It’s just before Christmas and your child (and possibly other siblings) has asked Santa for a puppy for Christmas. Is this the year you give in? While there are as many ways to raise a puppy as there are to raising a child, it’s typically much more difficult to train a puppy in the Winter versus in the Spring or Summer. Here are three training items that new dog owners haven’t considered when bringing a puppy home for Christmas.
Bringing Home A Christmas Puppy and What You Should Know:
- Puppies won’t understand any language until they are taught that language.
- A puppy’s metabolism is growing faster than you might have thought
- Dogs watch our facial expressions and body language.
The thing we all love about puppies is the way they live for us, the way they focus all they have on us, the way our lives become theirs. in the beginning, they study us to learn our body language, our facial expressions and our language. Until we teach them the English language, it’s all they have. If we say, “Wanna go out?” one day, “Have to go potty?” the next day, and, “Hafta pee?” the third day, if they DO figure out what we want, it is because we have picked up the leash and moved toward the door with a happy face! If you want to speed up his training by three-fold, teach him YOUR language. Pick a command for EACH behavior and stick with it. Tell all in your family to use the same words and commands, and your puppy will amaze you at how much faster he learns.
A healthy puppy will be eating and drinking as fast as their metabolism will allow. This means they’ll need to go outside to potty more than older dogs. Doing this in the winter is not ideal, but necessary. The pups age and size determine how often they need go out. Rule of thumb is every hour, to the same spot, and especially after they have eaten. As well, take the puppy outside right after a nap! You and your child should spend time with your puppy and watch their behavior. If the puppy gets up suddenly from any activity and begins to smell the floor, get the pup outside as fast as possible. Give a command as well – like “Outside”. This will alert the dog that when this simple word is said, they are to go outside. Once they potty outside, heap some praise on them!
Because of this, the worst punishment you ever need to give your dog is a scowl and to turn away from him. You’ll see their tail drop and their face become sad. The puppy’s attention span is mere minutes (3 to 5). Keep in mind that physical punishment should never be used and is never ever necessary when training a puppy (or older dog). Simply use consistent commands and heap praise and the pup will know what you want.
Naturally there are many aspects of training your puppy well. Loving kindness works just as well for puppies as it does with children, creating a happy, well-adjusted and obedient dog for life. These three important tips, used consistently with confidence, will start him well on his way. If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment below! The staff at Dog Day Getaway would love to hear your thoughts on Christmas puppies as a gift.
