Removed From Mom Too Soon – Puppy Development and Behavioral Issues

Puppy development has been on my mind a lot lately.

I have written before about the importance of early puppy development and socialization. This topic is endlessly interesting to me because it is crucial to the well-being of dogs, but it is also very poorly understood and often ignored by us – even those of us in the animal care world.

When dogs are born, there is a non-negotiable need for sufficient time spent with their mother and littermates. This period of time, which should be at least 8 weeks, but ideally, could be as long as 12 weeks, sets a dog up for healthy adult behavior. During this period, dogs learn bite inhibition through play with their siblings. They learn independence as mom leaves the area for increasingly longer periods of time. Puppies learn to understand other dogs’ social cues through interactions with mom and littermates. Coping skills are learned through interactions with outside stimuli. Pups receive vital nutrients through nursing. Early puppyhood is a sensitive time, and dogs learn many things – positive and negative – which will impact their emotional wellbeing for a lifetime.

When this period is cut short – either by uncontrollable circumstances like illness or death of the mother, by unscrupulous breeders who want to get rid of puppies for a faster profit, or by other various circumstances, puppies can go on to develop behavioral issues as adults. These issues can include poor bite inhibition, anxiety, aggression, excessive attention seeking behaviors, phobias and reactivity, separation anxiety, frustration intolerance, and more.

I am writing about this today to help people understand their dogs a little better. Many of us do not know our dogs’ histories but can surmise that the dog’s early life was a little wonky (ex. your dog came to a shelter as a very young puppy). Or maybe you know for certain that important parts of your dog’s development were compromised. The reason it is important to think about these things is so that we can better help and care for our individual, fabulous, quirky, adorable dogs. When the first several weeks of puppyhood are interrupted or traumatic in any way (this includes the critical socialization period of up to 14 weeks of age), our dogs may be set up for a lifetime of difficulties. These are difficulties that can be retroactively soothed and helped through training, enrichment, proper nutrition, and environmental management; but more often than not, training maintenance will be a lifetime priority. This is not a disaster. This can be part of the process through which we strengthen our love and bond with our dogs.

My favorite example of this kind of dog is my girl, Tiramisu, aka The Boop. All my dogs have had “ruff” starts to life. Toki was dropped at a shelter at a day old with one littermate and had to be bottle-fed around the clock. Starla was found wandering the street in Philadelphia while still a puppy. And Tiramisu, well…

Years ago, I worked at an animal hospital and had actually met Tiramisu (not the name she came with) when she was just four – five weeks old. Her owners had purchased her off Craig’s List and wanted to do right by her by bringing her in for care. However, she was too young to even start vaccines. At six weeks, they started bringing her in for her distemper series. But by eight weeks, there had been an accident in the home. This accident had damaged Tiramisu’s spinal cord in her neck area. She was paralyzed. She was in very bad shape, and the owners wanted what was best for her, so they relinquished her to the hospital so she could receive life-saving care and eventually regain mobility. They chose to give up ownership because they couldn’t afford care, and they wanted her to survive.

We technicians took turns bringing the Boop home at night to care for her, and eventually, as you know, she stayed with me and I became her “Mawm.” Also, after extensive rest, medication, physical therapy, and time to heal, she now never stops moving!

Now! The reason for this dramatic backstory is to illustrate that because of these unusual circumstances, Tiramisu missed out on a lot of important social development. From being removed from her mother far too soon, to needing special medical care and missing out on normal early puppy socialization, the Boop was set up for a tough ride. And it showed! I wish I could find the pictures of my hands from her early puppy days. They looked like hamburger. She had zero bite inhibition! Those little needle teeth were a menace! She also had serious separation anxiety. She would scream bloody murder if you even stepped a few feet away from her. She needed constant touch and attention. Now don’t get me wrong, she was/is lovable as heck and she fought through unimaginable pain in her first few weeks with us. She’s an angel and a miracle in my opinion. But because she had some serious deficits in her normal developmental pattern, she had some extra behavioral challenges to overcome. We worked diligently to help her with her bite inhibition (which is chef’s kiss perfect now, I might add!), and we worked overtime to rid her of her severe separation anxiety. Even after she was moving around and walking, she was unable to be apart from us, loudly vocalizing, defecating in her confined area – she even destroyed a crate when we had to safely confine her for a short period to deal with something in the home. We used a lot of reward-based training and constant adjustment to her needs to help her through this period. Tiramisu can safely stay home alone now, and she always keeps her mouth to herself! Her big sister Starla helped her understand how to speak the language of dogs and get on board with canine body language. Toki taught her all about Kongs. But some of Tiramisu’s issues persist and need constant work. Tiramisu needs frequent training games to maintain her impulse control. We always scatter feed on walks to keep her attention and excitement levels in check. She needs a TON of daily exercise and mental stimulation, not only because she is energetic and inquisitive by nature ( see THIS POST about the link between behavior and genetics), but because she needs help “getting her brain in order” so as to not be constantly seeking attention.  Tiramisu has never been aggressive, and for this I am very grateful. She is a charmer of a dog and even accompanies me on some training visits to help student dogs who have trouble handling the site of other pups on walks. She is a social butterfly and loves people, especially children.

