4 Things NOT to do When Raising a Puppy!
4 Things NOT to do When Raising a Puppy!
Congratulations on your new puppy! You’ve probably already heard a million things that you should be doing with your new puppy. But just as important is a list of what NOT to do.
Between the ages of 8 and 16 weeks your puppy is in a critical developmental stage. This is when things imprint on them for the rest of their lives, so you really have to be careful about both GOOD and BAD experiences that they might have.
Puppies are like sponges making this a great time to bond with them, start training, and establish a great routine. The key is to make every experience as positive as possible to help build your puppy up to be a confident and relaxed dog. If they have a negative experience this can bring out later on issues of anxiety and fear in certain situations. So, as you take in all the advice of what you should be doing with your puppy, please keep these points in mind!
1. Do NOT physically force them.
Take crate training for example. Do not push them into the crate. They will likely try to push back out and panic. If you can carry the puppy, place them in the crate and close the door behind them or lure them in it with a treat.
2. Do NOT shove their nose in their pee.
If they have an accident in the house do not shove their nose in their own pee as this could traumatize them. Put yourself in their paws. They are not intentionally peeing in the house and just don’t fully understand yet that the potty place is outside. Try to pay better attention to their potty cues and let them out more often (for more helpful hints on potty training click HERE)
3. Do NOT chase them in anger.
Say you turn the corner and see your puppy chewing your $300 pair of leather shoes that they somehow got a hold of. Don’t freak out on them, yelling at the top of your lungs, while running over to them and grab them. This is SO bad! NO NO NO, Bad Owner!
Try your best to keep control, remain calm. What you need to do in this situation is calmly walk over to your puppy, gently take the object from them, say “NO” in a strong command voice (not yelling), and give them their toy. We use a rope toy with our Rotties. This is called re-directing.
You want to re-direct the destructive behavior that they got in trouble for towards something they are aloud to chew, such as a toy. When they take the toy from you and start chewing or playing with it, this is the time to praise them! This supports the good behavior.
And moving forward we suggest treating your puppy like you would a toddler, keeping them in sight at all times and keeping anything of value out of reach.
4. Do NOT let other people overwhelm your puppy.
Puppies get easily nervous when people, even kids, run up to them so excited to pet them. With hands flying everywhere, high pitched voices, and so many new smells, your puppy can get very uncomfortable. This can turn into a bad experience for them and cause fear and reluctance when meeting new people in the future.
It is best to tell anybody that wants to meet your puppy these 3 things:
1. Go slow: Don’t make sudden movements towards the puppy either with your hand or body.
2. Use underhand petting, not overhand: Meaning don’t reach above the puppy to pet its head or back. It’s best to use an open palm, let the puppy smell you first and proceed to pet under the chin or chest.
3. Don’t pursue a nervous puppy: Let the puppy come to the people either with praise or treat rewards. When they allow people to pet them, praise that good behavior. If the puppy seems nervous and backs away from them, make sure they don’t pursue to pet. Just have the stay where they are and try to call or lure the puppy back over to them.
I hope these points help you when raising your puppy! The goal is to make more good experiences then bad, building happier and more confident puppies; overall eliminating fear and anxiety.
And congratulations on your new puppy!! – we would LOVE to see a picture in the comments below!
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