adult(ed) EPISODE 6: PUPPIES! BEING A FIRST TIME DOGGO PARENT
Puppies!!! We all love them and if you don’t, well, we’ll just assume you had a traumatizing experience where they gave you too many kisses and were too cute to even handle. But with as much as we love them, being a first-time pet parent to one of these little guys can be A LOT. Like more than you may realize, or at least more than I did. I grew up in a home with dogs, and one that stayed with me all the way into adulthood (RIP sweet Sissy). I never had to deal with the ins and outs of a puppy on my own until a couple years ago. I didn’t realize how much training would be involved and all I knew was that treats would be a good place to start. I didn’t feel equipped to teach a little floof to understand my language as I tried to understand them. Although, I somehow managed to teach Sissy “sit”, “stay”, “roll over”. “hi-five”, etc. I think that was because she was either one of the smartest dogs ever, or I was my own little dog whisperer at 7 years old.
In this episode we are helping out our friend Alex and his new pup Karen with the help of Claire Anderson (a behaviorist/dog trainer).
The Expert Knows Best
With this subject, it really is so beneficial to hear Claire, our expert, as she breaks everything down! If you haven’t seen it yet watch the episode here to learn about training your doggo. From positive reinforcement to socializing on a leash, she shows us how to get started and explains it in a way that’s easy to duplicate.
Potty Training
This just might be one of the hardest parts of having a new dog in your life. I’ve definitely cleaned up my fair share of unwanted stains on my rugs and was not thrilled to find the presents left for me. Keeping a watchful eye on your new dog will be so important in this process. I even found it helpful to keep them out of certain areas of the house so they had less room to roam. Claire also suggested using an extra special treat when rewarding your pup for going where you want them too. Having that incentive be even greater will help with this process! Claire suggested using something like chicken or cheese and storing it in your fridge so it’s ready to go, when your dog is ready to go (if you know what I mean).
Let’s Be Friends
Socializing you dog is a great thing to do. I loved that Claire had us start both Karen and Poppy on leashes. She also suggested using a leash that’s not retractable, so keep that in mind when shopping for one.
After letting Poppy and Karen check each other out for a moment, we separated them again to give them a moment before brining them back together. Once it was all clear and it seemed like they were getting along, we were free to let them off their leashes so they could play. It’s good to have control over the situation in case something were to go awry. You don’t want anyone to get hurt!
My Dog’s Favorites
Here are some of the toys that my dogs have loved playing with! They love having something to chew on!Chuckit! Ultra Ball!
KONG Goodie Bone
Rope
If you are not sure where to get started when it comes to toys and treats Bark Box is a great place to start! We were gifted a subscription and continued it for a while because our dogs loved it so much!
If you are looking for a behaviorist/trainer or want to learn more from our expert Claire click here!
We came. We saw. We adulted.