Protecting A Puppy

My landlord brought a new puppy home not too long ago.

I've learned that he plans to get rid of his other dog, the psychotic one, because it bit his son. The bite was inevitable, not so much because the dog wasn't trained, but because the boy has been kicking it.

I've seen him do it. He also likes to torment the poor animal by poking at it with long objects.

Knowing his proclivities, I was afraid he'd take after the puppy the same way. Sadly, I'm right. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen him boot the puppy for no good reason.

When I'm outside playing with the puppy or teaching him to sit or fetch, if the boy is there too, the puppy will look at him with wary eyes and try to avoid him. The maxim is true: kick a dog once and he'll never trust you again. This is why the older dog has grown vicious.

I can't say that all village dogs are being treated the same way, but it would go a long way toward explaining their behaviour. Some of them are so mangy and messed up they look like they've been run over by a truck.

I've taken steps to rectify the puppy situation, but it remains to be seen if the kid has learned to keep his feet to himself.

In the meantime I've begun teaching the puppy bite inhibition. I bought him a chew toy to help satisfy his need to chomp on everything, and I'm using little snacks called buddy biscuits to help train him.

Maybe I should try the biscuits with the boy, too.

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