Tips for new puppy parents
If you’ve recently added a puppy into your life, than you very well may have some unexpected training time on your hands! In this blog, we’ll go over some key tips to keep in mind with your new puppy. We hope it helps you pass some time while being at home!
All animals, including dogs, have a window of opportunity at the start of their lives during which they learn to accept things around them so they are not afraid of them later in life. In puppies, this window of opportunity closes at about 12-14 weeks of age. Most things that are encountered during this time will be tolerated, or even enjoyed. After the window closes, unfamiliar people, objects and experiences are approached with caution, and the puppy may become fearful. In fact, the most common cause of fear and aggression is lack of socialization.
We’ve collected several tips from our Shelter Health Pro website to help you incorporate socialization into your new puppy’s every day routine.
A Loving Touch
A puppy should welcome affection and not fear it, so it’s good to familiarize them with your touch. Do this by placing and removing their collar, grooming them with a soft brush for one minute, or by gently touching their ears, neck, etc. A good tip for nail clipping in the future is to rub your puppy’s paws so they don’t fear being touched in that area. Food rewards and praise are also effective to reinforce their acceptance of the handling.
Meeting New Friends
When you have a dog who is friendly with other dogs and people, it’s extremely rewarding! In order to make your puppy comfortable around others, introduce them to a wide range of people while they’re still young. This also applies to meeting other animals, so a dog park is a great start (make sure your puppy is up to date on their shots and is spayed/neutered)!
Supervised Playtime
If puppies don’t get enough exercise or playtime to stimulate them, they can become bored or destructive. Spending time each day to play with your puppy is a fantastic bonding tool, which also teaches them discipline. Make sure to supervise them when they are playing with new toys to make sure they are safe! Shelter Health Pro has some great tips for objects to play with, and chew.
We have plenty more tips on our Shelter Health Pro website that will help you socialize and train your new puppy, continue reading them here.
Shelter Health Pro
Shelterhealthpro.com is a free online resource created by the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society to give both shelter professionals and pet owners the tools and information they need to help keep the animals in their care physically, mentally and emotionally healthy.
If you have an animal at home or work with animals, you owe it to them to visit shelterhealthpro.com.