When it comes to making sure your new puppy has the best start possible as a member of your family, read below for some tips on how to find a great puppy, how to make it feel comfortable in your home, and how to start the training process
- Never take a puppy from its mother when it’s younger than eight weeks of age. If not, there’s a good chance the puppy hasn’t been weaned properly. In addition, many mother dogs teach their young how to poop and pee outdoors, so that you don’t have to teach the pup this important lesson yourself. In addition, a puppy that’s been trained by its mom how to relieve itself outdoors will be easier to house train.
One word: adorable!
- Make sure your home is puppy-safe. Keep small chew toys off the floor. Place baby gates where you don’t want the pup to venture. Make sure you have a puppy crate in a safe and quiet place to which the puppy can retreat when he’s stressed (and where he won’t be disturbed).
- As you train the puppy, refrain from saying his name before or after a negative event. For example, don’t say his name when calling him for a bath, when you plan to put him in the kennel (when he’d rather continue to play), or when he does something wrong. Saying his name at these times gives it a negative connotation.
- Make sure chew toys are too large to swallow. Rope toys aren’t a good idea, as are old sneakers and slippers (old sneakers look a lot like new sneakers to a puppy and you don’t want him to chew on shoes you actually wear).
- You’ll enjoy this one: handle, pet and cuddle with your puppy regularly. This helps him bond with you and become relaxed around people.
- Correct bad behavior as quickly as possible after the behavior occurred. Reward the pup for good behavior (when training for the behavior) with things the pup likes, such as meat treats.
- Make sure you give the puppy a lot of exercise each day. (Besides, a tired puppy is a well-behaved puppy.)
- Don’t let the puppy jump on people. Train him to lie down when strangers want to pet him
- You can start socializing puppies around strangers when the puppy is as young as 12 weeks of age. Start small (take the puppy to a friend’s house – with the friend’s permission) and work your way up slowly to places where lots of human gather (such as a mall).
If you need to leave the area for a few days and need a place to board your young dog, have no fear, Barney’s Ranch is here! Your puppy will have a great time playing with other dogs and his human caregivers. (Please note: the youngest a puppy may be to board here with us is 16 weeks). Contact us at 469-450-7040 or send us an e-mail at info@BarneysRanch.com.
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