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Canine Behavior/Shitzu Puppies

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Expert: Cassie - 1/22/2008


Question
I recently got two Shitzu puppies. One male and one female. They are 10 weeks old this week. I was a previous owner of 2 Alaskan Malamutes. I have never really been around alot of Shitzus and the way my puppies play with each other is concerning me. When they play, they are very noisy and it seems violent. They seem to work it out but I don't know if I should be stopping them from this. Is this an indication of future problems? Also at what age should I send them to puppy kindergarden? I would like to get them aroung other dogs but I don't want to traumatize them if they are too youg.

Answer
Puppies do play rough, and often there is much barking, growling, and tackling as well as teeth-barring. This is completely normal and will not stop for many, many months. As for the puppy kindergarden, I would have to say that at about 4 months they should be ready to attend. Please spay and neuter your dogs at 5 months.

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Cassie

Expertise

My expertise lies in the fact that I've helped people with their dog's behavior since the age of eleven! I was inspired by animal behaviorist "Cesar Millan" and knew I was meant to make a difference in the lives of animals, particularly dogs. I have owned dogs all my life. I can answer questions regarding behavior, breeding, training, and raising your puppy. In most 'behavior cases', the owner is the reason the dog is misbehaving. They were thinking with human psychology, not canine psychology. They did not provide their dog with what he/she needed, or tried to 'punish' their dog like their children, by putting them in a time-out, yelling, ect. This caused the dog to be in an unbalanced state of mind, which is the exact opposite of what most owners are trying to achieve. The dogs' instincts kick in and he/she tries to take over by jumping up, excessive barking, ect. That is why I'm here. To help people live happy, healthy lives with their best friend.

Experience

I have owned animals all my life, particularly dogs. I have studied animal behavior for much of my life, and am currently working toward my goal of becoming a professional animal behaviorist. I breed Labrador Retrievers as well. My kennel name is "Happy Tails Labradors", and my website can be viewed here: http://happytails.weebly.com/.

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