How to Make a Puppy Happy

Set up a crate for your new puppy so you can properly house train him. Crate training takes patience and perseverance. Training the puppy to sleep in the crate, at least initially, requires that you don't give in to the whining and crying you may hear from the puppy when he is placed in the crate. Tell your children to stay away from the puppy when he is in his crate, and keep other animals away as well. The puppy goes to his crate when he needs some quiet time to be left alone and take some naps. Puppies sleep a lot.

Provide some chew toys. Puppies can often benefit from chewing on rawhide bones because he is teething. Make sure he is chewing the rawhide into small pieces before swallowing it. Some dogs, like retrievers, tend to swallow in pieces that are too large and this will lodge in his throat. This could be life threatening. Watch the dog closely when he chews. Better than rawhide are the nylon bones and Booda Bones, made from hard-tied knots of rope.

Remove items you don't want chewed or ingested. A very small puppy is like a toddler and will put everything in his mouth. Child proofing or in this case, puppy proofing, is imperative. Remember that certain types of plants are poisonous. When in doubt, remove the plant from her reach. Keep children's toys off the floor, as well as shoes, socks and anything else your puppy may see as chew toys or snacks.

Give your dog lots of love and affection. Dogs at puppy age will adapt to the amount of handling they receive and will become accustomed to it. This is why older strays can take much longer to acclimate to a household if they have been deprived of human contact. Even these dogs can be trained in most cases. Raise your dog with lots of love and patience and you will have an adult dog that is completely trustworthy around children and other pets.

Feed him the right kind and quantity of food. The vet can tell you what is best for the dog breed and age. If she is gaining weight too quickly, she may be getting overfed. However, puppies are growing and need more calories and nutrients than a sedentary older dog. Feed a high-quality, brand name pet food. Off-brands and many grocery-store pet foods contain lots of filler and meat not fit for human consumption. Educate yourself on the pet foods and how they are made and make an intelligent choice for your dog's food.