Puppy-Raising Tips

Raising a puppy sometimes feels like a full-time job. The first few months require hours each day to watch a young dog and provide proper care. The early period of a dog's life also determines its permanent behavior and disposition. Proper vigilance about issues like health care, socialization, training and exercise puts your pup on the path to success.

  1. Prioritize Health

    • Keeping puppies healthy makes up the most important component of your work as a dog owner. Because puppies remain especially vulnerable to disease, they require vigilant protection in their early months. During the first four to five months of their lives, puppies require several rounds of vaccinations. Vets administer these vaccines in intervals of three to four weeks. Check with your vet about the specific shots that your breed of puppy needs. Common vaccinations include shots for canine distemper, rabies and parvovirus. Parvovirus can remain alive on the ground where infected dogs have walked. Puppies need vaccinations against this powerful virus every three weeks and should not be placed in areas exposed to unknown dogs.

    Socialize Your Puppy

    • Dogs need socialization with other dogs and humans from a young age. Ideally, socialization should occur before a puppy reaches three months. If dogs do not receive proper exposure to strangers, both human and canine, they risk behaviors such as fear biting and fighting. Invite friends to your home so that your puppy grows accustomed to guests and does not become territorial. When introducing your puppy to other dogs, verify that their new furry friends do not exhibit a history of aggression and that they remain up-to-date on vaccinations, heart worm medications and flea protection. Do not expose unknown dogs to food while they play with your puppy because some dogs display food aggression. Supervise socialization because small pups cannot defend themselves.

    Introduce Puppy to Crate Training

    • Crate training provides balance to a puppy's life. Because a dog naturally avoids accidents in an area in which it sleeps, crates help ease a young dog into house training. Crating keeps puppies safe from accidents caused by curious behavior if they stay at home alone. Crate training should comfort a puppy by providing a den-like environment that feels like its own secure space. Leave your puppy's crate open so that it can come and go as it pleases while you stay at home. Give treats and praise when your puppy enters its crate. Never punish your dog by crating it. This behavior will lead a puppy to view its crate as a punishment, rather than a safe spot.

    Keep Your Puppy Active

    • Puppies require exercise for optimum health. Activity also keeps dog owners sane by cutting down on destructive behaviors that result from boredom. Give your puppy proper rawhide and chew toys to reduce its desire to chew your shoes. Take your puppy out every hour when at home to cut down on accidents in the house. Teach your puppy new tricks to provide exposure to new mental activities. Give your young dog plenty of exercise through walks, games of fetch and play with other dogs, because a tired, fulfilled dog seeks fewer opportunities for mischief.