved rather than waiting for things to happen.
• ‘Teaching’. We expect a great deal from our dogs and want them to behave in ways they would not normally do. Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect them to learn it all by themselves. As the humans in the relationship, we must do the teaching.
• ‘A dog’. This applies to a dog throughout his life. Although puppies learn more quickly and have a greater need to learn, dogs are extremely adaptable and it is the fact that dogs are good at learning which enables them to be kept as pets. Dogs of any age can learn but prior learning must be taken into account.
• ‘All situations’. All the circumstances in which a pet dog may find itself. Thought and consideration must be given by owners and those involved in puppy education about what situations can and should be included.
• ‘Pleasant experiences’. This term reflects the fact that dog training has moved on considerably in the last 30 years. The old style of force and punishment is no longer acceptable and has proven to be unnecessary. Deeper understanding of dogs, relationships and learning have meant that reward-based methods that are kind, fair and effective are more commonly used.
There is no set time scale for this process because learning is ongoing. Things that can be learnt can usually be unlearnt and a dog’s behaviour will usually change over time. Consequently, active social experiences must form a regular part of life, especially if social behaviour was not well developed in early life.
A litter of wolf puppies which were hand raised, but still had access to other wolves, gradually reverted to their natural suspicious behaviour and were wary of humans even though exposure to humans was constant. As they matured, they chose to keep away from the humans, even those who had hand fed them. A litter that was hand raised away from the company of other wolves, learnt to enjoy people being around and were able to be reintroduced to the pack and still retain their enjoyment of being with people.
Puppy classes have developed from a tried and tested idea brought to the UK by Ian Dunbar, in the 1980’s. Although puppy classes had existed previously, the idea of a class full of young puppies, just after their vaccinations, was a new one. However, like all great ideas, the general theory was sometimes misunderstood or misapplied. Puppy classes – i.e. a class for young puppies to mix and learn through reward oriented methods – gained much popularity and interest and others tried to emulate it. A puppy class can simply mean a beginners class, where young puppies are alongside bouncy adolescents and maybe older dogs, perhaps showing anti-social behaviour. Exposing a puppy to these conditions can cause problems.
The term ‘puppy class’ does not specify an approach to training. ‘Old style dog training’, of yank and pull, was originally only for dogs of six months or older. This was because it was thought that puppies under six months were not able to cope with the stresses of this type of training. However, using motivation, lures and fun meant that puppies could begin training from the moment they came into their new homes, thus removing the need for this restriction. Unfortunately, when the ‘old style training clubs’ sensed competition from forward-thinking trainers, they too reduced their age limit, thus exposing young puppies to choke chains and force.
Everybody has a slightly different concept of a puppy class. It is a good idea for an owner to consider what they want using this chapter as a guide and invest time in finding the right class for them. Each puppy will also have different needs. A good instructor should recognise what they are and cater for them, by providing controlled situations, advice and support for the owner. The nearest puppy class is not necessarily the best, neither is the cheapest. Find out what is available, speak to your veterinary surgeon and other dog owners, contact the instructor on the telephone and perhaps visit the class to watch, without taking your puppy, preferably before you obtain it.
A puppy class should differ from many conventional training classes in several ways, including:
• Being less structured or regimented. Puppy groups should be small enough to allow the instructor to be familiar with each puppy and family and adapt the course according to their needs.
• Giving more freedom and play which can then be developed into owner control. Teaching about games and the importance of playing the right ones should form a part of classes for any age, but practical exploration of games is possible with puppies.
• Including some off-lead sessions (see later). This does not mean off lead ‘free-for-alls’, rather structured sessions which involve off-lead work, such as coming when called, calling away from other puppies, play etc.
• Providing exercises that are varied and imaginative, teaching what is relevant to a pet dog rather than obedience style routines. For example, teaching a puppy learning to come when his owner calls, leaving another puppy it was sniffing, rather than simply returning to his owner after being positioned sitting facing the owner, anticipating the next part of the exercise.
There is a difference in the attitude of owners attending puppy classes. Rather than attending class out of desperation with an adolescent that is causing increasing chaos, owners bring their puppy, who is special to them. Although he may not be perfect, owners are normally far more positive than they may be if they attend classes for the first time when the pet is older. Owners are also at their most motivated and receptive and because results tend to come quickly, they usually try harder.
Puppy classes can only be as good as the instructor who takes them. The term itself does not guarantee a class which will be an ideal learning environment for any puppy. When I use the term for the rest of this chapter, I will be talking about properly run classes where numbers and ages are limited and the instructor has a good working knowledge of owners and puppies learning and motivation.
Some classes are termed ‘Puppy Socialisation Classes’. Whatever definition is used, this is somewhat restricting the scope of a class. I feel that puppy classes should actively teach:
• good manners,
• response to owners wishes,
• responsible dog ownership,
• avoiding problems,
• overcoming typical puppy difficulties such as mouthing and any house training problems,
• increasing owner’s understanding of their puppy,
• educating the owner about how to shape their puppy’s confidence and behaviour in all situations.
