Reminders

Some things to remember

  1. Feed your new puppy his puppy food only. For treats use small pieces of American cheese or boiled chicken. That’s it, nothing else, nada. Variety upsets his tummy. If you want a “cookie” type treat, pour some water (not stock/broth) over his dry food and place it in the refrigerator overnight. Drop dollops onto a cookie sheet and bake in the oven until they’ve dried out. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This makes a cookie with the exact ingredients as his food, even if you purchase cookies made by the same manufacturer as the puppy food, they’re a different recipe.
  2. Do not take your puppy to parks, soccer or little league games, pet stores, or puppy training classes. Avoid all public places until 2 weeks after the completion of his shots – he’ll be approximately 4 months old. He’s not completely protected from diseases until he’s had all the shots – it’s not worth the risk. Just to be clear, beaches, hiking, camping – all public places.
  3. Socializing him with healthy dogs belonging to friends and family members that are not exposed to a variety of other dogs (i.e. daycare, dog parks) is fine. However, it’s best to avoid other puppies younger than 6 months, unless you know their owners follow the same restrictions – avoiding public places.
  4. Do begin training/teaching good manners right away. It’s much easier (and less confusing for the puppy) to learn good manners from day one than to try to change bad habits when he’s older. Consistency is the key to success. There absolutely should not be one set of rules when he’s with “mom” and another with “dad”.  Rather than telling him “no”, begin by redirecting him and praising the good behavior. An example: when he puts his tiny adorable front paws on your leg – don’t say a word, take a step back so his feet fall to the ground, THEN reach down and praise/pet him. He’ll learn quickly that he receives attention when all 4 feet are on the ground – and it was all positive. That doesn’t mean to never say “no”, it just means start off slow, and increase the firmness if and when he shows resistance – he needs to learn to be obedient in your world.

Similar Posts