Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Make Your Puppy Feel Safe
• Method 2 of 4: Play with the puppy
• Method 3 of 4: Understand your pet's body language signals
• Method 4 of 4: Feed Your Puppy Properly
• Tips
• Warnings

Puppies are so adorable that you just can't help but love them.But loving a pet is about more than showing affection, which is usually the simplest part of love! It also includes taking care of the basic needs of the puppy (food, water, shelter) and promoting its balanced development and transformation into a balanced and well-mannered adult dog. With a holistic approach to expressing your own love for a pet, you will definitely be rewarded with a reciprocal love of a puppy who will become an amazing companion for you.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Make Your Puppy Feel Safe

1. 1 Train your puppy to cage. Applying a cage may not seem like a logical step to show your love for your pet. However, with the right approach to training a puppy, he will view the crate as a comfortable and protected personal den and will not consider it a place for punishment. In addition, crate training helps train your puppy to go to the toilet outside, since the pet will not want to stain the place where he sleeps with excrement.
   • A cage of a suitable size should not be too small when the puppy can hardly fit in it, but it should not be too large when the puppy has the opportunity to use one part of the cage as a toilet and sleep in another part of it. Also remember that puppies grow quickly. If you have a large breed dog, the puppy can outgrow its own cage very quickly.
   • Do not keep your puppy in a crate for more than a few hours, except at night (especially if the puppy is less than six months old).
   • Make the crate comfortable for your puppy by placing blankets and some toys inside.
   • Give the puppy a voice command to enter the cage (for example, "enter" or "into the cage"). When your pet enters inside, immediately reward him with a treat. In the end, the puppy will learn to enter the crate with just a voice command.
2. 2 Set up a sleeping place for your puppy next to your bed. If you have just brought your puppy home, it is very important to create a sense of security for him in the new environment. This is probably the first time he was separated from his brothers and mother, so he may develop a state of separation anxiety (separation anxiety). To ease his feelings, you need to equip a sleeping place for the puppy near or directly in your bedroom.
   • Place your puppy's litter, crate, or blanket on the floor next to your bed.
   • It is very likely that the puppy will want to use the toilet in the middle of the night. If he is next to you, it will be easier for him to wake you up and make it clear that he should be taken outside.
   • It's up to you to decide whether to allow your puppy to sleep in bed with you. However, be aware that this can lead to behavioral problems in the future if at some point you decide not to let your pet into your bed anymore.
   • You can also place your pet's cage directly outside your own bedroom door. The door to the bedroom should be left open.
3. 3 Provide the puppy with things that are “soothing”. The puppy will feel safer if provided with things that smell like his new family. For example, you might give him your pillowcase or an old wardrobe item that carries your scent or the scent of your family members. The more familiar the new smells become to the puppy, the better it will relax and feel safer with its new "pack".
   • Simply place the items of choice with the puppy in the crate or on his bed (or blanket) to help him relax before bed.
   • Consider using a special puppy toy that simulates a mother's heartbeat. Putting this toy on the spot where the puppy will sleep will help him feel calmer.
   • Remember that puppies are often prone to destructive behavior. Don't be surprised if your pet chews or tears the things you gave him to explore new scents.
4. 4 Do not lock your puppy in the basement or garage. Separation anxiety can make your puppy howl, whine, or bark. You may want to lock your puppy in a basement or garage, where his howl will be muted or not audible at all, to ensure you have a restful sleep. But this is a bad idea. So you only strengthen anxiety of the pet and its desire to howl.
   • Isolation in a basement or garage can also lead to behavioral problems in your dog as it grows up.
   • If your puppy is crying in the middle of the night and you want to make sure everything is okay, wait for a pause between the sounds it makes (for example, barking). But do not approach the pet while he is barking or howling, otherwise he will decide that you obediently came to his call.
   • Avoid yelling or scolding your puppy for barking, as this shows him attention, similar to joining his cause, and this stimulates the pet to bark even more. Your job is to calm your pet, not excite it more.