The title ‘Puppy Classes’ more aptly covers this.
Whilst on the subject of terminology, many owners tell me that they and their dog or puppy have taken part in ‘The Socialisation Exercise’ at local dog clubs. For those not familiar with it, the exercise usually consists of young puppies or beginner dogs or more worryingly, a mixture of both positioned in a circle or line. One at a time, one owner and puppy weaves in and out of the other dogs, usually accompanied by much shouting of ‘Leave it!!’ and pulling from all the owners. How can this be teaching dogs to be sociable towards each other? It seems far more of an ‘anti-socialisation’ exercise. From the dog’s point of view, stress is inevitable, either from the other dogs being close, possible aggression from other dogs, from not being able to behave in a natural way or from the noise and action of the owners. If we believe that the aim of puppy classes is to increase a puppy’s ability to cope, and to teach it how to behave in normal settings, it is hard to see how this exercise is anything other than destructive.
A good puppy class should be flexible and therefore the content of the course should vary to some extent. Some areas should always be covered, such as puppies learning to respond to their owners, owner understanding, social manners and avoiding problems. Within this, there should be room to cater for the individual needs of the puppies and owners.
Some owners imagine that all the social experiences their puppy needs should be provided by the puppy class. Although a puppy should gain valuable experience, it is unrealistic to think that this is sufficient. Dogs learn according to the situation, so even if a puppy does experience a wide range of people, men with beards, women with hats, children with sunglasses, disabled adults, people from different ethnic groups, etc, there is evidence to suggest that this may only enable the puppy to accept all of them within the confines of the classes. In order for the growing puppy to behave appropriately in all circumstances their education must be continued at home and on walks. Therefore, the role of the classes is to:
• provide basic social experience, i.e. good experiences with different men, women and hopefully children of all ages as well as other puppies.
• to explain to the owners the importance of teaching acceptable behaviour and encourage them to continue and broaden the education between classes.
• to note the reactions of the individual puppies and give each owner specific advice, including areas to concentrate on, times to take extra care and how to avoid problems.
This is an area of some controversy. The original principles adopted from America involved large amounts of free play for the puppies. However, in practice, in this country, it was found that many puppies were actually learning to fight during these ‘play’ sessions. Some puppies played so roughly that aggression became part of their game. This was especially true of some breeds such as terriers. Others became frustrated when their expectations of rough play were not met, which, in later life, can result in aggression. Some puppies were overwhelmed by the boisterous puppies and learned that aggression was the best method of defence. Owners likely to attend a puppy class are also the owners who take their puppies out and about on walks, on which most will meet and interact with other dogs. As a consequence, they are already learning fluency in ‘dog language’ and this, combined with the artificial, relatively sterile environment of a puppy class, i.e. where there are fewer distractions and the owners are unlikely to disappear by walking away, means that games become the only thing to concentrate on and therefore, frequently get out of hand. In a good puppy class, each puppy will be assessed and the course tailored according to their needs. A shy puppy may be off the lead and encouraged to interact and have good experiences with others, whereas the owner of a boisterous puppy may be shown how to be more interesting than everything else, by using rewards and motivation. The puppies are individuals and different exercises are needed to bring out the best in each of them. This approach must be explained to the owners, to develop their understanding and to ensure that no-one feels ‘short changed’ or that favouritism is leading to different treatment. Free play sessions, although a superficially easy option for the instructor, are not recommended other than in exceptional circumstances. However, off-lead sessions, when one, two or more puppies are off their leads whilst working with their owners, are achievable in most puppy classes and can be extremely beneficial.
Learning how to behave when restricted is very important for puppies and something which is often overlooked by owners and instructors. If puppies are used to freedom and the ability to interact as they choose, being restricted on a lead is contrary to their expectations and they may learn to object. A gradual introduction to being restricted on a lead is an important step.
Teaching social behaviour involves teaching appropriate behaviour. Teaching acceptable behaviour varies between puppies and age groups. A puppy that is nervous of people needs to learn that people are linked with good experiences and that being around them is enjoyable. A boisterous, extrovert puppy that adores everyone does not need to learn to enjoy being with people. It already knows this, but it needs to learn to greet them in an acceptable way. It needs to learn that jumping up results in no attention and keeping feet on the floor is the best way of seeking attention, although this does not guarantee that attention will follow.
This must not be overlooked. Puppies will develop their own rules for games and interaction with older dogs which is essential for well-balanced behaviour. A puppy should meet playful dogs as well as dogs that are less inclined to play. They should meet dogs that want to be with them and dogs that do not. Obviously, a puppy should not be around a dog that is aggressive towards puppies but understanding that not all dogs want to play is an important skill for a puppy to learn. If a puppy does not learn to read dog language it is likely to encounter problems as it matures. This should not necessarily be provided during the puppy classes, as finding suitable adult dogs and ensuring they are not stressed is very difficult, but the process must be explained to owners and help and encouragement given at each session.
