I have heard that statement more than once. Working with a lot puppy owners every year, I can see the frustration in the face of a lot of them. Bringing a new puppy into the house can be a lot of work. Your puppy doesn’t know where to pee and poop, they are chewing on everything, biting your hands, jumping on the kids, you get the picture K9 training Houston.
Starting today you can take the steps necessary to help you survive puppyhood.
Survival Tips:
- The first thing to understand is that the most important point to remember is that raising a puppy is all about management. You have to be constantly keeping an eye on your puppy. The same way you would have to watch a two year old child. Luckily, we have some great management tools that we can use with puppies. Using a crate can be a big help as you’re raising your pup. When you can’t keep an eye on your puppy you can feel comfortable that your puppy is in the crate and does not have the opportunity to get into trouble.
- Keep a leash on your puppy. Puppies love to wander off into other rooms and get into trouble. Knowing that you have to constantly keep an eye on your dog, a leash can be a big help. Instead of always putting your puppy in the crate, with a leash on you can step on it to keep your pup in the room with you. You can secure the leash to a sturdy piece of furniture to restrict your puppy’s freedom. The leash is also great for puppies that love to steal underwear. Some puppies will grab any article of clothing and take off. The owners usually chase the pup around the table, the sofa and get upset with the pup. With a leash, you can step on it and end the chase game.
- Use baby gates – A baby gate is a great way to keep your puppy in the room with you. A baby gate can make it much easier to do any activities that need to be done in a room without worrying about your puppy wandering off.
- Chew toys – One of the big problems with puppies is that they like to chew on everything and anything. One of my favorite chew toys is a Kong toy. They are close to indestructible, and a Kong can be stuffed with treats over and over again.
- Establish leadership – Dogs are social animals. An important step to raising your puppy is establishing leadership. You can start this early. Leadership is established by controlling the activities that are important to your dog. Dogs love to play, need to eat, have to sleep, and enjoy contact. Understand that you can control the games, control the food, control the sleeping areas, and the social contact.
- Dog daycare – Exercise is crucial. Dog trainers for a long time have said that the only good dog is a tired dog. Dog daycare has become extremely popular and it is a great way to give your puppy the mental and physical stimulation that they need.
- Get help – There are a lot of resources available to help you raise and train your puppy. When I opened my business I was not doing very well until I decided to get help. Once I asked for and got the help I needed, my whole business changed for the better. The same can happen with you and your puppy.