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A socialisation class for puppies

The Young Reporter (2003, December), 36(03), pp. 8.
Author: Kristy Lam Chi-sum. Editor: Terry Lam Yuet-ching.
Permanent URL - https://sys01.lib.hkbu.edu.hk/bujspa/purl.php?&did=bujspa0015301

By Kristy Lam Chi-sum

02009331@hkbu.edu.hk

IT is said that dogs are the best friends of humans. However, it is common for people to see dogs barking at pedestrians. Sometimes we are scared. Sometimes we are annoyed. However, do you know why they bark?

“Dogs can’t talk, when they want to greet you, they may jump over your body. When they want to play with you, they may chase after you just to arouse your attention. Most people are frightened by these actions,” says Beanie Tam, the instructor for the Puppy Socialisation Class of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) .

According to Tam, these inappropriate manners of puppies can be corrected through training. This accounts for the launch of Puppy Socialisation Class (formerly known as “Dogs Socialisation Course” ) in mid-2000.

The class is not big at all. The six “students” meet their “classmates” once a week. During the six week course, they learn how to respond to cues such as sit, down, stand, stay, come and loose leash walking, while puppies owners learn how to give these cues.

The socialisation class is tailor-made for puppies under four and a half months old. Punishment-based training methods are not adopted here since puppies cannot tolerate physical punishment like beating, which is used in other dog obedience enhancement courses.

Tam says that dogs do not have the concept of right and wrong in their minds. Therefore, we have to encourage them when they do the right things by giving treats. Then what should we do when dogs are bad?

“When the puppies are really naughty, the owners need to take their puppies out of the classroom to calm them down,” Tam explains. “It is a kind of punishment for them when they are left idle. The puppies may be irritated at first, but they will gradually realise that they’ve done something wrong. From time to time, they will get rid of the bad habits such as barking during playtime.”

At the end of the course, an examination is held. It is not only for the puppies, but also for the owners. Tam says that it is important for the owners to know how and when to give treats and punishments at the right time.

The examination is not difficult, thanks to the informative and funny illustration of the owners and their puppies. There is no beating and yelling in the examination. Laughter is the only thing you can find in the classroom.

The participants comment positively on the course. Florence Ho, who used to live in Australia, comes with her five month old Goldie.

“Compared with Australia, Hong Kong is a place that is full of people with limited space,” she says. “Dogs here tend to be more defensive so they usually bark more and it is quite embarrassing.”

After taking the socialisation class, Florence has learned some signals to order dogs to sit and stay. “It helps me to develop a better communication with Goldie. More importantly, Goldie has become more friendly to both humans and other dogs.”

Six lessons later, every puppy, as well as its owner, would receive a certificate. The puppies are also rewarded with some mouth-watering food, and most important of all, playtime!

Tam says that the main difference between this socialisation course and other obedience courses in SPCA is the amount of playtime.” We let puppies play a lot in this course as we want them to learn how to socialise with other dogs.”

Tam hears that some owners use sticks and clothes hangers to beat their pets. He thinks that pet owners in Hong Kong use too many physical punishments. To break the communication barriers between human and pets, people should always treat them with love.

Dogs need to have good manners to integrate into human society. How about human beings? Perhaps we also need to be well mannered so as to illustrate a good example to our pets.

Edited by Terry Lam Yuet-ching

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