Manners with, and a basic understanding of, children is something that all puppies should learn. Learning may be limited in a class environment, but it is important to make the effort, perhaps by having one week as ‘Children Week’, where everyone is asked to bring children if possible, and asking children who attend a different training class to come and meet the puppies. It must be explained to owners that this is not the end of the process and that it is one that must be followed during the weeks ahead. If a puppy lives in a household with no children, every effort should be made to find as wide a variety as possible. If there are children in the family the puppy usually understands them, but children of different ages should be introduced.
In the old days of forceful training, most dogs became used to rough handling. Although the means did not justify the end result, this tolerance was a useful by-product of the harsh methods. Modern methods, although effective, enjoyable and largely stress-free for puppy and owner, do mean that a puppy receives less hands-on contact. This can cause problems with grooming, administering tablets, being handled by a veterinary surgeon and sometimes even being stroked by a stranger. Therefore, as well as the ‘hands free’ methods of training which involve luring rather than forcing, a good puppy class should teach the importance of lots of handling, throughout its life. During the class, this can take the form of physical praise, handling and grooming by the owners and others, with many people touching the puppy in a pleasant way. As with all other aspects of the classes suggestions for practising at home and recommendations for each puppy as an individual are what make the difference between an average class and an outstanding one.
Having looked at what the puppies need from a class, we must also consider what the owner requires. This can largely be divided into five main areas:
• Information and Education. This is obvious, but the class should be small enough to allow for specific as well as general points to be included. Gaining a better understanding of their puppy, reading body language and understanding what motivates their own puppy are all aspects which owners can expect to learn at a good class.
• Acceptance is important. No-one likes to be told off and as adults, very few of us are prepared to give up our money and time for this. Many people still believe in the outdated concept of ‘No bad dogs’ (remember first learning experiences and the impact they have). This means that the class becomes a daunting place if the owners feel they will be blamed for their puppy’s less than perfect behaviour.
• Support is reassuring and essential. Some of this comes from the instructor, sometimes it can come from other owners. For example, when the instructor says that mouthing is natural for puppies of this age, it may help, but when another owner confides that their puppy does the behaviour it can put any worries into perspective.
• Motivation of adults can be difficult. However much they love their puppies and have chosen to come to classes, we all lead busy lives which sometimes verge on hectic. Motivating adults to change their behaviour and to spend time on walking, socialising, playing and teaching can be difficult. Consequently the instructor needs to understand human, as well as canine, psychology.
• Enabling is vital. ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you feed him for life’. Enabling an owner to lure his puppy into a ‘sit’ position is pleasing for the owner, but teach him how to teach his puppy how to respond to him, and he can teach that puppy anything he chooses. A puppy class only runs for a few weeks, but the skills an owner learns should stand him in good stead for the entire life of his dog.
There are many other aspects of puppy ownership which can, and perhaps should, be included, such as responsible dog ownership. This is not a comprehensive list of what a puppy course should include. For many years there has been an emphasis on teaching response to commands, i.e. a puppy must be able to sit, stand, lie down and stay. This is not included in most people’s requirements. Practical exercises such as coming when called in a natural setting, walking on a loose lead and greeting people without jumping up are much more likely to be listed.
Puppy Parties can greatly benefit a puppy, owner, and their veterinary practice. The definition can vary, but a ‘puppy party’ should mean a group of very young puppies and owners being invited to a veterinary surgery for a one-off meeting or a short series of meetings. The puppies are normally very young, usually between first and second vaccination. The group should be small, up to about eight puppies, of different breeds and sizes but of similar age. Whole families should attend, providing a variety of learning experiences for the puppies. During a puppy party, the puppies and owners receive an introduction to the veterinary practice and form pleasant associations with it. They are also introduced to the concept of socialising and other behavioural organisation and to training and understanding their dogs. Avoiding problems and resolving common difficulties such as mouthing, lack of house training etc should also be included. As the puppies are so young, more ‘off-lead’ time is usually appropriate. This is an age when puppies are usually isolated from many of the situations because the vaccination process and experiences which they so desperately need. A puppy party goes some way towards compensating for this confinement. Owners are usually extremely receptive at this stage and therefore can enjoy the puppy party and be motivated to continue to provide social experiences and learning. There are risks to puppies mixing before their vaccination programme is completed, but at puppy parties these are minimised and therefore, it is as safe as possible. Although hard work for the veterinary practice to organise and run, the puppy party yields huge benefits for the practice and its clients.
So where do we go from here? It depends on what we are looking for: for those involved in research there is a wealth of opportunity to study puppies in pet homes and to monitor the depth of quality experience and its effects.
For those involved in puppy education, we constantly strive for improvement. With the advances that have occurred in training methods, instructor courses and support, knowledge is now easier to find but maybe harder to keep up with and to put into perspective as useful tools.
For those with puppies, decide what you want and find ways to achieve it, by ‘wearing your puppy’ and taking him out and about with you. Hopefully, a good puppy class will help you achieve your aims, understand more about your puppy and have fun in the process.
Think back to the three dogs we met at the beginning of the chapter. Have your views on them altered in any way?