HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Now that Christmas is over you may have been gifted the role of being a puppy parent. And now that you have your puppy, what do you do next?
Dale Buchanan, dog trainer and founder of Top Gun Dog Training, shares the first thing you want to do is get your puppy acclimated to its new home.
"We want to give the puppy plenty of rest, give them their food and water and give them time to get adjusted to the new environment in a calm and relaxed way," Buchanan says.
He shares training your puppy to have good behavior starts day one, "through positive reinforcement training, for example, if the puppy is jumping, we want to focus on them laying down and staying... A lot of new puppy owners will focus on fixing the behavior problem instead of focusing on what we want them to do and the outcome."
This positive reinforcement training can include using a dog clicker to mark the behavior that you want and then using treats as training rewards.
"When you give your puppy a command such as sit and then they sit, you mark it with a click and then you give them a training treat. Puppies are going to do more of what they're rewarded for and less of what they're not rewarded for," Buchanan adds.
This tool can also be a great way for puppies to learn their name, and teaching them how to get comfortable with their leash for walks and going potty outside.
Play-biting is also something you want to handle early on, every time your puppy tries to bite you, say "uh-uh" and redirect them to bite something that's vet-approved.
For example," one is a bully stick and one is a deer antler. These are things that the puppy will love to chew on and that they can get their teeth into...There's also nylabones and other things that are soft rubber that the puppy can chew on instead of your hands," Buchanan says.
It's also important to manage their space and get them comfortable with their crates, teaching them it's not a punishment, "my puppy's three years old. She still goes in the crate when I'm not here," Buchanan adds.
Being a puppy parent can be fun and who knows, just as you're teaching them they may teach you.
"If you have a great relationship with your puppy or dog, you obviously will have great relationships with people," Buchanan says.