A puppy's love can fill your heart with all the feels. However, having a new puppy at home can be overwhelming and exhausting. To help you navigate through the challenges of the puppy stage, we have put together six useful tips to keep you sane.
1. Crate Training
Structure is crucial for puppies, as they need a place to sleep, relax, and remain stress-free. Your puppy shouldn't see their crate as a negative place, rather it should be a place of peace for you both. When you leave home, crate training can ensure your puppy is safe. It's important to keep your pup comfortable and cozy by providing them with a crate large enough to move around, their favorite dog bed and food and water.
2. Potty Training
When you are potty training your puppy, make sure they are taken outside every 2 hours. If they successfully go potty outside, be sure to give them lots of positive reinforcement. Don't get frustrated with them if they make a few mistakes, as consistency is key and with time, your puppy will learn. If you stay consistent with the training, you will soon see that your efforts will pay off and potty training will be over before you know it.
3. How to Avoid Puppy Chewing
To prevent your dog from chewing on things, it's a good idea to purchase toys with different textures and provide them to your pet whenever they have something inappropriate in their mouth. If your dog tends to chew on a specific item (such as your shoes), it's best to keep those items out of reach from your dog to help reduce the temptation.
4. Tire Your Puppy Out
A tired pup is a well-behaved pup. Since dogs have a lot of energy, if this energy is not properly dealt with, they can find all kinds of ways to get into trouble. Therefore, it is important to ensure that they get at least two walks a day. Additionally, a good run at the park can also help tire them out.
5. Socializing Your Pup
Socializing your puppy can have long-term benefits in making them comfortable around various dogs and people. It is important to expose them to different elements such as big and little dogs, people with hats and backpacks, so they feel secure and at ease when they are in unfamiliar surroundings.
