If you are a first time puppy owner, you may be feeling overwhelmed with happiness and love. But without a basic understanding of the do’s and don’ts of puppy raising, things can go sour fast. Common sense takes you a long way, but you might want to consider these four most common mistakes people make with their new dog and how to prevent them.
Prior to this, puppies are still considered vulnerable to some serious canine diseases. So, while you want your new dog to meet other dogs for his social development, it is important to avoid any place that is heavily trafficked by other dogs such as dog parks and parking lots.
We often reinforce bad behaviour unknowingly. Puppies are adorable and know how to use those puppy-eyes, but those are not good reasons to bend the boundaries. So, don't give them food or open the door when they bark or give them attention when they make noise, pee on the floor or chew on shoes. Consistency decreases stress and builds trust and respect towards the owner.
Dogs love routine. Knowing when they will eat, play, walk, and sleep creates a confidence in them that minimizes stress and builds a healthy anticipation. For puppies, it is especially important to establish a reliable schedule for feeding, walking, eliminating, and playing. Whatever schedule you set, sticking to it will inspire confidence in your puppy and make her transition into adulthood easy.
Did you know your puppy learns more new things during the first 12 weeks of their life than during the rest of their life combined? Starting obedience classes as early as possible helps prevent your dog from developing bad habits like food aggression, human aggression, dog aggression, or any other types of behavioral issues. Dog training should be a preventative tool, not just a path to solve issues after they crop up.
It takes a little training – of both species – to get on the same page. But by avoiding these common errors, you can increase the odds of enjoying the experience, and mentoring that puppy into adulthood. Unleash your dogs full potential with our puppy head start program - fast results guaranteed!
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We do appointments by scheduling only as we are not open to the public. No dog is permitted on our property without undergoing a complete behavior assessment and temperament test.
"We recently adopted a 2 year old American Stafford Terrier. She is a very rambunctious 50 lb girl. When visitors would come over she would jump all over them and we couldn’t stop her. We reached out to Dillon at Full Potential K9 for help. Dillon came to our home to assess our girl and it was amazing. He had her listening to him immediately. We initially signed up for a 2 week board and train. After the 2 weeks Dillon brought her home to show us her progress. He did wonders with her and we agreed that she needed an additional week to solidify her training. He brought her home after the 3 weeks and she was a different dog obedient wise. We had a family member come over and visit before Dillon left to see how she would react. He gave a command for her to stay on her bed and when they came in the door she didn’t move but you could see that she was happy to see the person, tail wagging. They went over and greeted her and she remained on her bed. He explained the continued work that will be necessary. Dillon is very professional and knowledgeable about training and you can see that he cares about the dogs. We appreciate all the help he has given us and highly recommend his service."
