The wonderful gift that having a dog brings can be compare to having a child. Dogs are like permanent children, which can bring all sorts of issues with it. Of course like young children they need masses of love and sensible rules to keep them safe and in harmony with the world they will be living in. Once you have purchased your new puppy you will find the family home will need some adjusting as this little guy will be a bit of a handful and at the beginning with a mind of us own. The new environment you take him into may seem a bit scary and confusing, as he will probably have just left his mum and brothers and sisters.
Lets call this little guy Jack for the duration of this article as when you picked him up from the pet shop that was the name that seemed to fit. The only thing the owner of the shop forgot to say was the first night at home. . Jack has just left his mother and brothers and sisters so being like a new baby home from the hospital Jack is cuddled up on the pillow feeling a little less vulnerable. Has the bomb dropped yet? You have a huge responsibility to give this puppy the best life and on this page we can look at ways to make the path easier for the both of you. Your role as teacher and nurturer begins and how Jack views and feels about the world at large will depend mainly on you.
With love and care Jack will by now be settling happily into his new home with his new mum and dad, making it an excellent time for some basic early training. The first one that presents itself is his habit of leaving little puddles and deposits all over your designer house. Taking him out in timed intervals to your back yard if you have one is a good way to introduce him to the place where he can relieve himself. If this is not an option a dirt box or newspaper put in the same place will encourage him to go there. Take him to these places even we has an accident and history shows he will soon get the hang of it.
Please enter before we turn to the often- serious subject of biting. When a puppy bites we think its cute and funny. The problem with this is this little bundle of joy is very impressionable and as you are the one he looks to for guidance if this habit is allowed to go on life with this dog is going to be intolerable. We have all seen adult dogs with muzzles on, perhaps if the owner had taken the time earlier this could have been prevented. When Jack bites you say in a gruff voice "ouch" or "no" and keep this up whenever he crosses your boundary. It is imperative that young jack learns without hitting of course that biting is absolutely out of the question and that mum and dad are very unhappy when this is going on. Puppies like children learn from repetition, so be consistent; teach your friends to say the same words if he tries it on them. He will eventually get the message and stop.
All dogs love to chew, its when they start destroying your furniture and shoes you know that early intervention could have prevented this. Make sure little Jack has plenty of toys to play with and a place like a basket that he can call his own filled with them. If he decides your slipper is delectable gently take it from him and replace it with a toy. Puppies are generally impressionable so the rules you set in place at an early age will have a major impact on the adult dog. You can put some bad tasting substances that will bring no harm to the puppy but these will be a last resort. Like a child your new canine baby will require boundaries that he will learn he cannot step over or mum and dad will not be impressed. The effort you put in now will give not only fun puppy days but eventually an adult that could be your best friend, giving you unconditional, protection, a rare gift that no other human being can give.
Learn more about dog training. Stop by Linda Cole's site where you can find out all about puppy training and what it can do for you.