Puppy Care - First Things First

Congratulations! You must be considering the purchase of a puppy. Or, you have a brand new puppy at home.

If you have read the dog training introduction page, you may assume it is time to take charge as soon as your puppy comes home. Not so fast!

It is puppy bonding time. You want your puppy to get comfortable in his new home … and new pack. Keep everything light and happy. Use encouraging tones when talking. You would be amazed at how much talking happily and excitingly to your new puppy establishes the groundwork for training in the future.

Give him loving, physical contact. Rub his belly. Pet him and nurture him. Whenever he looks at you, praise him. Happy words are the rule of the day.

Don’t get mad if he does something wrong. Understand what he is doing wrong and try to prevent the behavior from happening again. There will be plenty of time for correcting unwanted behavior lately.

Teach your children how to handle and play with him. Then watch them! You do not want your puppy growing up to resent children.

Begin house training right away. Establish a feeding, bathroom and playtime schedule immediately. I strongly encourage the use of a dog crate in the home.

Kindness and love are the keys. They will go along way to providing the background for easy and enthusiastic learning later.