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Health & Fitness

Pet Store Puppies Often Bite More and Harder to Train

Bite Me? Pet Store Pups Are Harder to Train

Ouch! Those little teeth are sharp! 

Like little sharks pet store puppies tend to bite more, have more frustration and anxiety and are basically a dog trainer's dream because they present much more work for their new owners. Why? Let us start with the source.

Breeders that supply pet stores give up their dogs too early, sometimes as young as only four weeks. And many up until their trip to the shop, have not been socialized which basically means exposure to the many sights and sounds of everyday living. These young puppies have not only been often weaned from their mother's nourishing and health-promoting milk, they also have not learned to understand social cues and bite inhibition from their siblings. And once they come home with their new owners because of this lack of early nurturing they treat their owners like pincushions! But they really don't know any better. These puppies also often develop into dogs that react, lunge and pull toward other dogs while on leash, or cannot play nicely in the dog run. They never learned to speak dog. Ideally puppies should not leave their litter mates until at least 8 weeks with 10 being far better. It may be inconvenient for the breeder but a blessing for the new owner as this prevents this frenzied, bite-driven  behavior. The mother and siblings do a great job of teaching what is socially acceptable and creates the foundation to a great family pet through bonding and nurturing. 

And housebreaking goes more smoothly since the mother has also begun teaching her pups that going potty where they sleep and eat is a no- no. And that nice stable personality forged by early nurturing creates a stable puppy that will like to be handled and touched and bond to family members and strangers more easily.

The best place to get a new puppy or adult dog is through a rescue from a shelter or reputable breeder which can be found through the national AKC breed clubs. These reputable breeders follow a code of ethics for their clubs often stating that they will always take back their dogs, be there to help owners with questions for the life of the dog, and commit to keeping their breed healthy. Many are involved in breed rescue too. And they never, ever sell to pet stores. 

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