
Why we use Life’s Abundance Pet Food
December 18, 2022Your puppy needs play dates with other puppies and/or dogs starting at 8 weeks old, but we do not recommend bringing them into public until they get their 16-week shot. With that said, we do recommend scheduling play dates in your backyard or a trusted friend’s backyard during the time your puppy does not have all its shots (between 8 and 16 weeks). It does not matter the age of the dog that you are scheduling a play date with; well mannered, older dogs often have a lot to offer when it comes to teaching puppies to be respectful.
Start planning for the play dates in advance of your puppy’s arrival home. We recommend scheduling at least 3-5 play dates for your puppy per week. If you cannot do that amount, do as many as you can per week.
Our puppies get lots of socialization from people and from playing with each other. It is critical that you continue this socialization process with lots of new people and dogs. The essential window for socialization is 8 weeks to 18 months. If you do not have play dates, your puppy can become very mouthy (trying to bite your hands) and can also become shy, skittish, or aggressive around new people or dogs.
Do NOT skip the critical socialization window between 8 weeks to 18 months.
Foundational Training
If you want your pup, to be able to go where you go, restaurants, stores, etc., It is important to raise them to be well mannered and calm.
Here are a few tips in making that possible:
- At least for one hour a day. Tie them to a table or wherever you are sitting., teaches them to be calm and patient in one spot.
- For learning how to heel, and be by your side, make sure the slip collar lead is snug and high on the neck just behind the ears. If your pup tries to pull away? Give a tight jerk until your puppy is back at your side. It is important to make sure the pop is quick and hard enough, and the lead is high enough around the neck
- If your puppy is wanting to jump on you at any time, give them a firm knee. If that does not work, face them and stomp our feet, to make it a big deal!
Crate Training and Benefits
We believe crate training is essential to form healthy boundaries and housebreaking puppies. Some tend to think of it as cruel, however is only so when you do not let them out and they feel as it’s the cell, and not a safe place. In order to make it safe, your dog/pup needs to feel as if it’s part of its home and not a place they only go to when in trouble or when you leave. Making this possible starts at the beginning of pup training.
- For your pup to learn this sense of security and safety start by pup putting him/her in its kennel for about a half hour at a time, or until quiet and no longer whining, then give a reward of a treat or acknowledgement in the kennel of (Good stay).
- This experience should be positive and reward inside the kennel is important. The key is to be consistent until your pup can obey and wants to go in the kennel on their own.
- Although this can be a very useful tool, for the working class, separation anxiety for your pup, company in your home etc.. It should not be used, without a balance of exercise and play with you, their owner. Too much time in the kennel will have the opposite effect on your pup and will not be a safe and secure place. They will regress back to whining and destructive behavior.