Help With New Puppy: Puppy Advice and Tips in Northern Virginia

Being a new puppy owner is exciting, but most don’t realize the work that may go into actually taking care of a puppy or even learning to train them. We have the best tips to help you get started when it comes to training your new furbaby and you shouldn’t take these like a grain of salt as you’ll feel more lost than you expect without preparation during the first few weeks. These weeks are essential in molding the current and future behavior of your puppy.

When it comes to unwanted behavior…
It’s bound to happen but there are plenty of tips to keep in your pocket for when your puppy displays negative behavior.

Buy a spray bottle that has a bitter apple flavor and put it on the normal things your puppy goes for with his chompers. This will make his face go foul and his jaw drop what he’s trying to get away with!

Make sure to look for a plethora of textures when trying to get them to stop chewing on anything other than their toys. This will make them know what textures are what and give them all they need to be satisfied with, rather them wanting to see what texture your shoes or blankets are.

When you want your puppy to make friends…

Getting your puppy to socialize properly may be one of the hardest things you can do, but in order for your puppy to be affectionate rather than aggressive, you want your puppy to be well-socialized yet independent so they aren’t clingy to everything.

Introduce your puppy to ask many other puppies and people as much as possible. A well-socialized puppy is an independent yet affectionate puppy.

Do some research on the breed of your dog. Learn what triggers them more than other things and learn which breeds and environments they work best in. Use this to help amplify their social status and behavior.

Let them become familiar with different types of body and dress styles like beards and glasses so they can differentiate people and learn to accept everyone, and know when to become aggressive if necessary. (if they are a watch dog).

When it’s time to potty train…

Potty training is the most important training aspect with a new puppy and during the first month, all small puppies should be carried to the area they are allowed to go in. Not only does this prevent accidents, but it shows them through repetition where they need to go.

With positive reinforcement, use treats to show them that they did well by doing their business in the right area. This is called a mini puppy-party. Also, we highly recommend crate training, read our blog on that here.

Never scold and become aggressive when it comes to them making mistakes with the bathroom. If they aren’t going in the right area, you’re probably not showing them enough. Use the same phrase like “potty time” to show that this phrase (through repetition) means to go to the bathroom.

Within weeks, your puppy can be fully trained and make minimal mistakes, allowing you to enjoy your time together much quicker than expected. Don’t be afraid to utilize obedience courses, but try your hand at first so the puppy can become comfortable with you, your actions, and your tone of voice.

We also recommend doing many confidence building exercises with your pup, things such as: noise desensitization, object desensitization, touching all their body parts, etc.

If you have a puppy, and you want him to be an amazing/productive member of the K9 community, contact Off Leash K9 Training!

[email protected]
www.offleashk9training.com
888-413-0896