Has a puppy moved into your home? Welcome, little furball! Take it easy for now because the transition to a new environment is already very exciting for your little four-legged friend. At the beginning, it’s all about providing security for your puppy. However, after a few days, you’ll notice that your small companion is filled with fresh energy. Now the question arises: How best to keep the puppy occupied? One thing is certain: you won’t be bored with your youngster!
Occupying Puppies with Exploration Tours
Take your clumsy friend on an exploration tour. Explore the immediate surroundings, starting slowly (e.g., with the front yard). Important: Always exude calmness so that your pup learns that there is no danger from the unfamiliar terrain. Simultaneously, practice that your puppy becomes more confident in doing its business outside. Short car rides, visits to the vet, and initial visits from friends are small adventures that are important for the puppy. During the imprinting phase, it learns many things to become a relaxed young dog.
Imprinting and Socialization:
The period between the eighth and 16th week is considered a sensitive phase, during which imprinting and socialization play a significant role. Allow your puppy to make friends with the cat at the latest during this time and meet fellow puppies in puppy school. Well-socialized puppies remain calm later on and are not easily disturbed by other four-legged friends. If you attend puppy playtime, you can also inquire about training sessions for young dogs because your little companion has much to learn. Engaging puppies through dog school is an excellent way to combine fun and learning.
Learning? Treats!
Learning is not limited to the dog school; you can integrate it into everyday life. Repetition of lessons leaves an impression on your puppy. Practice for only a few minutes, occasionally focusing on just one exercise, and then return to your previous activity. This keeps your puppy’s concentration intact. Praise a lot and never punish. Make learning enjoyable for your puppy. Whenever it does something right, reward it. There’s no need for unhealthy snacks. An ideal start is a high-quality dry puppy food tailored to the needs of young dogs up to six months old. Carry a treat bag with you in your daily life to have a small reward on hand.
Tips for Training and Reward
Important: Young dogs have a short attention span. Train for only a few minutes and always end training sessions with a success and a tasty treat. Use your companion’s main food as a delicious reward. Dry food is particularly easy to handle. Weigh the daily ration and let your dog earn the kibbles throughout the day. This way, your dog not only has a lot of fun but also avoids the risk of losing its slim figure. Adjust the treats to the development of your furry companion and choose the food tailored to your dog. Happy Dog offers the right kibbles for every dog, from junior to senior food, mini kibbles, or tasty variations for dogs with food sensitivities.
Relaxed Outings:
Engaging Puppies – it happens effortlessly during walks! Here, too, the rule is to start with small steps! With a simple rule of thumb, you can estimate the maximum time you should walk your dog. You can add around five minutes for each month of life to the time you spend outdoors with your dog. This means, if your puppy is four months old, you can walk for approximately 20 minutes. Then, take a break to avoid overloading the skeleton and muscles. Restrain your furry friend if it plays too exuberantly. Only at the age of 12 to 18 months, depending on the size of the adult dog, is your companion considered fully grown. Avoid stairs with a young dog and get approval from the vet before starting any dog sports.
Play and Lots of Fun:
Search games are also a wonderful way to engage your puppy. Scatter individual pieces of food in your home or front yard and let your curious sniffer search! Slowly increase the difficulty. Later, you can hide the tasty reward under small paper cups. Even as your companion becomes more experienced and clever, it will continue to look forward to its reward. Tip: From seven months onward, you can switch to regular junior food, which is not only tailored to young dogs but also includes slightly larger kibbles.
Engaging Puppies with Toys
Many dogs lose interest in playing after the puppy age, especially large breeds. So, enjoy the puppy time when your companion takes great joy in playing. In addition to search games, various dog toys are also suitable. A bouncing ball motivates many young dogs to a cheerful chase. Be careful that your puppy doesn’t overexert itself in the heat of the game, and make sure the ball is not swallowable. Plush toys for dogs, with or without sounds, are lovingly carried around. So, go ahead and treat your young dog to a plush toy that it can proudly present as prey. A dog toy made of twisted cotton threads is suitable for tug-of-war games and chewing. This can be very pleasant for your four-legged friend, especially during the teething phase.
Intelligence Toys for Puppies:
Small but mighty: Young dogs also love mental challenges. Although the attention span of little rascals is not very long, puppies are curious and enjoy solving small puzzles. However, keep in mind that puppies need several hours of sleep and corresponding breaks each day. Otherwise, you may overwhelm the little furball, reducing the learning effect. Generally, intelligence toys for puppies are recommended from the age of 5-6 months.
The functionality of puzzle toys is usually the same. The dog tries to reach the hidden treats inside the toy. The search is made more difficult by a specific mechanical system. For example, the dog may need to move elements or flip levers to reach the treat. If the dog successfully solves the task, it experiences a sense of achievement through the reward of a treat. Intelligence toys come in various designs, with the difficulty level varying. Start with simple intelligence toys for your puppy initially. As your puppy grows older, you can switch to more complicated puzzle toys.
Conclusion
In general, young dogs sleep a lot. They spend up to 20 hours a day napping and resting! No wonder, as they have a lot to process, and rest periods are essential. It might sound strange, but don’t just teach your young dog basic obedience; also, teach it relaxation. Of course, you don’t want it to be bored, but constantly engaging and pushing your puppy will result in a demanding dog that doesn’t appreciate rest breaks. So, enjoy some afternoons on the sofa with your puppy.
Wishing you a wonderful time with your new furry companion!
