Do's and dont's
The Dos
-
Treat your new puppy with the gift of your time, patience and consideration especially during the housebreaking period and other big milestones.
-
Take your puppy to the vet regularly for its checkups and appointments.
-
Enroll your puppy in a puppy training school if possible or a day care center, so that they get both mental and physical stimulation in addition to learning to socialize with other people and dogs.
-
Take your puppy on walks as it is brilliant exercise and also provides them with both mental and physical stimulation and it helps to solidify the bond between you and your puppy.
-
Do not leave your puppy alone and unsupervised for extended periods of time as this will lead to anxiety and other issues for your pup.
-
Make sure your puppy has a whole host of healthy chews and toys especially while they are teething.
-
Make sure your puppy has a basket or safe space of their own which they can retreat to when tired, feeling overwhelmed or just need a “time out”.
The Donts
-
Do not take your puppy for a walk, playdates, puppy school or daycares before they have had ALL of their puppy vaccines. Puppies have very weak immune systems until they have had all their vaccinations and will easily pick up nasty bugs that could potentially be fatal.
-
Do not give your puppy rawhide chews. They have undergone a number of nasty processes before they get to the rawhide stage and are considered unhealthy for your puppy.
-
Do not give your puppy ANY TYPES OF BONES. They inevitably lead to emergency veterinary hospital trips.
-
Do not ever feed your puppy caffeine, garlic, onions, chives, xylitol, alcohol, macadamia nuts, grapes, raisins, milk, ice-cream and avocados. They are all very harmful and sometimes poisonous to your puppy and are more often than not also guaranteed to lead to emergency veterinary hospital trips.
-
Do not punish your puppy for messing in the house during housetraining as it only leads to problems. Take them outside for regular breaks and praise when the necessary has been done.
-
Do not wait to take to your puppy to the vet if they are acting in an odd way or you think there may be suffering from some ailment.