Does TLC Lead To Well-Behaved Dogs?

The quality of care that a mother provides for her children has a big impact on how well-adjusted they become as adults. It is not uncommon to hear psychologists blame poor parenting for a child's criminal behaviour. However, does this also apply to dogs?

The general public seems to assume that all female canines are born with a genetic manual to provide the proper nurturing needed to result in well-adjusted puppies. However, science suggests that this might not be the case.

Swedish researchers, headed by Pernilla Foyer of Linköping University, conducted research with German Shepherds to find out whether puppies need consistent touch stimulation from their mothers to develop normally. For the first three weeks, they recorded dog mothers interacting with their litters.

When the puppies were about 18 months old, researchers conducted a temperament test to see if the quantity of petting the puppies experienced from their moms made any difference in the adult dogs. They used a test employed by the Swedish Armed Forces to select prospective military working dogs.

According to the findings, maternal care and more touching resulted in puppies with higher levels of fortitude, physical involvement, and social engagement. They were more sociable, more engaged, open to interacting with their environment, and less likely to become alarmed by sudden or possibly dangerous situations.