An Introduction to Puppy hood
The first couple of years of a dog's life can be lots of fun but also can be at times, frustrating. When purchasing or picking out a puppy, it's good to get a puppy between 6 and 8 weeks. The first two months of a dog's life is crucial. I always advise to investigate whether your breeder, friend, etc. is making sure the puppies are getting a reasonable amount of socialization from visitors and if at best, they are performing any puppy imprinting. With the right knowledge, this technique can greatly reduce behavior problems in the future (fear of noises, separation anxiety, etc.) however, if it is overdone, it can impact the dog in a negative way.
Most often, vets will tell you not to take the puppy out for walks until it has all of its shots. This is a good idea because other dogs can carry diseases through their excrement, etc. However, I like to encourage new owners to take their pups in the car to the office to meet new people, a friend's house to socialize with a healthy dog or other pups that are in good health. I also advise clients to carry their puppies to an outdoor café, grocery store, etc. It's irresistible for people not to come up and say hi to a cute, adorable puppy. It's absolutely crucial to socialize your puppy right away. Good socialization at a young age and throughout their life can prevent many forms of aggression, fear of other dogs and people, etc.
Aside from potty training, one of the biggest problems for new owners of young dogs is teething, biting and chewing. Kids and sometimes men have a hard time not encouraging this behavior by getting the puppy really excited and mouthy. As humans, we use our hands to investigate things, pick up objects, etc. Dogs use their mouths to perform such tasks. It's important to be aware of your actions with your hands. If you push the pup playfully, tease them with your hands or get them really excited about your clothing, they will start learning that biting and chewing are appropriate to do to human skin. Always provide your puppy with appropriate things to chew on, play with and get excited about such as rope toys, Orbee balls, and items from Planet Dog's puppy line. Redirecting the dog to these items can save you many cuts and bruises as puppy's teeth are very sharp. Some other tricks of the trade are boiled marrowbones, frozen carrot sticks, soaking a rag in chicken broth and freezing it, etc. It's very painful for pups to go through loosing their teeth and the teething period in general so supply them with lots of good chewing toys and surprises for their painful gums.
Enough exercise can help save your sanity as well. You don't want to over exercise as your puppy's bones are still developing. However, taking walks, going for swims, playing fetch or puppy play- groups are great means for releasing excess energy in positive ways. Always spend time every day allowing your pup to romp around and have fun. After all, that's what puppy hood should be all about!
Lastly, start early by promoting good behaviors and manners. Don't allow jumping up, excessive barking, feeding from the table, etc. Any behaviors that you allow now will be harder to break in the future. Be consistent, patient, inventive, creative and fun and don't expect your puppy to act like a mature dog for a while. Depending on the breed, it could be two to three years before they fully mature. Puppies grow up very fast but the memories will last you a lifetime. Take lots of pictures and enjoy every moment of it. No matter how difficult it may get, always remember that eventually they will grow up and settle down. Don't expect them to be perfect- no matter what you do, they will still get into some sort of trouble a long the way but it's all part of the process towards growing into a great dog.