Recently, someone gave my ex-spouse a puppy, a tiny rat terrier who seems to be composed largely of clever brown eyes and tiny razor-sharp teeth since the remainder of his body wiggles at speeds that make it difficult to fully perceive. Unfortunately, my ex also became very ill, and asked me to care for this small, legged shark, whom my ex (probably because he was sick) hadn’t yet taught not to gnaw on people. I agreed, but I began to pay a price in bloody fingers and, after one slow dodge, a masticated chin.
Since the pup seems likely to end up in my care long-term at some point, I decided to invest in some knowledge so I could have others visit my home without fear of pup joyfully gnawing on their bodies. I have always been owned by adult rescue dogs and had no idea how to communicate with this little whirlwind. After frustrating attempts to locate anything science-based on YouTube, I thought back to a couple of books I had read when I had my own dogs (dogs so loved that I couldn’t stand to have another dog when they journeyed on) by Patricia McConnell, an ethologist and animal behaviorist.
From what I recalled reading The Other End of the Leash–a book I loved when I had my dogs–Dr. McConnell drew on her ethological observations to better understand dogs, and our relationships with them. She doesn’t embrace dominance theory, so often promulgated by animal trainers who misunderstand early (and ultimately discredited) wolf studies. I haven’t read the book in decades, so this may not be entirely how she would describe her work, but my takeaway was that dogs have a complex interior life and do not exist in a simplistic dominance hierarchy, nor are they children with legs. We can approach greater understanding of this interior life, just as they accommodate us, leading to more fulfilling relationships.
It turned out McConnell has cowritten a book on puppies: The Puppy Primer, with Brenda Scidmore. It was just what I needed to get up to speed and help pup keep up with some developments he was missing out with his sick owner. It’s a short, reassuring volume in large type; I read what I needed and skimmed ahead through the rest in one evening. McConnell brings empathy to both pup and human, offering essentially a six-week training program to help confused pups and humans such as my little borrowed friend and me. The book is almost entirely focused on behavior, not the whole domain of dog care.
The book starts with a “First Things First” chapter that addresses healthy socialization (once the pup is old enough to be fully vaccinated) and the fear behaviors or social mis-steps that can result if puppies aren’t socialized. This chapter explains the basics of positive reinforcement and teaching “sit,” “stay,” and housetraining to a distracted young mind, as well as tips for how to adjust if the pup has trouble (or you do) with the lessons.
The chapters focus on special topics from there, each with exercises that involve both human and dog training, troubleshooting, and new exercises. The writing is lively and, again, full of empathy, encouraging the human to think from the pup’s perspective. An example:
“First off, now is a good time to ask yourself if your dog goes all happy and wiggly when you say ‘Good Dog.’ If not, you’d be smart to keep conditioning an association between something good (treat or play) and your praise words. Without it, ‘Good Dog’ is no more effective than your boss saying ‘Smesh Blecka’ to you–a meaningless sounds that isn’t going to cause you to feel appreciated. But if every time you heard ‘Smesh Blecka you got a bonus, those sounds would make you very happy.”
The authors then provide concrete examples of how you can condition the association. Although the writing is engaging and not dumbed-down, it isn’t overly technical, either, and assumes the reader can understand dog behavior principles without a lot of background.
The book ends with a chapter on adolescence. Highly recommended for new pup owners. My ex’s pup returned to his dad much less bitey (probably for the best since his dad just had a hefty dose of blood thinners!), and able to do a short stay. I’m looking forward to his next visit without wincing, and to getting to be further friends with the little guy.