Most Important Tips For New Puppy Owners

Getting a new puppy is exciting and can be challenging and even overwhelming at times. here are some of the most important things you must do with your new puppy. These tips and strategies will help you get rolling along the way to your future well adjusted and well trained adult dog!

1. Puppy Training

Puppy training is crucial for teaching your new canine companion some very important things that will life easier for all. Socialization, house training, crate training, basic commands and manners. Puppy training is about more than teaching and expecting “perfect” behaviour. It is about bonding with your puppy through fun adn games, teamwork, setting realistic expectations, and teaching your puppy to want to work with you as part of a team.

2. Socialization

Socializing is a widely misunderstood topic. Many people think that it consists of having dogs meet other dogs or even puppy socialization group classes. True socialization includes acclimating your puppy to the world around him and helping him feel safe and confident in a variety of settings, sounds, smells, surfaces, people and places. The Video below where I am feeding my 8 week old puppy at Starbucks is a good example of showing my puppy that the world going by (cars/people/noises etc…) is just a background for our activity.  It is one of many things I encourage my puppy pre school clients to do in order to help foster a well rounded, confident puppy   

3. Grooming and Healthcare

I like to have my pups get used to having their ears/tail/eyes/feet/mouth handled right away. Start when your puppy is tired and relaxed and let your puppy curl up in your lap. You can have some food in one hand while you handle your pup with the other. If need be have someone else hold the food for you. Dont feed all at once – let the puppy lick at the food and make it last in order to distract the puppy from the handling.
Keep these sessions short, light and the goal is just to acclimate your puppy to being handled with as little stress as possible.

4. Play

Play is crucial to keeping your puppy happy, to encouraging good behaviour and building a bond with your puppy.
Playing fetch and tug of war with your puppy will go a long way towards channeling your pup’s mouthiness and energy. Puppies want to play, they like to try and engage us and if you are proactive with these games and make them exiting, your puppy will begin to look forward to these play sessions.

5. Exercise and Mental Stimulation

Puppies have lots of energy to burn, so providing regular exercise and mental stimulation is essential. Take your puppy for daily walks, play interactive games, and provide puzzle toys to keep their mind stimulated. This helps prevent boredom, destructive behavior, and promotes a healthy lifestyle.

6. Love and Attention

Puppies need to feel safe and secure in order to be content.  Part of this comes from the structure we provide and it is equally important we show our puppies love and affection.  Petting, talking to them, knowing when to encourage and also understanding that scolding or reprimanding has no place in puppy raising is important. My puppy is social and loves to meet people but at 11 week sold we already have a bond developing that if he were being petted by someone other than me and I began to move away he would choose to be with me and forget about the person petting him.

Raising a well rounded, happy, confident puppy is a long and rewarding process.  If you start early, have a good understanding of what is needed and know how to tailor things to suit your individual puppy you will be well on your way to the beginnings of shaping a great dog for years to come. The concepts, images and videos here are just a small sample of what it takes to raise a well rounded puppy.

For more information & puppy care tips, visit our puppy pre school page.

Many clients then go on to future obedience training in the form of one on one lessons or in kennel training / Board and Training Montreal services to make sure they have a great grasp on things.