Bringing Puppy Home
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Early socialisation is important to your new puppy's development. The more puppy experiences the better.
The critical socialisation period is from 3 to 14 weeks.
Traditionally pups were kept away from the outside world for fear of infectious diseases. A pup that experiences few other dogs and humans before this age may not be as confident and friendly as it could be.
Puppy should go to its new home before 10 weeks old as they adapt well to new sights and sounds before 16 weeks old.
Handling Puppy
Teach your new puppy to accept handling from you and your family, and from visitors to your home. Teach your puppy to sit before being patted; and gently handle different parts of their body such as the ears, teeth, and feet.
Puppy needs to accept food being removed from its mouth and having its food bowl touched while eating. This teaches acceptance and reduces food aggression. Scold puppy if it shows resentment when removing or touching its food. Lavishly praise and return the food if it allows it to be handled. Never tease a dog with food.
Early Socialisation
Dogs love to accompany their humans wherever they go. Even if they don’t take many car trips make sure your pup is familiar with the car. Do not take puppy in the car after a meal as it may suffer motion sickness initially. Keep trips short and encourage puppy to sit or lie on the back seat.
A week or two after the first injection, most pups have a good level of immunity against disease.
Puppy can now meet other vaccinated dogs; expose them to a wide variety of environments and places. High risk areas where lots of other dogs go (e.g. the local park) are best avoided.
But the risk must be balanced against the benefits gained from early socialisation.
After Full Vaccination
Once the puppy is fully protected then it is time to expand its world.
Never have your dog on the street unless on a lead, especially an untrained young dog.
Walk puppy on a loose lead on your left side with puppy's head level with your left leg. If puppy surges ahead gently tug on the lead and simultaneously give the command ‘heel’. When the pup returns to the correct position lavishly give praise and even use food treats. Remember to keep walks short until puppy is 12 months old.
Socialise your pup in busy areas; subject it to crowds and traffic. Allow people to pat puppy if they ask.
Dog training classes are an excellent, inexpensive way to train your dog to be a good companion.
The critical socialisation period is from 3 to 14 weeks.
Traditionally pups were kept away from the outside world for fear of infectious diseases. A pup that experiences few other dogs and humans before this age may not be as confident and friendly as it could be.
Puppy should go to its new home before 10 weeks old as they adapt well to new sights and sounds before 16 weeks old.
Handling Puppy
Teach your new puppy to accept handling from you and your family, and from visitors to your home. Teach your puppy to sit before being patted; and gently handle different parts of their body such as the ears, teeth, and feet.
Puppy needs to accept food being removed from its mouth and having its food bowl touched while eating. This teaches acceptance and reduces food aggression. Scold puppy if it shows resentment when removing or touching its food. Lavishly praise and return the food if it allows it to be handled. Never tease a dog with food.
Early Socialisation
Dogs love to accompany their humans wherever they go. Even if they don’t take many car trips make sure your pup is familiar with the car. Do not take puppy in the car after a meal as it may suffer motion sickness initially. Keep trips short and encourage puppy to sit or lie on the back seat.
A week or two after the first injection, most pups have a good level of immunity against disease.
Puppy can now meet other vaccinated dogs; expose them to a wide variety of environments and places. High risk areas where lots of other dogs go (e.g. the local park) are best avoided.
But the risk must be balanced against the benefits gained from early socialisation.
After Full Vaccination
Once the puppy is fully protected then it is time to expand its world.
Never have your dog on the street unless on a lead, especially an untrained young dog.
Walk puppy on a loose lead on your left side with puppy's head level with your left leg. If puppy surges ahead gently tug on the lead and simultaneously give the command ‘heel’. When the pup returns to the correct position lavishly give praise and even use food treats. Remember to keep walks short until puppy is 12 months old.
Socialise your pup in busy areas; subject it to crowds and traffic. Allow people to pat puppy if they ask.
Dog training classes are an excellent, inexpensive way to train your dog to be a good companion.