Golden Rules for Puppies
- Too much freedom too fast.
- EARN freedom with good behavior
- Let sleeping dogs lie. Puppies need private time away from the world. Children should never harass or pet sleeping puppies. Puppies should have a safe place from children like an exercise pen or crate. Just like children need their own space, like a bedroom, so do puppies.
- Teach your puppy to be happy when confined. This is a life skill. If you ever travel on a plane, your dog will need to be in a crate. And chances are every dog will have to spend a night at the vet during their lifetime. If they are comfortable with confinement, they will be much less stressed at the veterinarian.
- Puppies need to learn to be restrained by someone holding them and be relaxed about it. A puppy that struggles when being held can make a veterinary visit a horrible experience for them. If they are relaxed about being restrained or held firmly, it’s easier on everyone!
- Yielding – teach puppies to learn to get out of your path when you walk near them. When a dog becomes bigger, a dog that doesn’t move can be dangerous causing someone to trip and fall.
- EARLY training, Imprinting before 16 weeks old. This is the critical imprinting age.
- Sleeping in your bed is fine when dogs are older and have learned respect and manners. When they are puppies they need to be protected from things in the house than can harm them; just like babies that sleep in cribs. Dogs are denning animals and will appreciate the warmth and comfort of a crate when they are young.
- Always pet SITTING puppies! Puppies that jump on you for attention become BIG DOGS that jump on your for attention which can really hurt someone! If you pet them or even look at them when they jump on you, you might as well be giving him a treat for that behavior.
