I have seen it all, from the best-behaved puppies in the world to absolute nightmares. Below are my top 5 Tips for New Puppy Owners.
1. Get Them Out!
You want a recipe for a terrible dog? Get an 8 week old puppy and never leave the house with them for the next 2-3 months. People do not understand the importance of the early developmental stages of a puppy. If the loudest noise they have ever heard is the oven beeping or the front door shutting, loud noises could be an issue as they grow up. If they spend their first 3 months never seeing a child, they can develop a fear of children. Your puppy needs positive experiences with many different stimuli from a very young age. Yes, people will try to make you deathly afraid of all of the viruses and bacteria in public, but just use common sense in your judgement. Your dog needs to play with other dogs before 16 weeks old. I board my past puppies, and I can 100% tell the dogs that have been properly socialized and those that have not been.
2. Get the Second Dog
Haha, I know people are going to have an issue with this one, but there is just about no better gift to your dog than another dog. Being a dog breeder and owning a farm has shown me the importance of companionship in social animals. Every day I get to see cattle grooming each other, licking each other’s faces, donkeys and horses nibbling on each other’s necks, chickens exploring with their cliques, bunnies cuddling, and doodles always by each other’s side. As much as you think you are your dog’s optimal companion, you are not as good of a match as another dog. Will your dog love you any less or bond less to you? No, and they will also have a huge decrease in separation anxiety with a doggy sibling. Don’t read this if you are a boarding client, but dogs that live in home with no other dogs are always the most difficult to care for. How hyper they are is up, odds of not getting along with others is up, being afraid of their own shadow is up. In general, the less desirable traits are almost always found in “only child” dogs. It is critical that the 2nd dog is added within in a certain time frame, within 2 years of the first puppy is optimal. If you wait too long, I have seen dogs not adjust well to the addition of a new dog, and they can have already turned their bad behaviors into habits. I am not trying to sell you a dog, merely report that the happiest, best behaved dogs I have seen, come from multi-dog families.
*** ”But I can’t afford a 2nd dog or do not have the space.” In this instance, your best bet is a ton of social activities for your dog. Going to the park 3-5 times every week, walks in the neighborhood, playdates with other dogs, etc. Isolation for your puppy is the absolute worst thing for development.
3. Feed Them Well
I understand it is extremely difficult to know how to take care of your puppy when there are thousands of different food options, and everyone has a different opinion. Between your breeder, the veterinarian, the internet, your neighbor, etc. everyone thinks they know best. My best piece of advice is to read the ingredient labels. Do you want your dog consuming “Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate” or “Corn Gluten Meal” or “Red 40”? Use common sense. A dog’s main diet should consist of Real Meat.
Feed them crap, and you can see Allergies, Hot Spots, Bad Breath, Bone/Joint Disease, Obesity, Lethargy, Dull Coat.
Read your Ingredients!
4. Do Basic Training
I don’t know of anyone that regrets training their puppy. The sooner your puppy understands they get rewarded for good behavior, the better. You must remember, whatever you allow them to get away with as a puppy, they will continue to do as adults. It is not so bad when a 5 lb puppy jumps up on your leg, but it is not near as much fun when they grow up and 50 lb dogs are jumping on little kids. Basic training classes are not expensive and do not require a ton of time. Do the training.
5. Spend Some Time Apart
You do not need to spend all day, every day with your new puppy. You also do not need to leave them for 6+ hours, but you do need some time apart. This is a tough one because it goes back to Tip #2. You must understand pack animals find great comfort being with their pack. Psychologically, a young puppy knows they are vulnerable if alone. In nature, they would have their canine parents to protect them and siblings to comfort them. The issue is when you only have a single dog, we have to break this instinct to make them a well-rounded puppy. Sad, I know. However, if you do not teach a new puppy how to self-soothe and be comfortable alone, you are going to have many issues in the future. Dogs need to go to the vet, the groomer, to be boarded, etc. You need to go to work, the grocery store, on vacations, etc. so it is very important your puppy can handle being alone. Google has many different tips to help you with how to do this, but the simplest way is just spending time apart starting day one. The puppy can be in a different room than you for 30 minutes, then the next day 1 hour, etc. Provide them with toys and treats in that room. Work gradually, increase the time apart at your own pace, the most important thing is for your dog to learn it is ok if you are not with them all the time.
Of course there are many more elements to raising an amazing puppy, but these are 5 I feel need more attention. I’ve raised nearly one thousand puppies, boarded hundreds of them, and I get to see the good, the bad, and the ugly. Follow these 5 tips and you will be headed in the right direction for an amazing companion!