Posts Tagged ‘puppy’

Socializing Your Puppy

Socializing your puppy is a critical part of raising a well adjusted dog. Through socialization, puppies can learn to fit into society, learn to live with humans and also with other dogs. This leads to a calm, adaptable dog who isn’t fazed by what they encounter in day to day life.

If dogs are not correctly socialized, they may develop inappropriate behaviors when exposed to new situations or new dogs and people. This can include being overly aggressive or fearful in unfamiliar circumstances.

Socializing starts when a puppy is still with its mother and with the breeder. A puppy first learns canine body language and pack structure from around three to four weeks of age, while playing and interacting with its litter mates. It is important that a breeder handles her puppies and plays with them regularly, to give them positive early experiences with people.

The ideal time to bring your new puppy home is when he is eight weeks old. The period from eight to twelve weeks of age is very important for socialization, as your pup is very open to learning and enjoying new experiences. It is vital to take advantage of this stage of your puppy’s social development.

It’s a good idea to invite friends and families to your house to visit, bringing with them their well behaved dog. You can also introduce your puppy to calm, well-mannered children.

Puppy preschool is also very important for your young dog. It allows puppies to meet and interact with other dogs of a similar age and level of development, as well as learning some basic obedience commands. This improves the communication skills of your puppy, as well as enhances the bond between dog and owner. It also allows your dog to sniff and explore in a safe and supportive environment.

Other options for socializing your dog can include going to dog friendly places such as off-leash parks and beaches. It is vital to make sure that your puppy is up to date on its vaccinations, as there may be an increased risk of disease in these places. Also, you need to remember that the other dogs which are there may not necessarily be under complete control. There may even be under-socialized dogs who may frighten your puppy and set it back in its learning. It may even be better to keep your puppy away from these areas until he is more mature and better able to cope.

It takes a lot of work and effort to socialize a puppy well, but it is an investment in his future, and will help him to fit into his world. Doing a good job will lead to a well adjusted and happy companion who can take anything in his stride.

How to Feed Puppies

We all like to look after our dogs to the best of our ability, and feeding a puppy correctly is important to give it the very best start in life. For optimal growth and health, a balanced diet is necessary. This means the diet includes the right amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals, in the right proportions.

Puppies need to take in proportionally more calories per pound of body weight than adult dogs do, because they need more energy to grow. Commercial puppy foods take this into account. It is very calorie dense, which means that it includes more calories per bowl, compared to adult dog food. .

Since puppies have little stomachs, they should be fed small meals regularly. This means three small meals a day up to twelve weeks of age, then reducing frequency to two meals a day. You can keep feeding your dog two meals a day throughout adulthood, or further reduce to one meal when he’s around 12 months old and close to fully grown.

You should feed your puppy according to the guidelines on the food packet. Overfeeding puppies can make them overweight. This can predispose to orthopedic problems such as hip dysplasia, and may lead to obesity later in life. It is undoubtedly easier to prevent your dog from getting overweight in the first place than it is to get rid of the excess weight later in life.

It is a good idea to base your puppy’s diet on quality commercial dog food, and then add extra things such as rice, pasta and raw bones. Remember to never feed your dog cooked bones, as these are dangerous and may splinter, damaging the gastrointestinal tract. When choosing a dog food, take a close look at the ingredient list. The top two or three ingredients on the list should be meat or meat protein. Dog foods which may be less expensive are higher in cereal, and therefore not as good for your pet.

Home cooked diets are possible, but it can be very hard to maintain nutritional balance. One of the best examples is calcium. A predominantly meat based diet can contain too little calcium, leading to poor bone density and increased risk of fractures. Conversely, adding too much calcium supplement to a diet can also lead to developmental orthopedic disease. It is very important to get the balance just right.

It is also important to choose a commercial dog food which is appropriate for the breed. For example, giant breed puppy food allows for slow steady growth. This helps to avoid orthopedic problems in your dog such as osteochondrosis dissecans which is often associated with rapid growth in large breeds of dog.

As puppies get older, their growth rate slows, and they can be switched to adult food when they’re close to maturity. This is usually around twelve months for most breeds, and eighteen months for giant breeds.

It is very important to choose the right dog food for your puppy, as the effects of poor nutrition can last a lifetime. Make sure that the food is both of high quality, nutritionally balanced and appropriate for the breed.

House Training Your Puppy

House training your puppy can be one of the most important, and potentially stressful and time-consuming, aspects of having a new puppy in the house. It is very important to start as soon as you introduce your puppy to the house, and be sure to remain consistent and vigilant.

Before you even bring your puppy into the home, it has already started learning that there are some places he shouldn’t eliminate. When puppies are with their mothers, they quickly learn to go to the toilet away from the main sleeping area.

Investing in a crate is usually the easiest way to house train a young puppy. Contrary to what some people may think, crate training is actually not cruel to the animal. The crate becomes your puppy’s den, and he can use it when he needs some time away from potentially stressful family activities. It’s a good idea to feed your puppy in the crate, and make it comfortable so that he is happy to go into it.

When your puppy is comfortable in the crate, you can gradually start to shut door, then to leave the puppy alone in it for a little while. Allow your puppy to sleep in the crate, and, again, it will not go to the toilet in the sleeping area. Remember, routine and consistency makes house training easier and faster.

Do not give your dog anything to eat after dinnertime. Also, remember to also take him outside to go just before you go to bed at night. In the early stages of house training, you will need to get up during the night to take your puppy outside to go to the toilet, as he can’t hold on for very long. As soon as you get up in the morning, again take him outside to go to the toilet.

Also, make sure you take him to the same part of your yard each time. The smell there will encourage him to go to the toilet in that area. You may need to wait for a while he sniffs around, but do be patient, and remember to praise him when he does eventually go.

If your puppy does have an accident inside the house, use an enzyme-based cleaner to remove all of the traces. If you do not do this, the smell will persist there and he may be encouraged to go to the toilet there again in the future.

If your puppy does make a mistake, do not yell, get angry, or even worse, rub his nose in it. Doing this can lead to fear and toileting problems, such as hiding to go to toilet because they’re scared of your reaction. It can also damage your relationship with your dog. It is better to keep an eye on your puppy at all times, and give him every opportunity to do the right thing.

As with children, gentle persistence and consistency will lead to them eventually becoming house trained. If you do it correctly, it will be as stress free as possible, for both you and your pup.