Punishing Your Puppy
You can never expect your puppy to think like a human, so it is important for you to think like a dog. A very good book on on this subject is called “Think Dog” by the late John Fisher (just click on any book in the Amazon banner at the top of this page and enter Think Dog in the search area).
When puppies annoy the bitch she will use eye contact and facial expression first. The youngster will carry on the unwanted behavior then the mother will give out a low growl which will increase in volume with a show of teeth. If this is not enough to produce the desired result the bitch will to all intense and purposes fly in at the youngster. This is not a full blown attack. Far from it. It is dress rehearsal for the pup, conditioning him for life later on. No contact is made, although from the resulting noise (mainly from the puppy) one could be excused for thinking that the litter had been reduced by one pup.
It is interesting to note that the bitch will immediately console the puppy and start to lick it all over. This behavior is observed every time the youngster steps out of line.
