For many, the excitement of having a new puppy can be quite short-lived after the first few days, and then questions like “How did I get myself into this?” start popping up.
It is very okay to be faced with unpleasant puppy behaviors the first time you bring your puppy home – behaviors like pooping on the rugs or carpets, biting, chewing, jumping e.t.c In fact, dealing with a puppy’s destructive inclinations and well-intended but often wrong advice from family and friends can be a little overwhelming.
It is important to note that the first few months of training and supervision are very fundamental for a puppy because at this point what your puppy experiences now are going to shape the rest of his life.
The Do’s
As one who has owned and managed several puppies, here are some tips to help you through the next few months.
Note: You shouldn’t observe these tips more than what your vet has specified. Also do not believe everything you see on the internet, this is not to say that you should disregard every but ensure that they are not different from what your vet has specified.
- Get a crate: It makes training at home much clearer. You should have 2-5 minutes of crate sessions often. Also allow your puppy to feed and sleep in the crate.
- Reward good behaviors: Whenever your puppy does something you like, give a little compliment for that. Don’t wait till she does something wrong. Give her toys to play with. (That’s if it is a ‘she’, the same goes for the ‘he’ too).
- Acquaint your puppy with new people that are friendly and new things like balloons, remote control cars, children playing.
- Feed up to 2 or 3 times daily: Feed with lots of delicious chews like pig ears, flavored bones. When you do that it makes her chew less of your valuables. For puppies that are teething, baby carrots are great chews.
- Enroll in a puppy class: It is a great opportunity to socialize with other puppies and other people too.
The Don’ts
- Not starting basic training early: If you desire to have a well-mannered pet then you must start teaching simple obedience skills the moment your puppy enters your home. Honestly, that’s not too early.
- Shoving your puppy’s poop right in their face: That’s ridiculous! Don’t do that. Like I stated earlier, it can be quite disgusting when they poop especially everywhere and that’s why you ought to pick a potty spot for her, take her directly to that spot when she needs to poop.
- Repeating commands.
- Hitting.
- Giving independence too early.
Also, you should avoid the urge to scold. It is not effective, rather confusing for most puppies.
Conclusion
Puppies are so adorable, I guess that’s why or one of the reasons why you got them in the first place. The puppy you groom today becomes the adult dog you probably would still have tomorrow. Like they usually say Dogs are man’s best friends. So ensure that you take good care of them!
