Product Description

When you acquire a new puppy you need to meet six developmental deadlines before your puppy is five months old. "AFTER You Get Your Puppy" covers the last three developmental deadlines.

4th Developmental Deadline: Socializing Your Puppy to People - Your Most Urgent Priority is to socialize your puppy to a wide variety of people, especially children, men, and strangers, before it is twelve weeks old. Well-socialized puppies grow up to be wonderful companions, whereas antisocial dogs are difficult, time-consuming, and potentially dangerous. As a rule of thumb, your puppy needs to meet at least one hundred people before it is three months old. Since your puppy is still too young to venture out to dog parks and sidewalks, you'll need to start inviting people to your home right away.

5th Developmental Deadline: Teaching Bite Inhibition - Your Most Important Priority is that your puppy learns to inhibit the force of its bites and develop a "soft mouth" before it is eighteen weeks old. Whenever a dog bites a person or fights with another dog, the single most important prognostic factor is the degree of bite inhibition and hence, the likelihood and seriousness of injury. Accidents happen. Someone may tread on the dog's paw, or a child may trip over the dog while it's gnawing a bone. A dog may snap and lunge at a person when hurt or frightened, but if the dog has well-established bite inhibition, it is unlikely the dog's teeth will puncture, or even touch the skin.

6th Developmental Deadline: Continuing Socialization in The World at Large - The Most Enjoyable Priority of dog ownership is to introduce your well-socialized puppy to the world at large. Your dog will only remain sociable and confident if it continues to meet and greet at least three unfamiliar people and three unfamiliar dogs every day. Meeting the same people and dogs over and over again is not sufficient. Your dog needs to practice meeting, greeting, and getting along with strangers, not simply getting along with old friends. Regular walks with your dog are as essential as they are enjoyable.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49526 in Books
• Brand: James & Kenneth
• Published on: 2001-08-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .50 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Features

• Developmental deadlines
• Socialization with people
• Learning bite inhibition
• Preventing adolescent problems
• Paperback, 160 pages

About the Author
Veterinarian, animal behaviorist, and author Dr. Ian Dunbar is Director of the Center for Applied Animal Behavior, Founder of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and host of the British TV series "Dogs with Dunbar." Dr. Dunbar is the author of numerous books and videos, including "SIRIUS Puppy Training" and "How To Teach A New Dog Old Tricks." Ian lives in Berkeley, California, with little brown dog Oliver, large brown dog Claude, and a kitty called Mitty.

Customer Reviews

Took the fun out of having a puppy...
I bought this book because it was referenced on the Dog Scouts of America website, which is a site dedicated to developing positive relationships between owner/dog. I was so disappointed when I received the book, from the moment I got a good look at it's cover and read the subtitle ("...The Clock Is Ticking!"), which I had missed when ordering the book, or I would have thought twice about buying it... This book turned having a delightful puppy into a race against time to prevent having an evil, rotten dog. It took all the fun and optimism out of raising my puppy. I'm glad I stopped reading it, and looked to more upbeat sources for advice on raising my puppy. Many of these sources I found on the internet. I looked to Karen Pryor and her clicker training theories, as well as such books as "Boxers for Dummies" and "The Boxer Handbook" and "I Just Got A Puppy What Do I Do." All these emphasize the power of bonding with your dog, the pleasures of socializing your puppy, and while they don't downplay the significance of socialization, etc. they don't turn the cute puppy you have just made a part of your family into some ticking timebomb set to go off and bring nothing but pain and misery if not socialized absolutely correctly. I grew up with dogs, in a time before "socialization," in a time where you just loved your puppy, and took him places, and tried your best with him/her, and those dogs all turned out fine. I am grateful for all the information that we have these days on how to better raise a puppy to be a happy well adjusted pet, and am doing my best to put that information to good use on my own Boxer puppy.

every puppy buyer should have to read this book!
If everyone who obtained a puppy read, and followed the advice in this book, there would be far less ill mannered pets and more owners would be happy with the dogs they have raised!

I raise Rottweilers and Shiba Inu and this book is mandatory reading for all my puppy buyers!

After You Get Your Puppy
What can I say, but "bravo" on another great series of books, "Before You Get Your Puppy and After You Get Your Puppy". It goes without saying that Ian is a mentor to me and many others! Through his straight-forward and honest teachings, I've evolved as trainer. He's unique, original and confident enough to continue to evolve himself. His other books and video series are a "must have" for any serious trainers. I met Ian about 15 years ago at a workshop and then at APDT conferences. To say that he has guided me and is a valued mentor is not enough. He wrote the foreword for my book, Train Your Dog, Change Your Life, encouraged and challenged me! Without Ian, I would never have gotten this published. He encouraged me! He believed in my idea and gave me the confidence to just "do it". The basis of my book comes from the seeds that he planted, blossoming with my own wisdom and style. He launches sparks that ignite your brain waves ... he encourages open-mindedness. In the process, we learn about ourselves. For that I'm forever grateful and STRONGLY RECOMMEND any of his books and videos. For the novice, these two small paperbacks will guide you before you get your pup, then take you into basics training after you get your pup. They will "wake you up" and teach you how reward based behavior training is the "only way" and especially with pups. Maureen Ross, MA, NCC, CPDT, Director of Dog Talk & TheraPet, ...