Tips for Puppy Care

 Puppies are cute. Their wagging tales, "puppy breath," excited bark and playfulness are a delight. However, the joy a puppy can bring is often fleeting if the family isn’t prepared to handle the new addition. Here are some tips for those first weeks with a new furry friend.

• Plan, act and follow-up: Think about what you want your relationship to be like with your dog its whole life and take steps to start that relationship now. If you don’t want your 90-pound Labrador sleeping with you next year, don’t let him sleep with you when he is eight pounds. If you don’t want him to chew your shoes, buy appropriate chew toys and encourage him to play with them.

• Routine: Dogs need consistency. Even though your schedule changes, a dog needs to know what to expect. Even small things such as when and where you feed him and walk him will give him the structure he craves. This consistency helps prevent anxiety and behavior issues from developing.

• Train: Start a positive method-training program as soon as possible. Puppies can begin to learn simple commands as early as eight weeks old. Beginning a program early in life can help prevent behavior problems in the future. The basics such as sitting and walking on a leash can begin at home on the first day. A professional trainer can help with other issues such as jumping on guests, mouthing and pulling on a leash.

• Tag your dog: Get a collar and a tag the day you get your dog. Dogs respond best to collars when they are introduced to them early in life. Puppies get lost more often than people think, and this simple step can get your puppy (and later dog) back home safely. Be careful to get a collar with a safety release clasp to keep your pup safe.

• Socialization:  Go ahead and introduce your new puppy to children, friends, strangers and other healthy animals when you are around. Waiting to socialize your puppy could result in phobias and problem behavior later. Just be sure to not over do it at the beginning. Until your new puppy has all his shots, it’s important that the other animals around your puppy be healthy and vaccinated. Highly populated places like dog parks should wait.

• Crate: No one can anticipate what a puppy might do when your back is turned. A crate is a great way to start housebreaking and it gives your puppy a safe and quiet space of his own to rest indoors.

• Vet: Puppies are susceptible to illness, so it is important to keep them healthy by starting their vaccines early. Schedule a visit with a vet to get vaccines, flea and tick medicine and advice on food and toy selection. Proper nutrition is very important for dogs, and especially puppies, so be sure to follow your vet’s suggestions.

• Exercise that puppy: Many problems with puppies come from a lack of supervision and most important, exercise. Playing fetch with your puppy, going for short walks to the park and playing in the yard are all ways to help burn off some steam. Remember: a tired puppy is a good puppy! Just be sure to stop the play when your puppy seems tired.

K-9 Coach is an Atlanta-based and operated dog obedience and behavior modification company that provides individualized coaching programs for families. www.k-9coach.com.