My new puppy is here!! Now what??
The first day home is exciting, wonderful, overwhelming, scary, and HUGE for you and puppy! The first step is to relax and enjoy. Puppy will grow (much faster than you think!) so take lots of pictures; puppy needs structure, so create a routine; puppy needs to bond, so give tons of snuggles; this journey will sometimes be exhausting and difficult, so try to keep your sense of humor and laugh along the way! Remember that puppy will feed off of your energy. If you are stressed and anxious, she will be too. If you are exhausted and frustrated, so is he. Stay calm, take it slowly, and recognize that you and your puppy will make progress slowly and steadily. Before you know it, puppy will sleep through the night in his crate without a fuss, he will be toilet trained and learning tricks, and you’ll wonder where that tiny little guy went!
333 is an important reminder that your puppy is a BABY and has a lot of growing and learning to do. Don’t set your expectations too high. Just relax and enjoy the journey.
Resources
If you haven’t found a good trainer and registered for puppy kindergarten, do it NOW! Look for a trainer who is positive, gentle, structured, and willing to include the whole family in the journey. Remember to do IN-PERSON training classes. Your puppy will learn from other puppies and dogs and will also enjoy the socialization! And your dog trainer will become your new best friend!
We recommend several awesome puppy training books! Find them here.
There are also wonderful videos available to help with specific issues. We are going to recommend and link a lot of the resources shared by Southend Dog Training. Unfortunately for most of us, they are located in the UK! But fortunately they have posted a huge library of resources on social media. ((Disclaimer: We love trainer Adam with Southend, but he does use colorful language to make his points, so his videos are not suited for young children! Parental discretion is advised.))
First, let’s start with the basics.
Potty Training (aka”Potty Learning” or “Toilet Training”)
Please read, re-read, and re-re-read the potty learning booklet we included in your pup’s folder.
It is short, sweet, and to the point! Follow the instructions carefully, and your puppy will catch on quickly.
If you are having trouble, here are some good resources for potty AND crate training!
As you can see, crate training is an essential part of toilet training!
Crate Training!
We cannot stress enough how important crate training is! While, as stated above, crate training is an important factor in potty training, we should also remember a few other key details. Making puppy’s crate a safe, comfortable environment is important for puppy’s safety in certain situations. This can be accomplished by feeding them in their crate, putting toys inside, and leading puppy into crate time with a treat! We also want to ensure puppy is happy in their crate for times when you are not at home or puppy is being watched by family or friends. Furthermore, when traveling with puppy, the crate can often be the safest place to be and we do not want puppy unhappy and crying during the journey. Additionally, it is good for both your puppy and your family to have time apart.
Remember WHEN crate training, puppy will protest! — Do not praise this behavior; simply ignore it. While this may be difficult, it is vital that you do not pity puppy because being in a crate is not harmful. It is a positive thing, for now and for the future. Puppy is safe, and while it may not initially like the crate, it is in its best interest. Puppies need time to relax, just like humans. Crate training also helps to ward off separation anxiety and remember — raising/training a puppy is a challenge! Sometimes everyone needs a break! It is very important that puppy learns create training early so that when they are older, it is not an issue.
Puppy Nipping!
We highly recommend the online training program Baxter & Bella, which offers LIFETIME support at a very reasonable price. They have a huge database of videos, tips, resources, and ideas to guide you in the process of teaching puppy! You can receive a substantial discount using our code “LUMAR25”! https://www.baxterandbella.com/
If you haven’t already, please find a qualified local TRAINER to partner with you in getting puppy off to a great start. It’s important to start Puppy Kindergarten GROUP classes as soon as you bring puppy home!
Some additional short videos to help with puppy nipping:
Things to remember about nipping:
First and foremost, puppy nipping is NORMAL! While this is not uncommon and part of puppy nature, it is important to correct such behavior while they are still young. Instead of allowing your puppy to nip or chew on things they should not, give them something they can chew on! Nipping, biting, and chewing are all results of your puppy being a puppy. Therefore, we do not want to punish for this behavior. Instead, we can use positive reinforcement, such as toys, and reward only after the nipping stops. It is also important that when puppy is chewing, we do not make it a game. We want puppy to get bored of chewing on things they should not, such as fingers, and learn that hands are for pets and rubs instead. Remember: Puppy is a baby and needs naps, just like humans — nipping may be a result of a sleepy puppy as well!
Key points:
- Puppy nipping, biting, or chewing is NORMAL!
- If or when puppy does try to nip, don’t make it a game! — Redirect puppy’s attention with a chew toy!
- Reward with praise or a treat when puppy stops biting!
Say hello to Gunnar! He is here to reinforce the idea that chewies are very important! Furthermore, it should be noted that Gunnar has a good selection of toys here. It is important to remember that while puppy may really like some toys, there will likely be some they do not. Variety is also important to keep puppy entertained because, like human kids, they can get bored very easily. Some of our favorite chew toys are linked on our Amazon Storefront here.
Socialization!
Socialization is SO important! The videos below help outline that fact and guide you on the correct way to do so, and the images are suggestions of how to socialize and places to go.
