An article found in The Advertiser on Friday, the 26th of August, has shown some interesting research on the early separation of dogs.

“Puppies turn mean if separated early

Separating puppies from their litter too early can turn them into aggressive dogs, Italian scientists say.
They are significantly more likely to display problematic behavior as adults. Researchers studied 140 dogs, aged between 18 months and seven years. Half had been taken from the litter and adopted between the ages of 30 and 40 days, and half had been taken at 60 days. Owners filled in questionnaires on their pets, including such problematic behavior as destructiveness, excessive barking, possessiveness, attention seeking, aggressiveness, play biting, fearfulness on walks and reaction to noises.

The scientists found those behaviors were all more common in dogs who had been separated from their litter at between 30 and 40 days old. Behavior was also worse in dogs who had been removed early and placed in pet shops.” 

What is your opinion? do you think there is any truth to this article?