Puppies.
Some important things to consider when getting a puppy.
Everyone and his friend seems to have gotten a puppy during lockdown! Its important that you do your research before getting a puppy, make sure that the breed you chose, will suit your lifestyle and family! Dogs can live for anywhere between 10-15 years, and some really lucky people have them for even longer! It may seem a bit baffling to think that the first few months of their life can also have a huge impact on how they are in adult life, socialization and desensitisation are extremely important to help them cope with the world.
Puppy socialization and desensitisation is really important for the first 6-12 weeks of there life. If you do not do it, they are likely to become anxious or nervous about many things in there adult life.
Its important to desensitise puppies from things like the doorbell, cars, the hoover, washing machine, tumble dryer etc, that can make lots of scary noises. You can do this by using the items around your puppy and clicking and treating them when they settle - always offer them somewhere they deem safe to go to, such as there bed/crate. There are all sorts of desensitisation videos and music on youtube/spotify, that you can play in the background to help them get used to the noises.
It is very important to get your puppy used to other dogs, in moderation, and only with dogs that you can trust to not be aggressive to your puppy. Any negative interactions with other dogs could cause your puppy to become nervous and reactive to other dogs. For more info on this, check out Forest Dog Academy's Free Online Course.
Its also important to get your puppy used to dog grooming as well, this helps them to be less stressed and an all round positive experience as well. Brush them for a short time daily and offer treats as a reward. Also try to handle your puppies paws while grooming them and also just whenever you can, and also holding the muzzle gently (for long haired breeds who will need eye scissor trims). You can start introducing them to grooming tools like a slicker brush, comb and nail clippers, simply hold the items near your puppies first so they can sniff the items, treat and praise them for doing this, then brush them for a short time and then rewarding them. Hold your puppies feet while pretending to snip their nails, treat them and praise them after doing each toe, then slowly move on to doing this after each paw, then eventually after you have done all the paws. Some dogs do not mind their feet being held, but its actually the noise the nail clippers make when snipping that can scare them.
There are some fab trainers and books out there to help you! My favourite trainers are found in my Dog Directory and the book ‘Easy Peasy Puppy Squeasy’ is a brilliant book for any puppy owner!
Its important to remember that puppies are not naughty on purpose, they simply do not know what is the right thing to do - its your job to help show them what you want from them, it could also mean that they are lacking in mental or physical stimulation too.
Diet can also have a huge impact on behaviour, if you are feeling rubbish, then you are more likely to act up in frustration, its no different for dogs! Try to opt for a high nutritional value food, the main ingredient is always the first listed - dog require a high protein diet and can rarely tolerate grains - I personally feed my boy raw, you cannot get more natural or nutritional value than that! Although, I do opt for completes, so that I know that he is getting everything he needs, rather than doing it myself. I will post a blog about nutrition soon.