Common Mistakes of Puppy Owners

·          Chasing your puppy.

·          Waiting for the puppy to go to the door.

·          Giving too much freedom to the puppy.

·          Not socializing the puppy.

·          Unintentionally reinforcing nervous behaviors or scared reactions by petting and trying to calm.

·          Picking up the puppy too much.

·          Verbally intimidating the puppy.

·          Inconsistency between family members.

·          Not regulating food and water.

·          Playing rough games-tug of war & rough housing

·          Feeding puppy from the table.

Things owner should be doing!

·          Expose your puppy to most household appliances and tool that are not harmful to him.  (Keep in mind that a little hesitation or fear may prevent an injury, depending on the item in question.)

·          Be sure to touch and handle your puppy all over his body, especially inside his mouth, as well as handling his feet.  Trim the nails weekly and bath him as often as necessary.

·          Socialization is very important in the first 16 weeks of puppy’s life.

·          Make sure the puppy gets plenty of opportunities to see children on bikes and swinging on swings.  Allow the puppy to check out the wheels as well as the swing up close.  This will help him to accept these things.

·          Obedience training can start as early as 14 to 16 weeks of age.  Obedience training will prevent the start of unwanted behavior problems.

·          Keep puppy’s vaccinations up-to-date and keep yard free of feces.

·          Feed puppy only from his dish.

Touch is a great reward!

Different types of touch mean different things to dogs.

·          Gentle petting has a calming effect.

·          Rough and tumble contact will make him more excitable and is not conducive to learning.

·          Lengthy petting (gives you emotional satisfaction) could mean “dominance” to the dog and can result in chronic attention seeking.

Voice- Tone of voice is a from of punishment or reward.