Serving Northeast Philly
Now what?!
Of course, your puppy is the most perfect, most adorable tiny furry creature that ever walked the earth. And you melt into puddles at just the sight of your most precious pup. I know you don’t need any help cuddling, loving on your new puppy.
But reality soon sets in… raising a puppy is not just about cuddles and puppy kisses. You can’t just cuddle your puppy into becoming a great adult dog.
So how can you get ahead of the game and raise your pup to be the best dog they can be?
It’s all about preventing problem behaviors. And YES! there will be problem behaviors. After all, even your perfect pup is just a dog. Typically, dogs don’t make good decisions trying to navigate in our crazy human world.
If your goal is to raise your pup into a well-adjusted adult dog, the biggest roles in your puppy’s life shouldn’t be designated cuddle giver nor a bottomless treat dispenser.
Your MOST important role in a puppy’s life is to be a parent, teaching them important and necessary life skills.
Being a parent requires you to set rules and boundaries for your pup and consistently enforcing them. It may mean your pup will throw tantrums for not being able to do what it wants. It will also, mean you have to put your foot down, and not give in those tantrums. Yes, even if they give you the most pitiful puppy dog eyes.
A mother dog would do the same thing, they push their dogs past their limits, and make sure they understand boundaries. Because that’s how a pup matures into adulthood.
You can start teaching your pup these much-needed skills by creating very clear guidelines to life.
Clear guidelines on how to handle being left home alone, so you don’t have stress out about what your pup may be doing wrong when you’re not home. Guideline on how to play more appropriately with you so that you don’t turn into a bloody chew toy, just to name a few.
Clarity on expectations and rules and boundaries are what every dog needs to learn in order to understand life, and how to navigate through it.
Teaching them clear expectations, rules and boundaries are all about repetition, consistency, and being fair but firm. This is how you earn the trust and respect of your dog, so they know to start looking to you for guidance and learn to make better behavior choices.
The sad reality is many new puppy owners don’t realize their most important role in raising a pup. They are great at sharing all the affection, but not so good at enforcers of rules and boundaries. Many owners are frustrated, sick and tired of cleaning after potty accidents, stressed out because they can’t get a good night’s sleep, bloodied as their puppies mouthing gets harder and harder, etc. Eventually, some owners make the hard decision to rehome, thinking the pup just wasn’t a good fit. But without realizing what the most important role you have in the life of a pup, history will likely repeat itself. Did you know a large portion of the homeless dogs in the shelters and rescues are under the age of two?
So, rather than feeling frustrated, stressed out because honeymoon phase with your pup has just ended, start teaching rules and boundaries right away, prevent problem behaviors, and start creating the life you imagined with your dream dog. You can start today, it’s not too late.
