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Friday, March 23, 2018

Complete These Tasks For a Happy, Healthy and Well Balanced Puppy


All kinds of problems can come about when puppies aren’t raised correctly, and it can cause big issues all the way throughout their lives. For this reason, it’s important to wait until you’re in a position where you can commit some solid time to your puppy- and that they grow up knowing exactly how they need to behave. Here are some of the tasks you will need to do when you bring your pup home, once they’re vaccinated and ready to go outside.



Take Them Out in the Car and on Public Transport
Taking your dog to all kinds of places, and even taking them travelling with you around the country is one of the great joys of being a dog owner. However if your dog gets stressed when they’re out in the car, on buses or on trains it can cause a huge problem. From a young age, you need to show your pup that it’s fine being in these situations, starting very young is key as they’re far more adaptable. 

By the time they’re a little older, fear can be more problematic and can even turn into aggression. Instead of walking your dog around your local park, put them in the car (complete with a blanket to sit on and a doggy seat belt) and drive somewhere a little further out. Not only will this give them chance to see new places, new things, new smells and everything else but it gets them used to being in the car. It becomes a positive experience for them rather than something scary. 

At the weekends, commit time to taking your puppy on trains and buses, around stations and other busy areas. Even if you don’t use buses or trains that often, getting them used to them now means if you do want to use public transport at a later date it won’t be an issue.

Socialize Them With Other Dogs

Dogs having other doggy friends can be an incredible experience for them. It’s a chance for them to play and tire each other out, and they can also learn the rules and behavior etiquette from older dogs. Dogs that aren’t well socialize can be fearful or aggressive of other pets, and so this is something to get right at an early age. Take them to the dog park and let them sniff and socialize with other dogs. 

There are often large dog walks arranged online on places like Facebook that you could attend. Behavior and agility classes will also allow your dog to meet others. If you have a neighbor with a dog, you could set up play dates or even offer to walk their dog along with yours. That way there’s never any issues and you can take your dog anywhere you want, without the worry of them being scared or aggressive to other dogs. 

If you want your pup to live in a home with cats, then now is also a good time to introduce them. It’s far better to introduce a puppy to a resident cat than it is to bring in a cat to a household that already has a dog. So if you know you want cats at some point, hold off on getting a puppy and get them first. Once they’re settled and happy you can get your pup from a site like https://www.puppyjoy.net/

Do plenty of research into the needs and likely traits and characteristics of the breed so you know what to expect.

Get Them Used to People

Just like getting your pup used to other dogs, you should get them used to people too. If you don’t have a whole lot of visitors coming in and out of your home, it’s easy for your puppy to start developing stranger danger which again can lead to fear or aggression. Make the effort to get out in public with your dog, let people fuss them.

Meet up with friends, invite people over and again classes and dog meets will allow them to get used to being around other people so that it’s not an issue to them. Let children play with them, and get them used to people of all ages. This all needs to be done at a young age, after a couple of weeks and months if your puppy has already started acting cautious it could be too late- and a professional dog trainer will be needed to undo the damage.


Expose Them to Lots of Situations

With a new tiny puppy it can be tempting to want to wrap them up in cotton wool. But this is the worst thing you can do, and actually getting out there with them and exposing them to all kinds of noises and situations is very beneficial. Take them into dog friendly shops such as pet shops and dog friendly cafes. 

Stay with them at a dog friendly hotel, walk them in lots of different places so they can see that everything is fine. Dogs can develop phobias of everything from bicycles and prams to stairs, the vacuum cleaner and much more. Exposing them to all of these things as a young puppy will allow them to adapt and get used to it, they will see there’s no danger and grow up a happy and well balanced pooch.

Find Good Kennels
Going on vacation when you have a dog can be problematic, and there are dog owners out there who will refuse to go instead of leaving their pet behind. But it doesn’t have to be this way, and there are lots of fantastic kennels out there these days that will ensure your dog is well looked after. That way you can own a dog and still have your annual vacation or the odd mini break with no stress.

Find a good local boarding kennels, read plenty of reviews and go and see the place for yourself. You want somewhere you will be happy leaving your pup throughout their life. You could even book them in for the occasional overnight stay in puppy hood even if you’re not going away, that way they get used to the place and when you do go away for a week or two they’ve been there before. 

Some kennels offer grooming and training too, and will allow friendly dogs to socialize. So it’s something that can be stimulating and fun for your dog while you’re away! You will need to ensure your dog’s vaccinations and boosters are all up to scratch for them to go into kennels so it’s a good reminder for you to get them done each year.

Author Amber Higgins

Author Amber Higgins
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Welcome UK and worldwide visitors and friends to Family Disaster Dogs online! Although I'm an American author and dog professional the worldwide web has given me the opportunity to connect with some wonderful folks who have contributed pictures for my books. The "Start Mantrailing" book features RRI K9 North Scotland trained Search and Rescue Dog "Amber" on the cover and her teammates training in the book, plus American dogs using my training methods. A portion of sales of the Start Mantrailing book or copies were donated to RRI North Scotland. The children's picture book "My Puppy Can Find Me" has my daughter and bloodhound as illustrations by UK cartoonist Scotty King. You can find the books on Amazon UK or use the contact page to order from me. When you click the links will take you to your own county pages of this site.

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