5 Mistakes That First-Time Puppy Owners Should Avoid

Everything single interaction with your dog will send a message. So, sometimes when you’re training your puppy, you can send the wrong message inadvertently. While you don’t mean to undo any of the hard work you’ve put into training, you can sometimes do it without even realizing, so you need to be mindful of this. For example, if you give your pup affection when they’re doing something wrong, this will ultimately increase the likelihood that it will happen again.

You need to remember that you and your dog are in fact, different species. While you might want to treat your dog the way you would a child, treating a pup as a human will deprive them of many different things. From the offset, you need to establish boundaries and remember that your puppy is a dog, not a child. Feed them correct things, encourage good habits and focus on nurturing all the things that a DOG needs.

Dogs are super social if you want them to interact well with other dogs as a pup, and as an adult, you need to socialize them early on. Studies have found that the most impressionable age bracket for a dog is within the first four months, a perfect time to mix with other dogs. When you pick your pup up at around 12 weeks, the only interaction it’s had is from its mother, the litter and its breeder. So, go ahead and introduce your pup into the big wide world and get them confident around other dogs and people as soon as possible.

Puppies have a lot of energy. If you want to avoid them acting up and destroying the house, exercise them regularly. The longer the walks and playtime, the less barking, chewing and jumping you’ll have to deal with. Of course, each breed needs a varied amount of exercise, so, do your homework and figure out exactly what your canine companion needs.

To avoid problems later down the line, particularly with bigger does, you need to nail leash etiquette as early as you can. We’ve all spotted them before, the types of dogs that pull their owners along, once this starts, it can be hard to control it. While you can’t take your dog outside until it’s had all the necessary vaccinations, you can most definitely practice some leash training indoors. If pulling is a problem, opt for a short leash and keep your dog’s attention on you as you walk.