Puppy Problems?

 Puppy Problems?

Who Am I?

    

    I am a 21 year old African American student at Winston Salem State University named Diego Graves. I am a senior business major with a concentration in marketing but my biggest passion is dogs! I have been breeding and training dogs since I was 12 years old. I was taught by my uncle who was doing it for 20 years. It took a lot of time and research but I loved every moment of it. So now let me pass my knowledge on to you!

First Few Weeks

    

    Most people bring a new puppy home at around 6 to 8 weeks old and other people rescue or adopt. During this time is the most stressful time ever for the puppy. This is because you are introducing your new family member to a brand new environment, new faces and new smells. The first few days you want to spend as much time with the puppy as possible so that they know they are in a comfortable and safe place. Also in those few days the puppy may not eat and make a lot of mistakes in the house so, prepare by buying puppy pads. After those few days you want to begin obedience training immediately, this is because repetition is key to created a well behave puppy.  You also want to come up with a set diet that the puppy will have for the rest of their lives.

List of commands 

• Sit
• Stay
• Lay down
• Go Potty
• Leave it 
• Wait (to eat)
• Got to kennel and bed

Next couple of months (3-5)

    Your puppy is getting bigger and has been fully vaccinated and is behaving pretty well based on the previous training done. Now it is time to expand your training to outside and properly teaching the puppy to walk. The reason we wait till at least the 4 month mark is because of the vaccination stage needs to be completed so that your dog is protected from outside diseases. Walking is critical during this stage, this allows your dog not only to get proper exercise but relaxes your dogs mind as well. The correct way to walk your pup is to make sure the nose is not going pass your legs on or off leash. Also tugging games helps your puppies teeth as they begin to fall out and regrow as well as tiring them out. 

6-10 Months

    

    You dog is now at the age of adolescence. This means they feel like the boss and have their own little attitudes. During this time you should increase training and rewards while giving proper corrections. You also should have the most patience during this time because there will be moments that your dog will not listen to you and hormones begin to take over. Just remember patience and repetition.

1 year +

    By this time your dog is back to normal and should be pretty obedient and you should have already chosen an activity that constantly stimulates the mind of the puppy. For me I use guard training and different attack scenarios which I prepared them for when they were 10 weeks. The activity depends on what you look for in a dog whether that is a family,  show or guard dog. For example, my family dog can open doors and clean up food off the ground when asked. Also she gives you hugs when you ask. We are constantly working new tricks, maybe one day she will be able to bring me a water from the fridge!!