Method 2 of 4: Play with the puppy

1. 1 Take your puppy for walks. Puppy games are a great way to show your love to your pet. Keeping your pet active through play helps to maintain its physical and emotional health as it gradually grows into an adult dog. Walking by itself, at first glance, may not seem like a game, but it can be turned into a kind of game if you allow the puppy to explore the environment while walking.
   • Before taking your puppy for walks in public places and allowing him to come into contact with other dogs, be sure to complete his primary vaccination course.
   • Allow your puppy to stop and sniff the flowers from time to time as you walk.
   • Introduce your puppy to new people and dogs on walks. Carry a treat with you so that those you introduce your puppy to can treat him to establish a friendly relationship with him.
   • Encourage your puppy to walk on the curbs along the sidewalks. He may enjoy balancing on the curb rather than just walking on flat streets and sidewalks.
   • As you walk, reinforce your knowledge of basic commands such as "sit" and "seat".
2. 2 Play hide and seek with your puppy. The puppy will love the game of hide and seek. One of the variants of the game suggests that you must hide. Ask a friend to stand with the puppy while you hide, and then start calling your pet's name every few seconds until he finds you. Reward your puppy with treats and verbal praise when he finds you.
   • If you taught the puppy the command "to me", then the game of hide and seek will perfectly allow you to consolidate this command.
   • You can also hide favorite toys from your puppy.
   • Keep in mind that your puppy can get upset if he can't find a toy, which may make him unhappy with the game. Hide toys in easy-to-reach places (behind a sofa, under a chair) until the puppy learns to better rely on his own scent to find objects.
3. 3 Play with your pet aport. Playing fetch will give your puppy good physical activity, teach him to concentrate his attention on you and follow your instructions. A small toy or stuffed doll is perfect for playing fetch, as it will be easy for the puppy to take such a thing in its mouth and bring it.
   • Do not play with sticks. Sticks can injure the dog's mouth or cause digestive problems if the puppy swallows the wood chips.
   • If the puppy does not understand the principle of the game at first, show him how to bring the toy to the starting position and give it to you. The game of fetch is quite simple, so the puppy will quickly figure out what's what.
4. 4 Let your puppy play with the water. If your puppy loves water, then water games are a great way to show love for him. The activity in the water gives the pet a gentle load and does not unduly affect its joints.
   • The puppy will probably not swim confidently the first time it dives into the water.Therefore, for safety reasons, you can first dress your pet in a special life jacket for dogs until it learns to swim well. You can find dog life jackets at your local pet store, but they are usually easier to get online.
   • A pool or a calm lake is great for developing your dog's swimming skills.
   • Try playing fetch on the water with your pet.
   • The dog gets quite tired from water games. For safety reasons, rest every 10 minutes for your puppy to recuperate.
   • Do not force your puppy to play in the water if he does not want to.
5. 5 Play tug of war with your puppy. The tug-of-war game builds your dog's physical strength and self-confidence. To play this game, choose a small stuffed toy that your dog can easily grasp with his mouth. When playing with your dog, make sure that while playing it does not develop aggression.
   • If the puppy starts to growl, the game is probably already developing into an aggressive fight.
6. 6 Teach your puppy a variety of tricks. Learning tricks helps keep your puppy mentally and physically challenged. Start by learning simple commands such as sit and seat. When the pet has learned the basic commands, complicate the task before him with more complex commands and tricks, for example, teach him the commands "roll" and "die".
   • Learning tricks teaches the puppy discipline and helps him become a well-bred adult dog.
   • Use a system of immediate positive reinforcement (treat, praise, attention) when the dog is following the commands correctly.
7. 7 Create an obstacle course for your puppy. Try setting up an obstacle course for your puppy within the walls of your house. In a large room, arrange furniture and various objects (cardboard boxes and toys) that your puppy will need to walk around to get to you. In addition to the entertaining nature of this game, the obstacle course improves your pet's agility.
8. 8 Remember to give your puppy some rest. In addition to the need for physical activity and play, puppies also need adequate rest and recuperation. Limit the duration of the games and training sessions to 10 minutes. In addition to simple rest between games and activities, the puppy needs to take a nap periodically.
   • Relaxing naps are also important for your puppy's growth and maturity. Allowing your puppy to play for too long without rest can make him irritable. In addition, it can negatively affect its natural growth process.

