A puppy can be a welcome addition to your home, but it is also important to remember that it can be hard work too. Remember that when you get a puppy they will have been taken away from their mum and taken somewhere new, so it’s going to be scary for them. As their owner (and new family), it is important that you do what you can to make sure they settle in well. Not only will this make for a happier puppy, but it will make life much easier for you too!
Buy At The Right Age
When you see puppies for sale, it is easy to be tempted in and buy the first one you see. You should make sure that you buy from a reputable seller and not a puppy farm. You should also make sure that the puppy is a safe age to be taken away from its mum. Double check that you are going to get any papers that you need too.
Sleeping Arrangements
Many people assume that the best thing to do is get a puppy into a routine straight away. This means that they lock their puppy away at bedtime in a room all by themselves. However this will just result in your puppy being sad and lonely – which makes for very noisy bed times. Let your new puppy sleep in your room for a week or two until they settle into their new home.
Train Your Puppy
Make sure you read up on puppy training and how you can get your puppy into good habits. Invest in plenty of healthy, puppy treats and use these to train your puppy. You should have a few of these in your pocket at any one time. That way you always have these on hand to reinforce good behaviour, which is really important.
Show Your Puppy Affection
If you want a dog that is happy to be around people then, you need to show your puppy good habits. Make sure you stroke your puppy lots and that it is used to be handled. That way they will grow into a dog that is happy and comfortable around people. Not only that but your puppy is just a baby, so a bit of affection will go a long way.
Socialise Your Puppy
Your puppy also needs to be around other dogs to get them used to this. If you have friends with dogs then make sure you introduce them at a young age. The more people and dogs your puppy is around at a young age the better. That way they will grow up used to being around people and dogs and this leads to lifelong good behaviour.
It is mostly about sensible steps. You want your puppy to feel loved, so you need to show them affection. You also want them to grow into a dog that is well behaved, so you need to teach these habits at a young age, after all you can’t teach an old dog new tricks!