Tiramisu is my favorite example of what can happen and what can be helped even if a pup’s early life didn’t play out as expected. I won’t lie. The first several months of working through her issues (after getting her healthy) were extremely difficult and frustrating at times.  But she is an amazing, incredibly loving and affectionate gem of a dog, and I would do it all over again if I had to. She is loyal and sweet and will do anything to make you smile. She trusts us completely and melts our hearts with her big brown eyes.

Some of you may recognize poor early socialization behavior traits in your own pets. The traits listed at the beginning of this post are not always a sign of lack of appropriate early socialization, but the presence of many at once certainly points to the likelihood. Dogs with these issues are no less fabulous than any other dog. However, we need to understand how to “meet them where they are” and instill confidence and better coping skills. I have a big place in my heart for underdogs of any kind. I find that working within a dog’s individual boundaries and helping them feel safe in the world creates an unbreakable bond. Finding ways to work together as a team and to be understanding of each other is incredibly rewarding.

So, what is Tiramisu’s life like today? I think she thinks it’s pretty great. She is Starla’s best friend. They are inseparable. She has a large fan club, including all of the neighbors, who love her sweet disposition. She spends a considerable amount of time in our yard playing in the “sensory garden” and chasing her toys. She gets trips to Sniff Spots, and I take her with me to dog freindly stores. She’s been on vacation with us. She gets daily “Morning Shenanigans” – energetic games of tug and wrestling with “Mawm” – and tons of snuggle time under blankets. She enjoys stuffed Kongs, Lickimats, Destruction Boxes (aka”Toki Boxes”), and a variety of toys. Does she still have obvious quirks? Sure! She can’t stand being ignored when we have guests. In all fairness, I don’t work on that because we don’t have a lot of people over – and the people we do have over tend to love Tiramisu’s antics. I could work with her on that, but my husband and I like our home to be our little sanctuary, so we’re not entertaining groups of people. Naughty trainer? Maybe…don’t judge me. Tiramisu is easily over-stimulated; we generally know what environments will work for her and what won’t. She is happy to shop at Lowe’s with me, but a busy area swarming with people, such as a park event or party, turns her into an unruly toddler, quickly. My favorite outcome of all the time and energy we’ve put into Tiramisu is her Velcro-ness. Although she no longer suffers from separation anxiety, she is the definition of a Velcro Dog. Wherever I am, she is (usually touching me or sitting on me). If she can’t get to me, she’s peeking around the corner at me like a little stalker. But this is where that strong bond I mentioned comes in. I believe this bond exists because we worked so hard with Tiramisu on the dangerous parts of her improper early socialization – bite inhibition,  separation anxiety, impulsivitiy – and continue to work her mind and body with customized play (Destruction Boxes, search or scent games, tug, exploring in nature, plenty of snuggle time). She is incredibly trusting of us and genuinely wants to be around us. We don’t punish the times when she gets overstimulated or yappy. We redirect her or remove her from a situation, and think about what she might be missing in her daily needs hierarchy. Tiramisu will never be a quiet, lay-about type of dog, but that’s due also in part to her genetics and individual personality. She keeps us on our toes, challenging us to find new, fun ways to play with and train her, but she’s actually a great family member. She is loving, she’s smart and takes direction well, and she is comfortable and secure with us. She always has a dopey grin on her face, and always makes us giggle. I think our bond is forever, and we owe a lot of that to our willingness to work with Tiramisu The Dog, not some imaginary ideal of a dog. That’s the key – working with the dog you have. If you have a dog who had a rough start to life, or who is struggling with aging changes, or who is a high energy breed, work with the dog you have and find ways to accommodate their individual needs. You won’t regret it! If you need help figuring things out, reach out, and we can design a plan together. Thanks for reading, and give your dog a kiss from me!