# Developmental Priorities



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

This is a brief description of Dr. Ian Dunbar's chapter from" Before You Get Your Puppy" The full article appears at Dog Star Daily http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/developmental-priorities

I think it's very important to have a plan of attack when we get our puppies ,knowing what to do first, and to know that time is of the essence.

Once you have completed your doggy education and chosen the best possible puppy, you will find there is much to do

and little time to do it. Here are your puppy priorities listed in order of urgency and ranked in terms of

importance.

1. HOUSEHOLD ETIQUETTE - from the very first day your puppy comes home. Housetraining, chewtoy-training, and

teaching your dog alternatives to recreational barking are by far the most pressing items on your puppy's

educational agenda. URGENCY RATING 1 -- IMPORTANCE RATING 3

2. HOME ALONE - during the first few days and weeks your puppy is at home. Sadly, the maddening pace of present-

day domestic dogdom necessitates teaching your puppy how to enjoy spending time at home alone - not only to ensure

your pup adheres to established household etiquette when unsupervised, but more importantly to prevent your puppy

from becoming anxious in your absence.--- URGENCY RATING 2 ---IMPORTANCE RATING 4

3. SOCIALIZATION WITH PEOPLE - especially before twelve weeks of age but forever thereafter.
URGENCY RATING 3 --- IMPORTANCE RATING 2

4. DOG-DOG SOCIALIZATION - between three months and eighteen weeks of age to establish reliable bite inhibition

and forever after to maintain friendliness to other dogs. As soon as your puppy turns three months old, it is time

to play catch up vis-a-vis dog-dog socialization, time for puppy classes, long walks...
URGENCY RATING 4 --- IMPORTANCE RATING 6

5. SIT AND SETTLE DOWN COMMANDS - begin anytime you would like your puppydog to listen to you. If you teach your

dog just a couple of commands, they would have to be Sit and Settle Down.
URGENCY RATING 5 --- IMPORTANCE RATING 5

6. BITE INHIBITION - by eighteen weeks of age. A soft mouth is the single most important quality for any dog.

Hopefully, your dog will never bite or fight, but if he does, well-established bite inhibition ensures that your

dog causes little if any damage.
URGENCY RATING 6 --- IMPORTANCE RATING 1 - Bite inhibition is of crucial importance and by far the single most

important quality of any dog, or any animal. Living with a dog that does not have reliable bite inhibition is

unpleasant and dangerous. Bite inhibition must be acquired during puppyhood. You must fully understand how to teach

your puppy bite inhibition. Attempting to teach bite inhibition to an adolescent or adult dog is often extremely

difficult, dangerous, and time-consuming.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

*Puppy Classes*

To add to the above. A couple of years ago. A.V.S.A.B. (American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior ) came out with a Position Statement on Puppy classes/socialization. They were recommending classes earlier than what Dr. Dunbar was recommending. So I asked him if he was thinking of changing his recommendations for puppy classes to an earlier time. ? In his reply he stated that he still goes with his initial time frame. It's not all that different than AVSAB but here's his letter.

Hi there Dave
The AVSAB Position Statement on Puppy Socialization is indeed 
wonderful because some veterinary practitioners are still advising 
against attending puppy classes at any age. I think that it is 
relatively safe for puppies to attend puppy classes as early as ten 
or even eight weeks of age, especially considering the dangers of NOT 
attending puppy classes. Our trainers (SIRIUS) voted for ten weeks as 
the minimum age.) However, I still prefer 12 weeks as the minimum 
starting age (as described in the Training Textbook on 
dogstardaily.com) for a variety of reasons. There is just so much for 
the owner to do at home between eight and twelve weeks vis a vis 
errorless housetraining and chewtoy training, preparing the puppy to 
enjoy his time when left at home alone, teaching home manners, and 
socializing the puppy to people in the safety of his own home. Also, 
if a puppy starts classes at three months of age, the owner is likely 
to confront adolescent problems when the pup is still in class and 
under the tutelage of a trainer, whereas if they start class at eight 
weeks of age, they finish class when their pup is just 14 weeks and 
there is the danger that they have yet to learn that they are 
actually living with a dog.
positive woofs,
ian


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## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

Great information, Dave. There are a lot of new members on the forum like me. Thanks to you and other knowledgeable owners I think I've done some very important things to help Eli become the best dog he can be. The trainer and those who meet him think he's great - and I agree. Coming to the forum everyday helps to remind me of the positive things I need to do so he continues to develop happily and bring joy to our family. 

As I look over to him in his expen, he's happily licking the frozen cream cheese out of a kong (he hates peanut butter, go figure) and will find at least another half hour of enjoyment in that activity before we go for our walk. Such a simple thing I can do for him but so important for his well-being.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Right on Ellie, there's a lot to learn in a short period of time.


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## MaggieMay (Sep 8, 2010)

Ellie, that kong thing is great!! My puppy kind. trainer taught us that. I layer mine, kibble, peanut butter kong squirt stuff, then a treat food like plain chicken or tiny pieces of cheese, and then repeat. I always do that with some of her morning kibble. It really gives them something to do. And I do find so much info on this site!! I never realized how hard it was to raise a puppy!!!


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