Activities for Puppy Care

Puppies require special attention and care during their first year of life to develop social skills and physical agility. Owners should plan their schedules around spending time with the puppy every day in activities that will help the puppy to learn about its surroundings and how to properly interact with people and objects.

  1. Social Interaction

    • Puppies are social animals that need interaction in the form of both verbal affirmation and physical touch. Especially during the time when puppies first leave their mothers, they should have plenty of interaction with people. Take puppies on errands, pet them, invite children over to play with them under adult supervision and introduce puppies to new environments and situations.

    Walking

    • Puppies at least six weeks old can be taken for walks on a leash. To help protect puppies' developing bones, keep them on soft surfaces such as grass or dirt rather than pavement during walks in their first year. Puppies under 12 months of age should not run or jog yet because it may hurt them, but they can begin faster walks with periods of jogging as they near one year old.

    Soft Toys

    • Puppies love playing with soft toys such as balls or squeaky toys. Allow puppies to play with soft toys in a contained play area such as a yard and interact with them during these times by playing games such as fetch. Some puppies develop a fear of toys around seven to nine weeks of age, but they outgrow this by 12 weeks of age.

    Puppy Classes

    • Puppies at least eight weeks of age can enroll in obedience classes, training classes or just play classes with other puppies of a similar age. These classes help the puppy to develop comfort around other dogs of different types and to learn about playing with people and dogs. Obedience-focused classes support owners in teaching their puppies basic skills such as sitting, staying and coming when called. Meeting with other dogs weekly, whether in a formal class or just at a local park, helps puppies gain social skills.

    Swimming

    • Although some dogs never like the water, many puppies will be happy to jump into a swimming pool. Puppies under four months old should only swim for a short amount of time in warmer water with supervision, but older puppies can play for longer in pools, lakes or even the ocean. Backyard pools should have steps or a ramp installed so the puppy can get out if people are not around, although it is best to train a puppy to not enter the pool without permission.