12/24/2021
Christmas Puppy đ¨đś
5 puppy tips by
1. Donât fear the crate!!! (The crate is not the reaper) Not only is the crate great for potty training, but it also helps manage the puppy, when thereâs no time to helicopter parent her. It also teaches the pup to *turn off* and we hear trainers speak about an off switch frequently.
2. Practice calm handling FREQUENTLY! Especially for all my doodle pupper lovers! Dogs that we send to the groomers need to practice restraint training and handling skills with all family members willing to help, so when we send the pup to the groomer or vet, having a stranger touch and feel all over their body wonât be a terrifying ordeal! I want to be able to handle and hold the puppy without the puppy biting my hands and squirming or gator rolling.
3. Work hard, play hard, NAP HARD! Like growing babies and toddlers, puppies need proper stimulation while learning and then to be put down for a nap. So instead of waiting for the puppy to mess up, Iâm going to work on giving the puppy jobs to focus on while out of the crate, and when done Iâll put the puppy up (crate) to properly decompress and turn off from the fun stress of learning new things!
4. Understand the breed of puppy youâre getting! And when you understand what the breed was born to do, find a fun game thatâs appropriate to fulfill the puppyâs natural drive and is also appropriate for your lifestyle. Think, âmy rat terrier loves to chase and kill squirrelsâ and guess what, the best toy and game to play with that pup with be a flirt pole! It allows the pup to chase that toy and âkillâ it, therefore fulfilling the natural drive of what the dog was bred for. When youâre done with the toy, put it away and up so it doesnât lose value!
5. HAVE FUN HAVE FUN HAVE FUN! Rules and structure are necessary AND you can certainly make those rules and games fun. Set you and the pup up to win frequently, losing sucks! So focus on being proactive versus being reactive and angry.
