I3EI-IAVIOn DEVELOPMENT
AN D !lEliA VIOI\AL DISOI\DEI\S
25
money on for their pets; however, care should be u~'ed. First, a puppy is belter on' with onc or two to)'s than with sevcral. This helps the puppy dislill~\1ish things that 1)l'1(l1l~ to it frolll things it wants to grab. Anothcr hctor that is important in toys is that thc)' should be vcry
other pack Illelllbers, subtle threats are usually
t1incrcnt from other things ill t}w cllviroIllllcnL All old sllOc is !lot dislillJ!.lIi ...hablc frolll a ~()(J(I
This
one. Plastic dog toys and children's toys are thc same. A good lawn hose is identical to an old one turned over to the dog. Ilard nylon bones, some rawhide chews. tlnc.l even old socks lieu in a knot are d&erent for mas I puppies. Poppy chewing should be limited to specific toys. While this is easy to say, with some puppies it is a real challenge to do. For the pnppy that chews almust continuuusly, the be-
ciplincd
havior
is excessive
but normal.
Since
or
wallpaper,
preventing
punish-
access
is
Itl'nerally the best method of managing the problcm. Taste a\'ersion can also he used whcn • spcciGc item is targeted. In either case, it is Impurtant to determine the triggering factor &JI(.l
minimize ohiect
C".llIse,
another
pressed
\\'illlOllt
instead
111ings such
If
access is pre\"entcu to a working 011 the r('a1 behaviur problelll will be ex-
it.
chewed
of the destructi\'e
as not enough
exercise
Iltention, especially on a schcduled be contributing bctors.
not
tant that the hUlllan bc considered
chewing. or human
basis, could
Aggression is the fourth
Inajur
category
lhe c:!,,<' hased 011 size alollc'. tll(': puppy Liial has Ile\'el" hl't:lI dis·
of
l"..havioral problems
associatcu with puppies. TIle typcs of aggressi\'e problcllls are quite different from those shown by adult dogs. PainInduced aggression occurs whcn the puppy hnrts. Play aggression can get out of hand for
or
forced
to
submit
may
grow
up
feeling it is the dOlllinant individual and that it controls thc falllily activities. Puppies bite the OWller
who
tries
to take
away
a "stolen"
sock,
take a bow out of their hair, ur leave the house without thelll. Antiaggressive puppy training can be a good procedure to have owners use to he sure
they
can gain
control
of their
pet while
it is physicallv small enough to be "neel'ull)' handled if necessary. Antiaggressive training has man\' little parts. The owner should take the foou bowl away, and if the puppy growls or snaps when the bowl is pickeu up, thc food should remain awav for at least 5 minutes. The puppy should bc h'eld on its back until it quits struggling. The owner can suspend it by holding it around the thorax. Thc muzzle can gently but nrmly be hcld shut until struggling stops. The ears, feet, and tail can be handled, especially since these areas must be examincd and worked
with
later.
Uasic
antiaggression
training
means that anything the puppy dues not like is done repeatedly until it is accepted. /-"!ollthoriented
activities,
e(Hlrag(~d . By :I wceks
in
or ;Ige,
general,
puppies
should
he
dis-
;1l'C chewillg
on
littermates in play. It is during this phase that the individual learns jaw pressure, \Vhen a puppy is biting a littermate, the Iittermate will yelp and stop play at the timc when thc bite bccomes painful. This basically teaches the puppv how much pressure it takes to inflict pain. When thc puppy practiccs this on a humall,
Aggression
dominant.
is lIslI;dly
110\v('\'(,I",
ment fur normal behavior is not ufl(Jerstood, the best tcchnique is to divert the youngstcr's attention to something that is acceptable. Puppics sbould be kcpt in a place where they ha\'e k"CCSS only to their select to\'s, especially when Il<J one is around to watch them. For puppies that chcw primarilv when things within thc houschold change and are doing damage to furniture
to establish ownership. Terriers tend to respect social positions and rrcqll('lltly 1lIIlSl be raised scp;lra\('ly aner 15 weeks. For the dog-human relationship, it is impor-
slIITicicnl
it can learn
puppy
hiting
is
:1n
undesirahle
oftell considered
lesson. cute,
Becallse owners
may tolerate the ]lain to watch the fun. The lessnn learned is that a great deal of pressure is needed
to cause pain. Later on a minor warning
bile from the dog's pcrspecti\'e may actually inflict a serious injury to the owner.
tUlIle owners.
The most signincant aspect of aggrcssion has dominance. Puppies normally cslah· I,," duminauce among littcrlllates by 15 weeks ol agc (Scott and Fuller, 1965). l3efore this "' .•.·urs, puppies challenge each other over pos•..•sions, especially food. After dOlllinance is ntablished among littermates and relative to
to do with
70