Puppies Raised with Challenges Are Better Suited to Training

[FAM Times reporter Kang Gyu-jeong] The four-character idiom “慈母敗子” means that children raised by excessively indulgent mothers become unruly and ill-mannered.

An overseas study has found that the idea behind “慈母敗子” applies not only to people but also to puppies.

In a study conducted overseas, puppies that received their mothers’ overindulgent affection and care often failed to complete guide dog training. However, puppies that experienced some difficulty while growing up were found to be relatively better suited to training.

Emily Bray, who led the study, called the findings “surprising” in an interview with World Report and U.S. News. She said puppies that grow up overcoming minor challenges are more likely to succeed in training later than those raised without such challenges.

When mother dogs devoted themselves to keeping their puppies as comfortable as possible, the puppies were less capable of handling difficult tasks once they became adults.

For example, if a mother dog lies down to nurse her puppies, they can easily drink her milk. Puppies raised this way did not achieve successful results in training programs later.

By contrast, if a mother dog stands or sits instead of remaining lying down while nursing, her puppies have more difficulty feeding and learn techniques such as standing on their hind legs to nurse.

Puppies that overcame these minor difficulties later achieved better training results. In other words, puppies that overcame adversity when young were also better at navigating obstacles as adults.

Reporter Kang Gyu-jeong fam7@pcss.co.kr