8 Tips For Your New Puppy

Focusing on good habits is key to a positive puppyhood

Bringing a new puppy home is an adventure. If you want to make that adventure as easy as possible, use these 8 top tips to help you and your family integrate your new fluffy family member!

Carry Treats Everywhere

Food is a training method that’s based on the most recent scientific research and theories and widely used in zoos with animals from platypuses to tigers! Use lots of praise and rewards to reinforce good behaviors. Just focus on the positives.

Sleep is Paramount

The single most common cause of misbehavior is a lack of sleep. An overtired puppy will appear to rebel. Puppies need between 16 and 20 hours of sleep per day.

Make Space

A physical space that is purely for your puppy is important—whether this is a crate, a den, or just a comfy bed and blanket that’s left on the floor for them to retreat to. Your puppy needs down time too, so make sure your puppy isn’t disturbed by anyone when they’re on their bed.

Feed Good Quality Food

Your puppy is growing at an enormous rate. Large breed puppies will gain roughly two pounds a week. A good quality puppy food usually means a high-protein food that is more calorie dense. Puppy food should be given to puppies until around 8 or 9 months. Always read the ingredients and try and focus on ones that contain real food ingredients like lamb, rice, or chicken.

Observation & Management

Pay close attention to your pup like you would a toddler. This is key when dealing with a puppy, as you learn your pups tell for when they want to go to the bathroom, as well as making sure they don’t chew on the table leg and develop bad habits that will take longer to fix than they will prevent. You can use a variety of things to assist, such as baby gates, play pens and crates.

Monitor Kids Around Puppies

It’s advisable that you don’t leave your puppy alone with kids under the age of 5 or so (obviously it depends on your child) because young children are incredibly exciting to puppies (and vice versa), and they live for fun at this age.

Redirect Biting

Puppies bite. It’s how they explore the world and figure out what is alive and what’s not. To figure that out, they need sharp teeth. So, when puppy mouths, try redirecting to the most interesting toy in the world. Puppies need 4 hours of chewing a day, so make sure it’s not your sneakers or your skin.

Puppy Size Steps

Progress is going to be slow, so you’ll need to manage your expectations. Sometimes, a diary can really help you to focus on the good.