Puppy raising tips

43.Stay in constant watch of your puppy. The more you watch and direct his every action,the fewer mistakes he will make.Less mistakes means less stress for the owner. Less stress for the owner means no temper tantrums or displays of the “ugly owner.” Less of this “stressed out” behavior from leaders leads to more trust from puppy to human. Easy, yes?

44.Unknown Boundaries: You can’t make a correction for something that your puppy doesn’t understand yet. So if you’re puppy is going into unchartered waters (rooms off limits), do not yell or vocally reprimand. Play the name game and call her back and praise her for following your lead.

45.Keep your puppy on a leash in order to redirect him more neutrally. If you see him get into something inappropriate, gently tug the leash and call his name (without anger) to call him away from his mistake

46.Keep in mind that puppies are truly making mistakes in this stage. If we respond to mistakes with anger, our puppies may accidentally learn that exploring is negative (and that we are negative!). Mistakes are mistakes at this stage. The only thing they need to learn is that their leaders will help them learn fairly and calmly. Whether it’s a housebreaking accident, a chewing mistake, or a mouthing mistake, keep your cool and redirect your puppy.

47.Be a good baby-sitter. Since we need to tend to their needs completely, don’t leave your puppy alone in the yard by himself or unattended to “play” by himself in the living room. When you’re with your puppy, plan activities to occupy his time. Balls, chew toys, puppy manners exercises, walks, etc., are all creative ways to keep your puppy involved with something positive. 

48.When you can’t supervise your puppy, place her in her crate for a nap. This is the easiest way to prevent errors.You may need to crate her simply to pay bills or cook dinner, and then take her out again. Feel good about using your crate as a way to supervise (safeguard) your puppy when you can’t supervise her.Think of the tools we use for children when we can’t actually hold them: walker, playpen, swing, crib. Tools or “training wheels” are always used for safety until the little one is safe by herself. 

49.Keep chew toys in every room in which you wish to take your puppy. If toys are readily available, you can always give your puppy something positive to do with her time while you’re brushing your teeth or putting on your shoes. This prevents table legs, your legs, and leather shoes from being “chew toy du jour!”