While the new film Marely & Me may be hot at the box office, and surely it portrays puppies in all their glory, there’s a chance that it might be glamorizing puppies and encouraging dog lovers to get a pup without thinking things through.

That’s why the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior
(AVSAB) sent out a press release the day after Marely & Me released nationwide.

Below are the main points the AVSAB release covered:

“Marley and Me,” a film based on John Grogan’s life with his loveable but unruly Labrador Retriever, is a wonderful example of the depth of the human-animal bond. However, much of Marley’s “bad” behavior was unknowingly created by his well meaning but poorly prepared owners and some of it was an anxiety disorder called storm phobia.

First, puppies require a great deal of time, attention, and training–training that starts the minute the puppy is brought home.

Second, owners should enroll puppies in puppy classes as soon as
possible–before the puppy comes home.

Third, unruly behaviors such as jumping, pulling on the leash, and
chewing household items can be prevented in the adult dog by teaching and rewarding mannerly and appropriate behavior in growing puppies.

Fourth, at no point was “Marley” trying to be the “alpha male of the
pack,” as claimed by the film’s dog trainer. Training does not
require “dominance” and harsh corrections. Being a good leader by
training and reinforcing desired behavior using positive
reinforcement is the safest and most effective way to train puppies.
For example, kneeing Marley in the chest to stop jumping up was
potentially dangerous, completely ineffective, and unnecessary.
Simply teaching him from puppyhood to sit for petting would have
eliminated that problem.

Fifth, many dogs suffer from behavior problems that are unrelated to traditional training. For example, destruction and vocalization
during storms often occurs due to the well-recognized condition
of storm phobia, which is treatable by veterinarians
with a special interest or certification in animal behavior.

Sixth, viewers should resist the temptation to adopt a puppy or dog based on a movie.

For more information about AVSAB, click here.