Puppies! Who doesn't love them? This blog was created to give you tips and tricks (no pun intended) on how to raise your puppy in a way that will properly prepare him for life.
1. Make Sure You're Ready
The very first thing you need to consider is if you should even get a puppy! If you are set on a younger dog, you need to be prepared to put in a lot of work. A puppy's first year is a lot of work. If you do not have the proper time or energy for training a puppy, maybe consider getting an older dog from a shelter. If you are not able to dedicate a part of your life to this puppy, you might need to reconsider. If you've done a lot of thinking and searching and realized a puppy would be a good fit in your home, these next few tips are necessary to look over for your new best friend's quality of life.
2. Train Your Puppy
Dogs love having a purpose. They strive to please and like to be mentally challenged. Training your puppy will be good for your sake as well as the dog's. Some dog breeds are known to be easier to train, and some are known to be stubborn. Make sure you look into this before deciding on a dog. Some dogs are also higher energy than others. For example, border collies are very eager to be trained and are extremely obedient dogs but, in turn, they have a lot of energy. If you are looking to get a purebred dog, most of them were bred to do a specific job. Herding dogs like cattle dogs and border collies are very high energy. Make sure you do your proper research. When it comes down to actually training your dog, you want to start simple. ALL DOGS should know the commands of "Sit" "Stay" "Come" and "Leave it". If you don't want to go above and beyond, you don't have to, but you should highly consider training your puppy these commands. It can save them from an extremely harmful or dangerous situation.
3. Give Your Puppy Proper Socialization
Socializing your puppy is of the utmost importance. If you listen to nothing else in this post, listen to this tip. You want to socialize your dog with everyone and everything. Once he or she has the proper shots and vaccinations, try going to the dog park. Take your puppy on lots of walks and ask anyone else walking a dog if you can introduce your puppy to their dog. Meet up with your friends who have other animals. Expose your puppy to cats, small animals and most importantly, people. This will lessen your dog's chances of becoming aggressive towards cats, other dogs, or other humans. Dogs usually like other animals, especially if they are raised to know that the animals are nothing to be aggravated by or scared of.
4. You Are In Charge of the Dog, The Dog isn't In Charge of You
Dogs work on pack systems. Introducing your puppy into your home means you are now their pack. Most dogs will try to be the leader of the pack, but raise your puppy to know that you are in charge of them, not the other way around. Little things are signs of dominance. Make sure if you play tug-of-war with your puppy that you are the one who ends up "winning" with the toy in your hand the majority of the time. When you are walking in or out of the house with your puppy, make sure you are the one walking through the doorway first, not them. Actions like these may not mean anything to you as a human, but it is speaking the language of your dog, showing them who is boss.
No matter what, getting a puppy is always rewarding. It has it's fair share of challenges, but in the end it is always worth it. The NUMBER ONE thing to know is a puppy is NOT disposable! It is a long-term commitment, just as any other animal is.