Method 3 of 4: Understand your pet's body language signals

1. 1 Listen to the puppy. Understanding your pet's body language will help you communicate better and love him even more. Interpreting your dog's audio signals is part of learning about your dog's body language. Whining and howling can indicate separation anxiety, especially during the puppy's early days in your home.
   • The puppy may begin to grumble during competitive play such as wrestling or tug-of-war. A deep, throaty growl is often a sign of a playful mood in puppies.
   • The owner of the puppy can sometimes confuse such grumbling with an aggressive growl and punish him, while the pet was just showing his playful enthusiasm.
2. 2 Observe what the puppy is doing with his mouth. The puppy can show you its teeth to demonstrate either its own submission or aggression. In case of obedience, the puppy stretches the lips and cheeks horizontally, which causes skin folds to appear in the corners of the mouth. Aggressive display of teeth is usually accompanied by a growl and frontal exposure of the canines.
   • If your puppy whines, he may be bored or sleepy. On the other hand, he may whine to tell you that he is worried or upset. The specific circumstances in which your puppy whines will help you interpret his behavior correctly.
3. 3 Learn to interpret rolling onto your back. When the puppy rolls over on its back, it communicates that it is either relaxed or scared and obeys you. In a relaxed state, the pet's body will be relaxed: the mouth will be open, the hind legs will hang powerlessly at the sides, and the tail will wag slowly. In the event of fright and submissive behavior, the head of the dog will be lifted off the ground, and the mouth will be closed.
   • A tucked tail and one hind leg raised up also indicate fear or submission.
4. 4 Learn about mimicking dogs. Sometimes you can get into an awkward situation when a puppy tries to climb on another dog or someone's leg. Nevertheless, the intentions of such puppy behavior are quite harmless. For example, a puppy might climb on top of another dog while playing to claim victory.
   • When a puppy climbs on a person, it usually indicates his playful mood or excitement about something.
   • Instead of punishing your puppy for this behavior, try to divert his attention to other, more desirable play behaviors, such as playing fetch.
5. 5 Find out why the puppy usually stops playing. For all the puppy's love of play, sometimes you may be surprised when the pet stops playing. For example, this can happen because the puppy wants to use the toilet. In this case, it should be taken outside as soon as possible.
   • Also, the puppy may stop playing due to fatigue. The energy reserve of puppies is usually enough for a short time, so they quickly get tired and need rest.
   • More serious health problems such as hypoglycemia or a heartworm infection can cause your puppy to fatigue quickly. If your puppy gets tired very quickly, show it to your veterinarian.

Method 4 of 4: Feed Your Puppy Properly

1. 1 Choose high quality dry food for your puppy. Showing love for your pet means providing it with a healthy, balanced diet. Veterinarians and dog trainers recommend feeding the puppies dry food. Wet canned foods are 80–85% water and are often too high in fat. Semi-moist foods are 50% water, but often contain sugar or salt as a preservative.
   • Please be aware that not all dry foods are created equal. Poor quality foods use cheap ingredients with poorly digestible protein sources that can cause digestive problems in your puppy.
   • High quality feed contains quality ingredients that are highly digestible. The easier it is for the puppy to digest food, the less it will be required and the less it will need to go to the toilet.
   • All puppies are different, so check with your veterinarian about which food is best for your pet.
2. 2 Transfer your puppy to a new type of food gradually. It will be difficult to inflame love for your puppy if he develops diarrhea immediately after arriving at your home. To avoid this, first feed the puppy the same food he was accustomed to at the time of purchase. After a few days, start gradually (over 7-10 days) transferring the puppy to the new food.
   • In the first few days, the percentages of new and old feed should be 25% and 75%. Gradually bring this ratio to 50% / 50%, 75% / 25% and finally to 100% new feed, maintaining each successive change for several days.
   • If your puppy develops digestive problems (vomiting, diarrhea, constipation), slow down the rate of change of food.
3. 3 Do not feed your puppy table scraps. Feeding a dog from his own table only spoils him, and this is not the best way to show love. So you can unintentionally teach your pet to beg, which is by no means a good habit. In addition, human food is often not very good for the puppy and can even cause digestive upset.
   • Having tasted a treat from the table once, the puppy will want to receive it all the time.For this reason, it will be difficult for you to stop pampering your puppy once you start.
4. 4 Develop a feeding schedule for your puppy. If the puppy eats at the same time, it will be easier for you to take him to the toilet outside on a schedule. This will simplify the task of teaching your puppy to be clean inside the walls of the house. Depending on the age of the puppy, it will need to be fed several times a day (three times before the age of six months and twice before the age of six months).
   • Give your puppy an hour and a half to rest after each feed (except when going to the toilet). This will help prevent indigestion from untimely physical activity.
5. 5 Don't overfeed your puppy. You may feel that your puppy is not eating enough or needs to eat more to grow better. However, overfeeding (including being forced to eat too much) can lead to faster growth and the development of bone and joint problems. If you are concerned that your puppy may be malnourished, consult your veterinarian.
   • Although there are portioning instructions on the food packs, it is best to consult your veterinarian about this to ensure your puppy is in good health and grows optimally.
6. 6 Give your puppy a treat periodically. Your puppy will love receiving treats from you. The treat is also good for training. Outside of your dog's activity, eating treats should be limited to about 10% of his daily calorie intake.
   • Hard types of treats are especially good for puppies. They help the puppy to satisfy the need to chew, keep the teeth clean and give the animal interesting entertainment.

Tips

• It's easy to love a puppy right from the start, but it will take a lot of work and patience to make him an even more adorable pet.
• Loving a puppy involves setting fair and unchanging rules and barriers for the pet.
• Since dogs are social animals, take your puppy with you periodically when you leave the house on business. You (and your family members) will become a new pack for the puppy, so he will want to spend as much time with you as possible.

Warnings

• Puppies may experience separation anxiety. If sleeping next to you does not completely calm your puppy, seek the advice of a regular veterinarian or behavioral veterinarian.
• Overfeeding can lead to abnormal growth of the animal and orthopedic problems.