Our tips for getting started with your puppy: Have you just adopted a puppy? You can be full of questions about his behavior? Discover the 3 essential tips to get started with your puppy. These tips are intended to help you better understand your puppy and how it works to learn to be consistent with him.
Tip # 1: Continue learning self-checks
When your puppy was still with his mother and siblings, he learned to manage his emotional states and mainly his states of excitement. Indeed, from 3 and 5 weeks, the mother teaches her puppies learning inhibited bite and control of voluntary motor skills.
So it's your role as a master to continue learning how to manage frustration, here's how to do it:
Be the initiator of all activities. When your puppy asks you for attention, ignore it. For that do not look at him, do not talk to him and do not touch him. More simply, turn his back on him. Wait for your puppy to move on and invite him to contact you
If your puppy nibbles you, stop making contact by stopping any interaction, wait for him to calm down to resume the game session or cuddle
To know: Know that the final dentition of your puppy is set up around 6 months. Therefore, your puppy may be trying to nibble wooden objects to relieve himself. Do not hesitate to offer him toys, even a log so that he is interested in it rather than destroying your wooden furniture.
Small tip: prefer short and repeated sessions during the day. It is better to play with your puppy 5 to 10 minutes several times a day than to offer him a long and unique game session during the day.
During the games, be attentive to the states of excitement of your puppy, if it begins to bark, hurt you, jump, etc., it is high time to stop the session by ignoring and wait for your puppy to calm down before eventually resuming the game session.
To remember :
1- Remember to be at the initiative of the activities
2- Offer short and repeated sessions during the day
3- If your dog nibbles you, hurts you or excites you too much: stop your activity by ignoring it
Tip # 2: Offer your puppy the right associations
This advice is one of the most important. You must understand that the vast majority of annoying behaviors of an adult dog are very often reinforced from adoption. Indeed, unknowingly we validate a lot of unwanted behavior on the part of our puppies, because they are not just not embarrassing yet.
Example # 1: Your puppy jumps on you. At two months this behavior is rather endearing, yet by responding favorably to
this contact, you teach your puppy that jumping is a good thing. He will therefore tend to reproduce this behavior throughout his life. So if your puppy jumps on you, ignore him and as soon as he has the 4 paws on the ground, stroke him. Similarly, when new people wish to pet your puppy, like your guests, ask them to wait until the puppy has calmed down to pet him. You will then have a calm adult dog when making contact with humans.
Note: The caress is not always good! Indeed, know that caressing your dog is not always lived as a congratulation by the latter.
The caress for some dogs can be uncomfortable. Know that your dog will appreciate your caress but feel stressed if a stranger or a child came to caress him. In addition, petting on your dog's head can be unpleasant considering this contact as invasive. So to know if your dog appreciates his caress, watch it! If your dog licks the truffle, turns his head or starts to yawn, it means that he does not necessarily appreciate this contact. So, before stroking your dog, ask him. To do this, simply stretch your hand in his direction and if it comes to feel your hand, you can pet it. Finally, prefer a stroking on the side or on the chest.
Example # 2: Your puppy is very excited when he sees other dogs. This behavior can become very problematic later.
Indeed, it is important to teach your puppy to calm down on a leash to get what he wants, for example to be dropped with "dog friends". Like the previous example, if your puppy learns that by getting excited he can get what he wants, you will quickly have a puppy who can not handle his frustration and who will be particularly excited on a leash during walks. So wait for your puppy to calm down and then let him go and play with other dogs.
Example # 3: Your puppy pulls on the leash. A puppy at 2 months does not often weigh very heavy and therefore, letting
him pull on the leash does not necessarily bother. Yet very quickly small dog will become big and this same behavior will become troublesome. So teach your puppy that it is with a relaxed leash that he can move forward. So if your puppy pulls on his leash, stop, wait until the leash is relaxed or call your puppy to come to you and once the leash is soft, you can move forward.
Tip # 3: Get out and meet other dogs!
Between 8 and 12 weeks, it is essential to take out your puppy a maximum but in a controlled way. Indeed, this period is very important for the good development of your puppy because all experiences are recorded and will serve as a database for the life of your puppy.
That's why it's important to get your puppy out in a multitude of different environments while making sure these outings are positive and enjoyable for him.In addition, your puppy needs to meet other puppies and adult dogs regularly to keep learning dog codes. But beware, it is important that these meetings are positive and controlled. Your puppy should not be attacked violently or shoved excessively. It is therefore important to offer meetings with balanced dogs exclusively. In addition, the contacts must be free, without a leash and if possible without any intervention on your part. It is indeed better to let the dogs freely communicate with each other without interfering in their relationship.
In conclusion
Knowing how to adapt and understand canine operation from the start is important to start on a healthy basis and avoid mistakes. In addition, choosing the breed and temperament of your puppy is also very important to avoid the problem of incompatibility master / dog! So, ask yourself the right questions and learn to discover your puppy to create a positive and lasting relationship!