Bringing a puppy home for the first time is always an event to remember. While they will be a little scared at first, they will soon be excited to start exploring their new kingdom. There will be a lot of fun in store for the first few days of their reign. Of course, though, it won’t take long before you notice the need to address some of the puppy behaviors which may not have a place in civilized society. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring the areas which you should focus on the most. It will enable you to create a well-adjusted hound.
What You Should Know About Puppy Behaviors
Their Social Life
Being pack animals at their heart, having a social life is very important to most dogs. Like humans, they feel energized after spending time with people and other dogs. They will enjoy this part of life just as much as their favorite games. Below, you can find the two sides of this coin, along with some tips to help you to keep interactions under control. Understanding these puppy behaviors can be a big help.
Other Dogs: A dog can have any number of reactions when they see another pooch. This ranges from anger and aggression to playfulness and joy. Of course, you won’t always be able to control how they feel. Instead, in this instance, you have to find a way to control the way that they act on their emotions. By using careful training you will make their interactions with other dogs feel as positive as possible. If they struggle with some breeds more than others, this gives you something to avoid while out on walks.
People: While they aren’t as important to your dog, people will be very important to you. This means that your canine needs to know how to behave around them. This is something which can be taught through exposure. By having people around your animal from an early age, you will get them very used to this sort of lifestyle. This will help to avoid issues of puppy behaviors with people in the future. It will also give you the chance to make your dog a little calmer when they have to move through crowds.
Indoor Living
A puppy will never be able to understand the importance of the inside of your home. They will see no difference between a space like this and the outside world. This makes it hard to keep them under control when they are trapped indoors. You can find some of the key areas which will have to be covered to keep these puppy behaviors in order below.
Toilets: Knowing where to go to the toilet is something which a lot of dogs struggle with when they are growing up. After a few months of being trained to go outside for this, they should be able to handle this part of life largely for themselves. However, they cannot clean up after themselves. While they are still having issues, using pee pads for dogs can make it much easier to keep their little accidents under control. This can give you the chance to avoid any mess during the process of teaching them.
Chewing: Some dogs will like to chew more than others. This is the most common problem of puppy behaviors. But most will indulge in this activity at some point in their lives. When they are living indoors, they will have few chances to chew on sticks and other natural toys. This can make them turn to the furniture to carry out their evil deeds. To overcome this, a lot of dog owners find that simply providing them with chew toys can be enough to keep them from ruining the parts of the home you love the most. It can be very hard to train them not to chew the furniture.
Play: All dogs like to play, with this part of life being critical to their learning and development. When they are taking part in outdoor games on the inside of your home, though, a mess could quickly erupt. It will be hard to keep the place under control. To make this easier, simply tiring them out when you have the chance will be the best way to go. Long walks, lots of play, and other activities will be the best way to achieve better puppy behaviors. This leaves your dog without the energy to cause trouble at home.
Discipline
Puppies are much like young children and can be trained to do a huge variety of different things. You can teach your dog how to do basic tricks, to keep themselves well behaved, and even to perform small jobs and tasks for you. This will take some discipline, though. You can find a couple of tips to help you with these puppy behaviors below.
Rewards: A lot of dog owners make the mistake of rewarding their dog too much. Other people will find it hard to give their dog the praise they really need. When your first training an animal like this, it’s alright to be liberal with the treats you give them, with each successful command being worth a payoff. As they become more savvy, though, you can start to limit the treats you give them for completing everyday tasks. This is the best way to let them know that they are doing something right.
Punishments: Alongside giving a dog rewards, a lot of people feel the need to punish their animal when they make mistakes. There are very few acts which warrant a punishment, though. Dogs tend to fear these actions more than anything, making it hard for them to learn from them. If you have to do something like this, the best options are always verbal. Your dog will understand your tone and body language, giving you the chance to show your disapproval without having to do anything physical.
With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to start turning your puppy into an upstanding member of modern society. It can be hard to teach a dog to be good all the time. They will always have lapses in their behavior. This isn’t a problem, though, as long as you learn how to handle it properly. Understanding puppy behaviors before getting your new puppy are very important. It can make a difference in how you train your new dog.