How to Raise a Puppy to Be a Good Adult

It is as a puppy that dogs develop fears, social skills and begin to understand how the world works. In the wild, a puppy̵7;s mother will show him the ropes, correcting him when he does wrong and using her leadership to show him how to act. By bringing a pup into a home, the responsible dog owner assumes that essential duty. Kindness, patience and consistency are key to raising your pup to be a good adult.

  1. Socialization

    • Socialization is key to raising a well-balanced, friendly and confident adult dog. It̵7;s crucial that your puppy learns how to act around other dogs from a young age. At around 12 weeks of age, dogs enter the fear imprinting stage. This is when dogs develop their responses to certain stimuli, such as other dogs and people. A dog that rarely meets new people and dogs is likely to react fearfully, potentially resulting in aggression, on the rare occasions that he does encounter a new face. Socialization gives your dog the opportunity to learn from a young age that other people and dogs are not to be feared.

    Obedience Training

    • Obedience training is essential for any dog to live a fulfilling and happy life, otherwise he̵7;ll constantly be making mistakes and receiving correction. The most effective way to raise an obedient dog is to start during puppyhood, when the dog is most open to new experiences and hasn̵7;t developed any unwanted habits. Dog trainer Cesar Millan advises starting training immediately by reinforcing your role as the pack leader.

    Set Boundaries

    • From birth, mom is setting boundaries for her litter and you should continue this good work when you bring your pup home. As keen as your puppy might be to please you, he̵7;s fighting a losing battle if the rules keep changing. If you don̵7;t want a full-grown adult dog climbing on the sofa, don̵7;t allow it when he̵7;s a puppy. The same goes for entering the bedroom, feeding at the table and barking. Show your puppy the ropes and he̵7;ll learn, but don̵7;t confuse him by letting him get away with things now that you won̵7;t tolerate in a year̵7;s time.

    Practice Bite Inhibition

    • Puppies explore with their mouths and they may nip and chew on your hands. When a little puppy does this, it won̵7;t result in serious injury, but when he̵7;s fully grown, that may not be the case. Teach him that biting is wrong from the beginning by using bite inhibition techniques and encouraging appropriate biting behaviors by providing lots of chew toys.

    Use Positive Reinforcement

    • You can make a puppy do what you want by punishing him, but he will be motivated by fear. A pup that learns by fear will have anxiety problems as an adult. Positive reinforcement is the practice of rewarding good behavior, rather than punishing bad behavior. This way, the dog is keen to please, rather than fearful of making mistakes. Dogs that have anxiety problems are at risk of acting aggressively.