By Karen Van Sickler, Co-Owner of Pampered Pets Inn
Bringing a new puppy home is exciting and a little overwhelming. At Pampered Pets Inn, we’ve assisted countless families through puppyhood, but recently, my husband, Chris, and I found ourselves on the other side of that experience. We welcomed an 8-week-old puppy, Finley, into our home, joining his 12-year-old sister, Macy, who had grown quite comfortable in her routines.
Raising a puppy this young reminded us just how much has changed since our first puppy adoption 30 years ago. Between advancements in dog training philosophy, enrichment tools, practical accessories, and the benefit of a little more life experience, puppyhood today looks very different from what it did back then. In this article, I want to share what surprised us most, what truly made a difference, and how today’s approach to raising puppies can set both dogs and owners up for long-term success.
House Training Techniques: It was a big adjustment to take Finley outside pretty much every waking hour. Keeping to a schedule for meals, naps, and breaks definitely helped. For example, we stop giving him water at 8 PM, put him to bed (in a crate) at 10 PM, take him out at 2 AM for a very quick relief break, and then up at 6 AM for a break, breakfast, cuddling, play, and a walk. Using treats to reward good performance and skipping punishment for mistakes keeps this a positive experience for us as well as Finley.
Training: Training theory has come a long way. Positive reinforcement and gentle direction have replaced punishment and the alpha dog mentality. We are setting foundational basics at the moment, which include Sit, Down, Touch, and name recognition. Finley is a smart pup, so those were easy with a bit of kibble as enticement. He needs a good bit of work on not jumping or biting, and they often happen at the same time. Oh, those puppy teeth are sharp! To address the biting and jumping, we utilize 2 techniques:
- Redirecting: show him what we want him to do instead. For example, I’ll give him a toy to chew on while I’m rubbing his belly so he doesn’t chew on me.
- Ignoring: avoid giving him any attention until he performs the behavior we want (sitting politely before getting pets, occupying himself, etc.)
This time around, I find I’m more patient and better at letting mistakes go and focusing on successes. We’ll keep working on these behaviors, and once he is 6 months old, we’ll enroll him in our dog training program to cement those leash skills and basic manners.
Desensitization: Finley came to us accustomed to being handled by both children and adults, all over his body, which is handy when it comes to visitors, vet visits, and bathing. We reinforce this on a daily basis by placing our hand over his eyes for a few seconds, rubbing him from tail to head, twirling his tail, rubbing his feet and between toes, and tapping his nails. We also use our walks to introduce new experiences for him, like bikes, cars, motor scooters, loud noises, etc. It’s a bit like a scavenger hunt – what new things can we introduce him to? We will soon be conducting some Intro to the Spa visits with him so he can get used to grooming equipment.
Socialization: The most important time in a puppy’s life for socialization is 7 – 12 weeks, but since they aren’t fully vaccinated, puppies are typically kept away from other dogs. This results in a Catch-22: a choice between behavioral issues or risking illness. With our vet’s blessing, we began bringing Finley to work with us two days a week. He stays in the office but has an Extra Play session outside with 2 – 3 other dogs selected to help teach him appropriate play behavior. He also gets a great deal of human attention from our staff, so he’s getting exposure to different types of people. The experience has been so rewarding that we are considering offering a similar Extra Play experience for our clients with puppies too young for conventional daycare.
Tools / Toys: We quickly discovered how the right tools and toys can make things easier and how many great options there are. We use a harness when walking so we know he isn’t going to wiggle free or choke himself. Walking him places me in the role of a human tetherball pole – he has no leash manners. But, he’s having a great time sniffing and running around, which are stimulating and help him to burn energy. For rest time, we are fans of a crate, but we also use a tether in the kitchen so he can hang out with us without slipping away (we use a plastic-coated wire tether). He free-roams in our study, too, when one of us is in there with him, which is a small room now littered with interactive dog toys. Finley loves food puzzles – we feed him with them as well as leveraging Kongs and West Paw toys that allow us to place treats inside. They keep him occupied and engaged, and when strategically applied, can reduce attention barking.
I know I’ll miss the puppy cuddles, and I’m so glad we had this time with him. It’s exciting to think about the dog he’s growing up to be!