Raising a puppy can be incredibly fun and rewarding, but it’s not always easy and there can be ups and downs.
You might find it hard to know if you’re doing things right, or if you’re making any mistakes – of course, no one is perfect, and every puppy parent will make a mistake somewhere along the line – even if you provide your pup with all of the best puppy toys and treats!
However, there are some key things to remember to help you bring up your puppy and raise them into a happy, healthy dog. Amelia Steele, a professional dog trainer and behavioral consultant known as Amelia the Dog Trainer, has offered up her top five tips for raising a puppy in a new Instagram post.
1. Manage their environment: “One of the biggest mistakes people make with their puppies is giving them too much space, too early on,” says Steele. She explains that giving your pup too much space can make it more difficult to toilet train them (here’s how to potty train a puppy!) but also pose safety risks, so it’s best to give them access to one room at a time and use a playpen or crate when you can’t supervise them.
2. Ensure appropriate rest: Steele says that a lack of rest is the biggest cause of undesirable behaviors in puppies. Puppies aren’t great at regulation themselves either, so a clear routine is best – they need 18-20 hours of rest per day, ideally.
3. Focus on what you do want: It’s easy to focus on the negatives, telling your puppy ‘no’ a lot, but Steele recommends remembering why puppies behave the way they do. “If we truly want to set them up to be successful, we want to focus on teaching our dogs what we do want them to do,” she says. Take a look at this advice on how to play with a puppy to keep things positive.
4. Expect regressions: “Training is never linear,” explains Steele. “It can be frustrating when your puppy has an accident after weeks of toilet training, or starts biting again at six months old, but this is totally normal.” She recommends going back to basics if there’s any regression.
5. Prioritize socialization: Socialization as a puppy is vital. The sensitive phase puppies go through can last until they’re up to around 16 weeks old, so it’s important to expose them to as many experiences as you can in this short period. Even if your pup isn’t fully vaccinated, it’s safe for you to carry them around.
If you’re getting a puppy soon, or thinking about it, why not take a look at these 32 facts about puppies? And, for socialization, you might find this article useful: I'm a dog behaviorist and these are my 6 tips for socializing a puppy.
