[Dailydrool] 5 week old basset taken away from littermates

[Dawn Gardner]

Kathleen,

One of the problems you will run into with a dog that leaves its litter at
younger than 8 weeks of age is bite inhibition and the ability to relate to
others. Bite inhibition is a big one - dogs who leave their litters too
early often have trouble with aggression later in life.  Anyone hoping to
have well adjusted dog come out of this situation must make sure the dog is
socialized like crazy BEFORE he/she is about 12-16 weeks of age - of course,
you have to make sure that all dogs that interact with the pup are disease
free.  You'll also have to carefully teach the dog how to inhibit his/her
bite.

Here are a few articles that might be of interest:
http://www.apdt.com/m/benefits/handouts/tydm/APDT_BreederTips2011.pdf
http://www.apdt.com/petowners/articles/docs/RKAndersonLetter.pdf
http://www.apdt.com/veterinary/assets/pdf/Messer_ND06.pdf

There is a wealth of information on the web about early socialization and
prevention of aggression for pups.  I would checkout people like Ian Dunbar,
Patricia McConnell, and Karen Pryor as they are all experts in canine
ethology.  There are also some folks out there that don't know what they are
talking about, by the way.  I would look for members of APDT, IAABC, the
Animal Behavior Society, or CCPDT.  All of these groups have websites, and
all keep current on the science.

Hope this helps the poor little baby.  So sad.

Dawn Gardner
Behavioral Consultant & Trainer
Happy Hound Pet Services
336-432-8715
www.happyhoundpetservices.com

APDT Member #74988


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