Puppy Love from the Ground up
Congratulations on your new addition to the family! Hopefully time was set aside to learn all necessary knowledge required to raise a good puppy prior to adding great delight to your life. The unconditional love, true devotion and unwavering companionship is your reward but it does not come without a price. Your investment cannot be measured in dollars and cents but return on your investment will be determined based on the time, effort, training, energy and love afforded in the first couple years. Similar to a child, the first couple years of most dog breeds are considered the years of imprinting and hard wiring.
What’s Your Dog’s Name?
When naming your pup it’s recommended to use at least a 2 syllable name so it is absolutely clear when calling him/her. How long would you wait with a newborn child in your home without a name? It’s no different with your new pup; make sure he has a name within the first couple days. Pay close attention to the response you get when calling the new name, when he looks back at you give him a reward. You will more than likely want to refer to his/her name when teaching basic commands.
Potty Training
Be prepared to spend as long as one month to potty train. Instinctively dogs do not pee in their own back yard but puppies need to be shown where they live first and there will be accidents.
A good strategy to begin with is no not allow full access to the home immediately. Instead start with a room and a crate in that room. The first mission is to use treats that will encourage his own willful entry into the crate. Close the door for short intervals to begin with so he never feels trapped. He will quickly learn the crate is his solitude, as such he will not excrete in it. Once he does it’s time to expand his territory by introducing him to the house [eventually he sees the house as his crate]. Frequent walks outside associating a trigger word when he pees or poos also has great benefits in the future. ‘Do it’ might just be a useful command for the times you don’t want to wait through the preliminary sniffing activities before doing his business.
Basic Commands
Before teaching the basic commands remember that best results are attained through a loving and trusting relationship. Positive reinforcement using plenty of praise, treats and toys will give you outstanding results quickly. Within the first couple days after settling, teach the basic commands of Sit, Down and Stay. Tip: Your training time will yield greater results when puppy is hungry, lonely or bored. Motivation is greater when your pup’s needs have not been met.
Basic commands, potty training, love, exercise and repetition are keys to a well mannered adult dog. Why invest the time effort and energy? They show us how to love unconditionally, laugh out loud, relieve stress, exercise and say good-bye. May your life be filled with the joys of a unique friendship that will teach life lessons to you, family and loves ones.
Like anything meaningful in life you get out what you put in.
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