BY FRAN JEWELL
It is the first week of December and the holidays are fast approaching. Many folks consider giving a puppy as a gift. From a trainer’s point of view, this is an incredibly difficult time to bring a puppy home. It is also not always a good idea to give a gift of an animal unless the recipient is involved in the “getting” process.
The holidays are very busy for all of us and coming and going can be extremely difficult with a puppy at home that is trying to learn about housetraining and the usual schedule of the family. The number of guests that come to the home, the commotion, and especially the decorations overwhelms many puppies. It is a teething extravaganza for a young pup that doesn’t yet know the rules.
Gifts can be destroyed. Parties can be stopped by unwanted poop in the living room, and trees can be pulled over by the playful and not-closely-supervised pup. Dangerously, pups can find candy on the floor dropped by small children or even cookie crumbs that contain chocolate or the deadly Xylitol. Yes, both of these holiday ingredients can mean an emergency trip to the vet and even death for a puppy or adult dog. Festive poinsettias are also poisonous. Unless you are totally committed to strict supervision, crate training and housetraining, this can be an incredibly frustrating and dangerous time to bring a small puppy into your home.
Choosing a puppy should be something that the recipient has a part in. An unwanted puppy will find its way to the shelter very quickly after the holidays and, in some cases, inadvertently neglected by a well-intentioned new owner that has no idea about canine husbandry. The recipient that feels the pressure to keep an unwelcome pet can find this a very difficult situation, trying to not hurt the feelings of the gift giver.
Puppies need time to adjust to a new environment with positive support and lots of love and affection, and the family showing the pup “the ropes” in terms of what the rules are and how to behave. During this critical imprinting age, a confusing, fast-paced plethora of overwhelming temptations can produce many unwanted behaviors. These behaviors can become long-term problems that are harder and harder to stop with each day that passes.
Puppies grow up very quickly. They often do not stay adorable for very long! Little problems become big ones if not addressed very early on.
Bringing a new puppy into your home should be something you and your entire family have discussed at great length. A decision to bring a puppy into your home is a decision for the next 12 to 15 years, or the life of the dog. Puppies are not something you can return when they grow too big, or are unruly because they have not been trained.
Give a box with a card in it that says, “We will go find our perfect puppy after Christmas!” Then, enjoy the time the family spends together finding that special new member of the family when the holiday is over and the house is cleared of all the decorations, candies and presents. A puppy is a lifetime member of your family!
Fran Jewell is an Idaho Press Club award-winning columnist, IAABC-certified dog behavior consultant, NADOI-certified instructor #1096 and the owner of Positive Puppy Dog Training, LLC, in Sun Valley. For more information, visit positivepuppy.com or call (208) 578-1565.