Puppy Tips

Puppy Proof Your Home

Until puppies know how to behave, are reliably toilet trained and have gone through the ‘exploring by using their teeth’ stage (at about 6 months of age), it is better to keep them closely supervised or contained in a ‘dog proof’ environment. This means no access to such things as:

carpets.
chemicals.
exposed electrical wiring.
expensive furniture.

Make sure they have easy access to the garden and that they can’t escape. If you’re not sure if the garden is escape proof, only take them out on their lead.

Create a routine

During the first few months, puppies really benefit from a good routine, so get into the habit of feeding your puppy at regular intervals. Take them outside as soon as they wake up, after their mealtimes and every hour or two.

Be sure to schedule in ‘play time’, and ‘quiet time’. Your puppy needs to learn to how to settle quietly, as well as how to keep themselves occupied with a chew or their toys.

Alone time

Dogs are social animals and genetically are not very well prepared to be alone. It is therefore very important to get your puppy used to being alone. Leave him alone for brief periods of time, over and over.

Put him in his crate or puppy proof area and leave the room, at first for a short amount of time, and then for longer and longer periods. Give him a chew toy to focus on while he is alone.

Your growing puppy will sleep a great deal, and this is the ideal time to get them used to being separated from you (and other pets) for short periods every day, so that they do not become too dependent on having constant company.

Rest: It's probably more important than exercise & training

Puppies need rest. They need around 16 -18 hours of sleep a day. If they don’t get adequate rest, they are less able to focus on training and for sure, less able to retain whatever they’re being taught. Some signs that they are not getting enough rest are: overexcitement, nipping, barking, inability to focus, seeming to be stubborn but are just not up for the task because they haven’t gotten enough rest, sniffing out of context, and easily distracted to name a few.

It’s easy to go and go and go with your new pup but it’s actually not good to be stimulated for hours on end without adequate rest. Short training sessions, short exercise sessions and ample free exploration time will help you help your puppy to be eager for whatever’s next and will very likely rest quietly on their own. The good news is you can get all your chores and work done while your puppy is resting

No go areas

It is strongly recommended that you keep your puppy away from stairs and steep drops, as running up and down stairs can damage a young puppy’s delicate growth plates, causing long-term damage. You should lift them in and out of cars and be careful not to play fetch games on slippery floors or encourage them to jump about or twist themselves, for the same reason.

Teaching your puppy to enjoy time alone in his own safe area, whether that is a crate or a dog bed for short amounts of home alone time or a larger puppy proof area for longer home alone times when you are at home, prepares your puppy to be happy when you are actually away from home. Never spending time away from your puppy when you are at home quickly encourages him to become overly dependent. This is the main cause of dogs becoming anxious when left home alone.

Teach your puppy to enjoy his own company and to develop self-confidence. Once your dog is confident, independent and trained, he can enjoy free range of your house and garden for the rest of his life.

Have Fun With Your Dog All Year Long!

GRCWA is offering Drop-In Classes run by a Certified Professional Dog Trainer at affordable prices because we believe a dog's training should be fun, convenient and ongoing without breaking the bank!

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