So, you decide to bring home a new puppy and are looking forward to exciting and fun filled days ahead with your pup. It’s true, you puppy will fill up your life with endless amount of joy and love. However, it is also important to understand the responsibility that a new puppy brings with it. It requires a lot of work and commitment to raise a healthy, happy and well-behaved pup.
Start early to make sure that your pup learns good habits early on to get him on the right track to being the dog that every pet owner will envy.
At FurrMeals Pet Food we are regularly interacting with new pet parents; consulting them on the right puppy nutrition and also help them in designing custom-made FurrMeals Puppy Food Plans. We always encourage the need to instil good habits in their pup from the early days.
Commitment of all family members is very important when you are trying to train your puppy to be a well-behaved dog. So, bring all family members on the same page before you go out looking for a pup to bring home.
Here is a list of the top tips for everynew pet parent:
1. Invest in good quality equipment for your puppy: Although they may be a bit expensive, but investing in good quality equipment for your puppy is very important.
Some of the puppy equipment that we recommend getting as soon as you bring your puppy home are:
- Food and water bowl of the right size and of a durable material. Choose steel bowls over plastic ones.
- A good quality and durable leash. Your pup will keep chewing on it so make sure to check the leash every time you take your pup out for a walk.
- A soft harness or collar. Make sure it is the right fit and allows for easy movement too.
- A comfortable and snug dog bed. Your puppy needs a place to relax and sleep every few hours and the bed will come in very handy.
- Good quality toys that your pup can chew, play and cuddle with.
- A good quality and durable crate that will fit even when your pup becomes a fully grown adult.
2. Read up on puppy training: Remember that the best training starts now. Puppies learn very fast and with positive reinforcement, your puppy will be obedient and well-trainedin no time. There are many wonderful training books and great websites that will help you in this. Read up as much as you can and try the techniques with your pup.
You can also enrol your puppy in training classes to give a jump start to the process. Your puppy will learn basic obedience like ‘sit’, ‘stay’, ‘come’, ‘fetch’ etc. Your puppy will also get an opportunity to socialise with other puppies there which is also an important part of their growing up.
Keep the training light, fun and positive and you would be surprised by how fast your puppy learns them and also enjoys the training sessions.
3. Crate train your puppy : You might think it is cruel to put a puppy in a crate or kennel, however it is the exact opposite. Do not consider the crate as a place where you will send your pup for a timeout or punishment for being naughty but instead it will be the safe haven for your puppy. Dogs too need a place that they can call their den and the crate will serve that purpose.
When you begin crate training, your puppy will howl, whine, scratch the crate and give you the puppy eyes to be let out. Do not react or give attention to this behaviour. They will give up the effort after some time and start resting in the crate. After they have rested quietly in the crate for some time, let them out and reward them. Have 2-3 crate sessions in a day and keep increasing the duration of the crate time. You can also put treat and food inside the crate to encourage them to go into the crate. After a few days of training, your puppy will love staying inside the crate.
Crate training will also come in handy when:
- You need assistance in potty training
- You need to keep your puppy and house safe when you have to leave them alone in the house
- Your puppyneeds his own quiet and safe place to rest and relax
- You are required to restrict movement of your puppyafter a surgery, medical procedure or injury that demands complete rest
- Travelling with you puppy
4. Create puppy safe areas : Your new pup will be super naughty and will get into places where they should not go. A baby gate will come in handy, especially if you have an open kitchen layout and you do not want your pup to go inside the kitchen.
It will be impossible to be on a puppy watch 24 hours, so cordon off the areas that you do not want your pup to enter and create a puppy-safe area, where they can safely wander around without creating too much trouble. Put some toys, a water bowl and the dog bed in the puppy-safe zone.
5. Have a consistent daily routine for your puppy : Establish a routine as soon as you get your puppy home. Puppies thrive best when they have a consistent schedule. Create a schedule for meal time, play time, potty time, training time, walk time and stick to it daily.
Your puppy will soon learn the routine and will behave accordingly. Spend a lot of time cuddling and playing with your puppy as it will make them feel safe, secure and happy.
6. Potty train your puppy : Potty training is the most frustrating exercise for most new puppy owners. Your puppy will not poop when you want them to and instead poop in the exact place where you do not want them to.
Take your puppy outside first thing in the morning, after you puppy has a nap, after playtime and before going to bed. Be consistent with the timing and schedule. The crate will also come in handy at this time as your puppy will learn to control the bladder when inside the crate. Teach your puppy to stay in the crate when you have to leave them alone in the house for some time to avoid accidents on the carpet in your absence.
Be regular and consistent in taking your puppy out, and over a period of time both you and your puppy will learn to time themselves.
7. Encourage good behaviour in your puppy early on : A behaviour that may look cute on your puppy might be extremely annoying or dangerous in a fully grown dog. Behaviour like jumping on strangers, stealing from plates, climbing on tables, chewing on wires are some of the behaviours that should be discouraged from puppy stage.
Teach your puppy to enjoy being touched and held from early on. Open their mouth, run your finger on their gums to prepare them for teeth brushing, make them comfortable with their paws being touched to prepare them for nail trims, stroke their body to prepare them for grooming. It is easier to handle an adult dog who has been made comfortable with touch from an early age.
8. Choose the best puppy food : Feed your puppy the best quality puppy food that you afford. Serving a high quality, balanced and fresh food diet is probably the best investment that you will make for your puppy’s health and happiness. FurrMeals Puppy Food offers fresh ingredients like chicken, egg, veggies, seeds, oils and herbs that is combined in the right proportion to promote healthy growth and development of your puppy. Your puppy’s nutritional requirements are different from ana adult dog and FurrMeals Puppy Food is designed accordingly, in keeping with the international standards set by AAFCO.
Custom designed FurrMeals Puppy Plans are the ideal way to get your puppy started on a fresh and balanced meal plan. With constant watch on your puppy’s growth, our nutritionists make sure that you puppy is getting all the nutrients required for their perfect growth and development.
Your puppy is going to be the most wonderful addition to your family. Enjoy this wonderful puppy stage while it lasts. Your right decisions and actions at this stage will go a long way in setting your puppy up for success in the adult life.