Puppy mills are alive and well across North America. Would you know how to recognize if a puppy was from a puppy mill? Puppy mills are in it for profit. They do not care about the welfare of the animals in their care, and most animals live in deplorable conditions. Here are some of the red flags to be aware of:
- They are selling puppies in large numbers or always seem to have puppies available.
- A breeder refuses to divulge the name of their veterinarian. If you are provided with the vet information, make sure the clinic exists and ask to have the vet records sent to your vet.
- Advertisements are constantly in the newspaper classifieds or listed on the internet to buy puppies from the same person.
- The same person always has puppies available or advertises them on every occasion as gifts.
- A breeder offers multiple different breeds for sale. Responsible breeders breed one, maybe two breeds of dogs.
- The seller wants to meet you in a public place to complete the sale.
- The person does not ask you any questions other than money and pickup arrangements. Any legitimate breeder should care who their puppies end up with and ensure they are going to suitable homes. A responsible breeder will typically take their puppies back if it doesn’t work out.
- The person sells puppies at everyday events, such as garage sales or flea markets.
- You are not allowed to meet the breeding parents or view the home or business facility.
- A person claims they are selling the puppies as an “agent” for a breeder.
- The breeder claims spaying or neutering is not required or unnecessary. Reputable breeders will be very diligent on this topic.
- The puppies are offered for sale and delivery before they reach eight weeks old. They will offload the puppies before they cost too much money in food and medical expenses, e.g. vaccinations.
So why do we care if a puppy comes from a puppy mill?
As a trainer who specializes in separation anxiety, I see firsthand when a puppy hasn’t had the best start in life. We do see an increased correlation of separation anxiety in puppy mill puppies.
The risk factors for separation anxiety include:
- Genetic predisposition.
- A breeding mother with fear and anxious traits.
- Maternal stress during pregnancy.
- Early life environment – things that didn’t happen but which could have helped.
- Bad experiences – things that did happen that made things worse.
Let’s expand on these:
1. Genetics & fearful traits – A significant factor in anxiety including separation anxiety is attributable to genetics. If the parents of a puppy, or a litter of puppies, are anxious, then the likelihood is that their offspring will be anxious. This is attributable to the field of epigenetics. It is the reason why we carry the same traits as our parents. Puppy mill operators are not focused on the welfare of their breeding animals. Their focus is on money. They do not breed for temperament or health. They breed any animal as long as they produce puppies they can turn around and sell. Reputable breeders do extensive temperament and health testing on their breeding animals and will not breed a dog if they see traits like fear and aggression in a breeding parent.
2. Maternal Stress – The breeding parents live an awful life. They are reared and live most of their lives in cages with no exercise or enrichment. They are bred, produce a litter of puppies and then often rebred immediately. They are just a commodity to the puppy mill operators. Bred until they can no longer breed and then are disposed of.
3. Early life environment and socialization deficits – Reputable breeders take great care to expose their puppies to the necessities of handling, exposure to novelty ie surfaces, children, and noises, well before the puppies go to their forever homes. This practice ensures the puppies are prepared as best they can be for life in a new home. This is different from the socialization that occurs once they arrive in their new homes usually starting at around 10-12 weeks of age. This does not guarantee that a puppy will not develop anxiety as they grow but it is the best approach that we have available to us. A puppy mill puppy gets none of this exposure.
4. Bad experiences and the separation from the mother – A puppy mill puppy will likely spend the first 7 weeks with their mother confined in a cage until they are removed and sold, usually as young as the puppy mill operator can get away with. A reputable breeder takes into account the developmental stages of the puppy to ensure that the puppy goes to their new home at a time that is developmentally correct for them. Consideration is given to the timing of fear periods so that the transition to the new home is at the most optimal time. A reputable breeder will ensure their puppies go to homes where they will be loved and cared for. A puppy mill operator does not care about this. As long as the new owner has a chequebook, that is all that matters.
Will every puppy that comes from a puppy mill develop fear and anxiety including separation anxiety? Of course not. I have many clients who came from reputable breeders and still went on to develop separation anxiety. However, there can be no question that when we assess the risk factors for separation anxiety, puppy mill puppies have the odds stacked against them.
What do you do if your puppy is a puppy mill puppy?
Firstly, don’t give up. You welcomed this puppy into your home and you love them with all your heart. While you can’t change their start in life, you can make sure that the rest of their life is spent in an enriched and loving environment. If you know or suspect your puppy came from a puppy mill, be proactive. If you purchased your puppy online or from a pet shop, you should assume they came from a puppy mill.
Welcome the puppy into your home and expose and follow the best practice around socialization and training. Do not use aversive training approaches as we know (the research proves this) that these can have a significant negative impact on the dog’s development. And if you have any suspicions that your puppy is showing early fear and anxiety, address them quickly. We know that a single fearful event can begin to lay down the neural pathways in the brain that paves the way for increased fear responses. If you suspect separation-related behaviour issues, reach out to a certified trainer who specializes in the field. We need to work quickly to get the puppy comfortable with being left alone. And this may need veterinary support through the use of behaviour medications. This behaviour will not resolve on its own and does require a proactive approach. For more information on what not to do, please refer to my blog, The Top 7 Things That Could Be Making Your Dog’s Separation Anxiety Worse
If you are not sure what to do, please reach out. Book a discovery call and let’s chat.
Need help with separation anxiety for your dog? Hanging With Hounds is based near Victoria, BC. If you don’t live near us, you are in luck. We can help dogs with separation anxiety across Canada, including Vancouver, Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, London, Kingston and St. Johns Schedule a quick chat to learn how we can help you.