A Puppy's Tail: A Survival Guide to the First Year of your Puppy's Life

By VC Dog Training

People love cute and cuddly puppies, but have you ever wondered why so many are abandoned, often within a day of purchase? The answer is because the new owner never realised just how much is actually involved in looking after a young puppy. The aim of this book is to give the prospective owner an honest idea of what is involved in rearing a young puppy into adulthood and to get an idea if the experience is for them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AG Books
• Release date: Sep 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9781785385674

Book preview

Training

History of the Dog

Over the centuries there has been much debate regarding the origins of our domestic dog, but researchers now believe that our dogs are probably descended from the Grey Wolf. About twelve thousand years ago, for whatever reason, some wolves threw their lot in with early man. Why they did this is difficult to know, but some believe it’s because there was easy food around the camps, while others think it may have been a form of wolf puppy rescue.

Early humans were hunter gatherers, and perhaps while out hunting they may have found abandoned wolf pups and took them back to their camps. These pups would have grown into maturity around humans, and would have helped them hunt, and protect the camps from other wild animals. If this is their history, then it has huge implications for our domestic dogs of today, and also for how we go about training them. It would also explain why our dogs are pack animals, and why they have the instinct of the pack, which in their eyes is the family they live with.

If we go back to the wolf pack and look at how they live and survive, we find a unique system of leadership and organization. This sophisticated system has never changed over thousands of years. The core of the pack is the Alpha male and female, and each wolf below the Alphas has its own place within the pack. It never changes unless there is a death or a challenge. What this means for our pet dogs is that because they still retain the instinct of the pack, they will actively seek a leader. If none comes forward, they will feel it is their duty to take on the leadership and protect the pack, because it is so important to them that the pack has a leader. This is natural for them, and we must accept this.

If it happens that your dog takes over leadership, he may not be capable of carrying out the job and it will change his personality. He may become aggressive towards other dogs, and even towards people. In order to prevent these problems, it’s important that the new owner establishes leadership from the moment they bring their puppy