It’s common to see new puppy parents advised to teach their puppy the word NO from an early stage. As a starting point for obedience training. We don’t advise this. In fact we advise quite the opposite. We recommend you teach your puppy the word YES. And I’ll explain that in a moment. But why …
Is My Puppy Normal (And How To Get Help If They Are Not)
We all want our puppies to be normal. At least within reason. And while we are happy if our puppy is abnormally clever, or skilled, some other kinds of abnormal are a big worry for puppy parents. Perhaps the biggest worry of all, is knowing what is normal and what is definitely not. And the …
Is My Puppy Normal (And How To Get Help If They Are Not)Read More
Calming Techniques For Over Excited Puppies
Puppies are playful, enthusiastic, and always up for a bit of fun. The ability of many puppies to get excited over just about anything, is part of their appeal. But there is another side to the coin. Puppies are also prone to getting over excited to the point where they appear to have lost all …
Why Don’t I Like My Puppy?
You’ve waited for your puppy’s arrival for so long. You’ve been practically elated, waiting for those furry hugs and games of tug. And yet now they are home, there are times when you’d quite like your puppy to leave again… If you feel sad, frustrated or anxious about your new puppy instead of the flood …
Puppy Grooming: Getting To Grips With Your Puppy’s Fur Coat
Eight week old puppies have manageable fur. It isn’t very long, and it doesn’t tangle. But over the next few weeks, depending on the type of fur that your puppy has inherited from their parents, that is all about to change. If your dog is a breed that is destined to have a very short, …
Puppy Grooming: Getting To Grips With Your Puppy’s Fur CoatRead More
Puppy Exercise And Games
Exercising your new puppy is important, but perhaps not in the way that you might expect. The daily dog walk is a big tradition in many families. And it has massive benefits for both two-legged and four-legged participants. So its not surprising that most new puppy parents assume that puppies need walks as their main …
Puppy Pattern Days: How To Set Up A Puppy Schedule
Having a young puppy is a lot like having a toddler. They’re cute, and funny. They give great cuddles! But they’re also destructive, demanding, poor at communicating their needs, loud, always hungry, and incredibly time consuming. Managing life with a puppy can feel very overwhelming at times. I have spent the last four years supporting …
Puppy Teething Ages, Stages, And Toys
Like human babies, a puppy’s first teeth are temporary milk teeth. Puppies are born with no visible teeth, and these milk teeth appear over the first few weeks of life. At a few months old your puppy’s first teeth will fall out and new permanent teeth will emerge. Unlike human babies, the whole process from …
Potty Training Success (Schedules That Work)
I love a schedule. I also like routines and time blocking. That’s just me. And so do a lot of other people judging by how many requests I get for potty training schedules and timetables! But here’s the thing. Most puppy potty training schedules are very prone to error. No matter how well they are …
New Puppy Sleep Problems (And Solutions)
Like many baby mammals, puppies sleep a lot. In the first week of life sleep occupies almost all of a puppy’s time, interrupted only by nursing. But as they start to grow and develop, your puppy’s sleep patterns change. I find that a lot of puppy parents worry about sleep. Especially if their puppy’s sleep …