puppy carrying slipper

These are six things you should have or consider before getting a puppy so you can ensure his healthy development and to have a better relationship.

Toy bin. A toy bin is a must. It should be large, wide, and shallow, and your puppy should have access to all the toys. Include plush toys, rotate the toys, and keep them varied.  The toy bin should be a ‘centerpiece’ or placed in a prominent and obvious location so it’s easily accessible for your puppy. The toy bin designates a place for your puppy’s toys and gives him a visual marker so he knows what is his to chew on, and what isn’t. If the sneaker comes from the toy bin, it’s his. If it comes from the closet, it’s not.It’s important to liberal with the toys and act interested in them. Puppies want what other puppies have. Their interest in an item will based on your interest in that item as well. Put toys back in the bin when you are finished playing and avoid leaving them on the floor. This increases the value of the toys and your puppy will likely take the toys out of the bin again. Your puppy should always have free and easy access to the toys.

Patience. Puppies bite, play, and chew, and bite and play, and pee and chew. Then sleep and bite, play, and pee again. They will pee in your house until they are house-trained. House-training takes time. It goes faster when you are positive and take your puppy out frequently — this includes in the middle of the night. Puppies are full of energy and quite a handful. They are essentially toddlers without diapers and who have sharp teeth. Realize that your puppy will outgrow many tiresome behaviors such as attacking your legs and chewing on you when you handle things humanely and are patient. These are simply stages for your puppy.

Potty-bells. Hang bells on the door knob of the door you will open for your puppy when you will take him outside. Tap bells with your hand at your puppy’s nose level before you open the door to take him out. Eventually, he will  bump the bells on his own by learning through observation to request for you to open the door. When your puppy nudges or bumps the bells, it’s important that you open the door!

puppy chewing pant legEnough food.  Puppies should not be put on diets and should be fed  at least three large meals a day. Do not keep your puppy hungry. Puppies are continuously growing, and they go through many developmental stages and changes in very short periods of time. Puppies should eat when they are hungry and until they are satisfied. Restricting meals in puppies can cause hyperactivity, and anxiety and aggression around food. If your puppy can’t come down or is revved up, it might be that he is hungry or overtired

A communal or social place to sleep. Your puppy will behave better if he can sleep in the bedroom with you or other family members at night, or if there are other dogs, where the other dogs are. Puppies do not like to be alone. They will sleep better if they learn to sleep on your schedule and they will be easier to housetrain.

Gates. Over-crating is a cause of many behavioral problems and often, when crates are paired with being left alone, can worsen or even cause separation anxiety. Self-standing gates allow more flexibility so your puppy can move around, have more freedom, and access to more rooms, but so you can still manage him to keep him safe and out of trouble.

© 2018 Alana Stevenson. All Rights Reserved.