This week an old friend who I had not seen in a while visited the clinic bearing a Christmas present in his arms. The gift, I should quickly add, was something that he had bought for himself: a beautiful blue-eyed grey weimaraner puppy named Sir Gean. The puppy had been acquired that same morning and was duly brought in for his first check-up, deworming and vaccination.
My friend had nothing to worry about. Sir Gean was in in perfect condition, excellent health and, as I told him, “a fine specimen of the breed”. We parted company with good wishes all round, auguring each other all the best for the festive season.
But two days later, I got a worried phone call. Having spent a couple of days settling his new puppy into his home, my friend had to return to work. And that’s where problems started. Sir Gean, having already exhibited a strong attachment – even within the short time that I saw them together – now suddenly found himself all alone at home and he didn’t like it one bit. He howled and howled miserably and wouldn’t stop. My friend was at his wits’ end and wondered if there was anything that I could do to help.
The story is a familiar one. Every Christmas, hundreds of families either adopt or welcome into their home a new animal companion. More often than not, it is usually a puppy or kitten. Sadly, some families never make it past the first few months and animal sanctuaries then have to deal with the heartbreak of abandoned animals or pets given up for adoption. But if you are thinking of buying or adopting a young dog or cat, there is much that you can do to make sure that the human-animal companionship is a happy one.
For starters, it is important to bear in mind that your new pet is likely to be anywhere between seven to 12 weeks old. With puppies such as Sir Gean, this translates to the critical learning phase of their first couple of months with you. What you do now and how you train them could mean the difference between a happy outcome or one that is much harder to cope with. One of the hardest issues to prevent is the onset of separation anxiety.
It is a big moment for a puppy when it is removed from its siblings and taken to a new home completely absent of the smell of its mother. It is a perfectly natural instinct to gather it up into your arms and comfort it when it cries, just as it is understandable that you would want to cuddle it and maybe even let it sleep on your bed at night so that it won’t feel lonely. Unfortunately, this kind of reinforcing behaviour merely paves the way for problems such as the separation anxiety Sir Gean suddenly exhibited when left alone at home.
Whenever you have a new puppy, you have a great opportunity to create that bond where you not only have a new pet but also a new friend
There are several products a veterinarian can recommend that would reduce the symptoms of separation anxiety in your puppy. But while such products are still very valid, they would still need to be coupled with long and tedious attempts to retrain your dog... as well as your own relationship with your dog. So, the first thing is to do is to be aware of separation anxiety and prevent it upfront.
Your puppy needs to know its place within the household otherwise, even while it might adore you and your family, it will take the upper hand. So, the very first day that your new puppy comes home is the day it should be introduced to its new pet crate, or bed and leash. Confine your puppy and walk away calmly and without fussing over it. Let it stay a short while alone.
If it starts crying, barking or whining, be firm and ignore the attention-seeking behaviour. As soon as it settles down and becomes quiet, let it out of the crate or let it off the leash. That way you will be reinforcing good behaviour rather than bad. This may come across as draconian, but it really does make a difference. Your vet is the best person to talk to for advice about which option best suits your lifestyle and how to make your pet’s place safe and cosy.
Another problematic area is ‘potty’ training. Puppies do not yet have a sufficiently developed sphincter to control the flow of urine so a full bladder or excitement could result in little accidents. Let your dog pee and poo before bringing it indoors and praise it for good behaviour. If you or your children play with the puppy, give it time to pee and poo every 20 minutes or so. Give it a potty run first thing in the morning and just before putting it to bed. Depending on the age of the puppy, it might need to pee or poo halfway through the night, so you need to plan for that. Again, your vet will advise you on how to cope with the needs of a young dog.
Discuss with your veterinarian what type of food best suits your puppy and lifestyle, how much of it to give and then establish regular feeding times to suit your schedule. Avoid leaving food out all the time just in case it gets hungry. A healthy dog is likely to eat whatever is available and leaving food out at all times will lead to obesity and associated health problems.
Socialisation is another very important area for your new puppy. It needs to get used to people, other dogs and even going out for drives in the car. Meeting and greeting other people and enforcing discipline throughout means that as adult dogs they will behave when they are in human company. Socialising with other dogs also means that under normal circumstances, they are less likely to be needlessly aggressive or unnecessarily fearful when they encounter others of their own species.
Taking them for short drives with you as you go about your errands will avoid you having to endure the constant barking that over-excited dogs tend to indulge in whenever they need to be taken somewhere. But do keep in mind the danger of overheating during the warmer months.
Very importantly, you should get your new pet checked out by a vet as soon as possible. It is so easy to quickly get attached to that bundle of joy and I have seen countless cases where the pet was brought in after a few days only to find out that the puppy or kitten they have fallen in love with has a birth defect. By that time, they are so attached to the animal that they cannot bear to be parted from it again and decide to keep it… in itself an admirable gesture.
A frequent occurrence of this is when male puppies retain one or both testicles. These can become tumours later on in life. It is very hard to tell the happy owners of a puppy that they should be aware of possible problems later on. I have also witnessed the heartache of puppies dying within a couple of weeks of them being brought home because they were already infected with the parvo virus, which is usually fatal. Seeing your vet within 24 hours means that your new pet will be adequately vaccinated against dangerous viruses, dewormed from internal parasites and its general wellness examined by a professional.
Whenever you have a new puppy, you have a great opportunity to create that bond where you not only have a new pet but also a new friend. Yet to do this, it is extremely important that this relationship is well balanced. Sir Gean’s owner informs me that his dog is now slowly settling in, with small improvements every day and I am glad that they will enjoy Christmas together.
thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com
Dr Martin Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.