For some families the dream of having a puppy is long waited. The kids have done their homework and the puppy has been researched, the breeder found and the family put on the wait list. Finally, the day has come and the puppy is ready to come home! Everyone has watched the video’s and read some dog training articles or even lined up the dog trainer. The first couple of days at eight weeks the puppy is a bit subdued as he gets his bearings, loving the nice warm laps of his new family. The kids, ages three, five and eight love the way he jumps up and wants to play and growls as he tugs on the toys and chases their feet as they squeal with delight, running away from him. He tires easily so he goes off in the corner and takes a nap. Everyone takes turns taking him out to potty and helping him eat and going for a walk. It’s exactly like they thought it would be. Ahhhhhh, the smell of puppy breath, as puppy licks their nose and falls asleep in their lap.
Fast forward a couple of weeks. Puppy is growing like a weed! Gone is that cute little sleepy creature replaced with a wild, biting, jumping, chasing monster with teeth so sharp they feel like needles easily piercing clothes, shoes, skin and fingers! There’s no way to stop him from jumping up and grabbing your hands as you try to walk by him. You didn’t think you’d need a place to put him, he was so sweet and now he’s acting like Kujo’s cousin. He’s fast and can grab your feet before you can get over the baby gate and up the stairs. You can’t get to the kitchen; someone has to throw you food. What happened? You’re exhausted from sleeping on the couch next to the crate because he wants to go out to potty at 3am and then it’s plaaayyyttimmme!!! You’re arms are bloody stumps and he’s gotten you twice under a fingernail with those needle teeth. The kids have been bitten, by accident but still, they aren’t having fun anymore and asking you to send back the $1500 puppy. You’ve invested in a crate, food, vet bills, toys, baby gates and other stuff. You don’t want to see your children sad and crying. What next?
You’re not alone. It’s repeatedly reported that more puppies and dogs have been bought, adopted and rescued since the pandemic started than ever before in history. We’re all home and figure we’ve got the time, we don’t want to be alone, whatever the reason. It’s even difficult to find a dog in some places and so rescues are being shipped from areas where dogs are in “kill shelters” or found loose on the streets to areas where the dog populations are more controlled. For those adopting make sure you are getting a dog that is right for you and don’t be afraid to try again if they have emotional issues you can’t handle. You don’t have to be responsible for the rehabilitation of an emotional broken dog, there are experts who are trained to do that. Never sign a contract that says you can’t return a rescue if you have it evaluated by a professional trainer and it is decided the dog is not the right fit for your family.
When you bring a puppy home, enjoy the calm and be prepared by having a puppy exercise pen ready for puppy to stay in when he’s not being supervised. A puppy has no business roaming your house, he’s the equivalent of a baby just learning to crawl when he comes home to you! His puppy pen gives him safety so he gets some “me” time and has a place to be where he can play by himself and not be on the loose chewing on rugs, furniture, electrical cords, plants, homework, you get the idea. He needs to learn to be by himself, without everyone around all the time or he will develop “separation anxiety” which is a big issue with “Covid puppies”. Never being left alone by themselves leaves them unable to be left alone. The fact that you are home all the time will result in a bigger problem later. Go to the store and leave him by himself, or go drive around the block for 45 minutes and cry from exhaustion and leave him in his crate from day two. When he becomes too excited and wants to chase or bite, its puppy pen time. The earlier you do this then he can be in the same room with you in his puppy pen. His crate should be in another room, like a laundry room or even the garage, out of eye sight so he’ll settle down. With small children, when puppy is in his “special place” he’s off limits so he can take a schnooze. Puppies need to sleep approximately 18-20 hours when they are young! Otherwise, they get overloaded and more likely to play rough and even bite. Give them their space.
Teach him to be gentle from the very beginning. Hold him in your lap and play gently with his ears, paws, teeth and gums, all the places that need to be checked and cleaned as a dog. And by ten weeks old teach him to take a training treat gently from you. Some dogs have a “hard” mouth, meaning they use their teeth and bite hard, use your finger and thumb and grit your teeth and hold the treat and don’t let puppy have it until he takes the treat with his lips. Say “yes” in a gentle, encouraging tone when he does. If he uses his mouth and bites your hands, take your hands away, if he insists then it’s puppy pen time. If things really get out of hand and puppy is aggressively chasing your hands and feet and you want him to have some interaction with the family the use of a soft training muzzle will keep small children from being bitten. It’s always by accident, but a bite by accident from a puppy can traumatize a small child so better safe than sorry. Muzzles are merely a tool in the toolbox and can help avoid problems in the future. I used one for my puppy when she kept eating rhododendron in my backyard when she was very young. After having her stomach emptied at the hospital, I didn’t want to put her though that again so I trimmed up the plants and the muzzle was a good alternative. She got to be outside and she could no longer sneak a snack of rhodie! Puppy will outgrow his nipping phase but until then only use the training muzzle for a short period of time when you need it.
You want your puppy to have a “soft” mouth. That also means play with soft toys and don’t let him rip them apart, take them if he gets too rough with them. This isn’t the old days when we encourage these domesticated wild animals, we’re trying to train to fit into our families to learn to attack us by playing hours of “tug of war” until the dog is growling and baring its teeth. DON’T PLAY TUG OF WAR. Please tell Grandpa the trainer said not to do that. Cute when it’s a puppy, dangerous when it’s a dog. If he is a chewer give him antler or hooves to chew. Play fetch and games that encourage bringing something to you, instead of encouraging him to take things away. Intelligence games, sniffing out things, go find, nose ball and games that encourage working together are good games for dogs to learn to work together with your family. The whole idea of having a dog is to be a companion and member of your family pack. Raising a puppy is hard, but with the right equipment and mindset it can be easier and less painful! Remember, happy dog, happy life!
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