This post is part of the series in response to Dunbar’s 2012 Australian seminars. See index.

Welcome to the first post in my Ian Dunbar seminar series. This, as well as many other posts, will be updated as I make more posts. So let’s start!

Ian Dunbar very seriously believes that puppyhood is one of the most vital periods of a puppy’s life. He believes that appropriate training and socialisation will mean that common behaviour problems can be prevented and, ultimately, the dog will not end up in a shelter facility. (In the handout, he called common and precitable behaviour problems “the #1 terminal illness for adolescent/adult dogs.”)

Photo © Ruthless Photos

With puppies, training should focus on:
• Stopping behaviour problems from occurring,
• Teaching bite inhibition,
• Socialising puppies to people and therefore reducing the likelihood of bites (from fear or aggression).

In terms of behaviour problems that should be prevented in puppyhood, this includes:
• House soiling,
• Inappropriate chewing,
• Biting,
• Barking,
• “Temperament problems”
These behaviours are easily predictable, and easily preventable during puppyhood.

Dunbar made some pretty firm statements. He says that puppies with insufficient socialisation suffer “massive permanent damage”. He thinks that puppies are pretty much ‘made’ by 3 months of age, though socialisation does continue. It is only at 2-3 years that you can finished your puppy a finished product – you can relax and enjoy your dog and not worry about further socialisation.

Making the most of puppyhood is a dual effort between breeders and puppy buyers. Breeders have duties, as do puppy buyers. One of puppy buyers duties is puppy classes, and we’ll look at puppy classes in our next post.