Great Tips For Puppy Owners

One of the most rewarding things that you can do is raise a puppy. It’s also an undertaking that requires a huge amount of responsibility. By welcoming and inviting a new family member into your home, a host of new responsibilities and challenges can present themselves. Watching the dog grow up, while having adequate patience and love, can help you grow as a person as well! We always love to say that “having a puppy can teach you valuable life skills and can also teach you things about yourself”. If you have a problem with patience, potty training and learning to be kind to your dog in a patient manner can only benefit you. Here are great tips for puppy owners.

The First Few Weeks of a New Puppy

The first few weeks of a new puppy’s life are incredibly important. By being a hands-on owner and being playful and social with your puppy, you can prevent bad personality characteristics from developing. No one wants an anti-social puppy, but if you leave him/her in a cage all day and don’t interact with them, this is exactly what could happen. You should be very hands-on, with specific emphasis on play, grooming, and socializing with other dogs and humans. Make it a habit to gently play and touch your puppy as often as possible, so your puppy knows that humans are not creatures to be fearful of.

Many people will sleep with their puppies the first few nights that they are in the new home. Either let them sleep in the bed or set their crate close to the bed the first few nights. This will help make the transition easier for the puppy the first week or two. Always make sure your puppy feels safe and comfortable in the new setting.

Set a Routine

Everyone thrives when they are on a healthy and routine schedule; this includes dogs as well! By setting a standardized schedule, this will help a puppy know exactly what to expect from a day-to-day routine. This will build comfort and trust by maintaining consistency in their life. Try taking your puppy on a walk every morning before breakfast! This will unconsciously tell your puppy to make sure to get done with their business every morning BEFORE eating their breakfast.

Puppy Play Space

One of the decisions you’ll have to make is deciding where the puppy is going to spend the majority of the time during the day. Consider high-traffic areas of your house for the puppy to play in. Kitchens and living rooms are great places because there is a lot of room for socialization. Just make sure that no one is feeding them human food that can upset their tummies!