Your New Puppy and What Not To Do

Everyone loves getting a new puppy. There is a lot of information addressing the basics of bringing home a new puppy, and there are a few basic bits of advice of what not to do. Check out the following ‘Don’ts’ when a new puppy has arrived in your home:

1. Don’t strike at your puppy, no matter how heinous the crime may be. All you will do is frighten the little guy and possibly injure him in the process. You have to keep in mind that he is a complete stranger to your home and your entire world. Remember that he has just been separated from his mother and as far as his little mind is concerned, you look nothing like her! Justifying such punishment by using a rolled up newspaper instead of your hand will not suffice. Refrain from ALL physical hitting.

2. Don’t leave any items around the house that you cherish. It may be an old saying, but it’s certainly true: Puppies eat EVERYTHING! If you want to keep those new socks free from holes then put them up. And just because your new iPod cannot be torn up like an old sock, your new puppy will spend plenty of time trying to gnaw his way through it.

3. Don’t allow every visitor that comes by the house to handle your puppy. In fact, you should even restrict some family members from handling the new puppy, at least for the first week or two. If too many human hands pick him up then he may become a nervous dog that could have negative socialization issues.

4. Don’t pick your new puppy up by his forelegs. Children are the first to commit this crime as they are not as careful with small dogs as adults are. A puppy’s legs are not strong enough for someone to lift him up by. When this happens you will hear your puppy shriek in pain. The injury may be so severe that his appetite is lost, he runs a fever, and grows listless. When this happens, be sure to contact the veterinarian as soon as possible.

5. Don’t leave any holes uncovered inside of the house. Like cats, puppies are insanely curious and would literally kill themselves if nobody was watching out for them.

6. Don’t leave any electrical wires where your new puppy can reach them. These little guys love to chew on wires if left out. There have been hundreds of stories of little dogs who died from electrocution simply because their owners neglected to puppy-proof the inside of the home.

Dog Training to Eliminate Unwanted Behavior

Some people train their dogs to develop their skills, but for most people they train to discipline their pets. Dogs, even when highly domesticated, show a lot of their natural instincts and tendencies. To adapt them to our needs, some of their instincts need to be repressed and tailored.

There are several common behavior problems that most people just can’t tolerate. Here are some suggestions to solve a number of problems usually encountered by dog owners.

1. Undesirable Barking

Barking is the main medium of communication for dogs. However, some dogs tend to bark excessively in which case the owner can do the following actions:

• Practice consistency. Use only one command when you want him to stop barking.
• Don’t get mad at him, be patient enough to drive him to the behavior you want to modify.
• Reward him whenever he picks up your command. Don’t let a good behavior pass without rewarding accordingly.

2. Chewing Behavior

Puppies are natural chewers, they use chewing for practicing using their jaws and mouths. However they could chew for a number of reasons: they may feel bored, they are teething, they just want to play around, or they are curious about something. Like children, they use their mouths to find a great deal of information about their environment.

To eliminate excessive chewing you can do the following:

• The puppy does not know the difference between an old shoe and a new shoe so instead of giving him shoes; give him other items that can be chewed. Toys, but not plush toys, may be good alternatives.

• Buy chew toys or bones. Chewing tendencies could never be satisfied if the puppy doesn’t get to chew something. If you don’t want him to chump on your furniture, it is best to invest on chew toys or bones.

• Give your puppy a good amount of exercise. Chewing could also be a result of too much energy in the body. If you could exhaust him a bit, his chewing behavior might be lessened.

3. Unwanted Digging

Another primal instinct, digging could be due to boredom, want for escape, need to find a cooler place to rest, to hide something like a bone or to make a den. While dogs used digging for many valuable reasons, many people find it destructive. Here are some solutions to avoid undesirable digging behavior:

• Allow a specific area for him to dig. This way, you would prevent any occurrences of digging in inappropriate places. To condition him to dig the specific area alone, you should try to make it a rewarding experience and punish him whenever he looks for other places to dig.

• You could also try deterring him from digging inappropriate places by putting small amounts of something unpleasant in the area. Some people like to use pepper for example. Do not use anything that can be harmful.

Unwanted dog behaviors could be tapered according to your wants through proper dog training but be sure to employ only the best training procedures.

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