So you’ve got a new puppy… or you’re thinking about it.
Or maybe you have one but he’s not home yet?
Well, we’ve got you covered here on this channel.
And this video will be very helpful for you to review multiple times as that furry friend
grows.
We are going to talk about the first year with your pup.
Just like with humans, it’s a lot of change so buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride!
Before we jump in, be sure to hit that subscribe button so you get notified when my next video
gets launched
Michele here with HTTADD…
I’m going to start at the beginning when you are first bringing your puppy home.
This is usually the 8 week or 10-week mark.
That’s the ideal time anyway.
This first phase I liked to call JET LAG.
I’m not going to assign specific days or weeks to this phase because each dog is different,
but I'll describe to you what you might see in it and I bet you’ll recognize it when
it’s happening.
Let’s do an analogy.
You’re going to go to a new country.
We’ll call it Puplandia.
It’s very far away and there’s no information online about it.
And you're going all by yourself.
This is what it’s like for your puppy, leaving his littermates and mama dog and coming to
your house.
So you get off the plane and you are suddenly immersed in everything new.
Sights, sounds, language, the way people look, how they dress, the food… everything!
You probably are really overwhelmed and as you come out of the airport, you probably
don’t feel much like eating.
Can you imagine if someone comes up to you with a big bowl of the national food of Puplandia?
“Would you like some kibble casserole??”
“oooh, no thank you!
Not quite yet.
I’m a little overwhelmed.”
Sure, you’ll want to dig in eventually, but you probably need a few days until you're
ready.
Your pup likely won’t want to eat much when he first comes home.
And many puppies refuse treats at first too.
This will be the time when you keep your expectations low and your patience high.
This will be the first time you apply the concept: Train the dog in front of you.
Maybe you’ve been waiting for weeks for this little guy to come home.
Maybe you've been binge-watching my videos and the videos in my online course.
You made a good choice on those!
But that puppy likely isn’t ready for training just yet, similar to how you wouldn’t be
ready to jump into language class on day 2 in Puplandia.
You’re still sleepy from the long trip, and don’t even know how to order a cup of
coffee yet!
Give it time, let your puppy adjust.
You’ll notice when he’s more settled and ready to dive into those fun games.
During this time, focus on building a schedule and routine.
Note the puppies’ activities like when he poops and pees, when he naps and when he has
a little more energy for play.
Feed him on a regular schedule and watch for signals that he needs to go to the bathroom.
These will be subtle but the more you are noting all his activities on a potty chart,
the more you’ll pick up on them.
Right now is the ideal time to be using all the amazing tools in the New Puppy Starter
Kit.
It has a potty training lesson and bell training lesson included!
There’s a sample puppy schedule, as well as potty training troubleshooting document
that is 10 pages!
It can guide you through any issues you are having and the most common reasons for them.
Have you heard the expression “Follow you around like a puppy”?
Yeah, that’s this stage.
The pup will likely seem to be very good at sitting and coming when called.
Until he’s not!
I hate to break it to you but right now, he’s pretty compliant.
It’ll get worse before it gets better, but you’ll work through it with time and training.
This is the time to focus on crate training, introduction to the leash, and potty training.
LIke I said before, he’ll let you know when he’s ready for more skills and when you
can dive in more deeply to my 30 Days to Puppy Perfection course.
One more thing to note….
You might experience some frustration, or even regret!
This is so common.
We call it the puppy blues and over 50% of dog owners experience them at some point - or
several times!
Check out this video for more explanation on that and how to work through it.
Let’s move on to the next phase.
I called this the phase of 1000 Potty Breaks.
Because it’s going to feel like you’re taking Fido out 1000 times a day!
Well, maybe not quite that, but close!
Your puppy can hold his bladder about an hour for every month of age.
He’ll hold it longer when he’s sleeping and shorter when he’s active.
You'll want to keep a close eye on those potty training fundamentals like
reward when the puppy does the right thing,
restrict access in the home to prevent accidents and bad habits from forming,
clean up with the right product like Nature’s Miracle and
stick to a routine.
One quick note here… have you chosen the behavior you want your puppy to exhibit when
he has to go potty?
if you don’t know how he’s going to signal you, he definitely doesn't know!
I recommend the bell training method, so he can ring a ding ding when he has to go.
The full lesson on that one is in the New Puppy Starter Kit.
This is the phase when exposing your pup to new and different things is critical!
Many people call this socialization, but socialization implies just hanging out with other dogs.
It’s so much more than that!
It’s going to new places - safely since all vaccinations are not complete - and experiencing
new things.
This could be something like experiencing grass versus carpet versus tile.
Maybe you’ll be introducing him to strollers and umbrellas.
Maybe it’s time to go hang out in a parking lot of a pet store so he starts to smell other
animals.
Or go visit a friend who has a cat - safely tucked away in another room during the visit,
anyway.
There’s so much more you can do during this time.
And NO, dog parks are not one of them!
Not now and not ever, if you ask me.
Check out this video for more on how to help your pup experience all kinds of new things
before vaccinations are complete.
You can also peek at this video all about socialization and exposure training, there
are really good tips in there too
Now what else happens at this time… well
Leash skills start right away when you get home since you’ll want to use a leash when
you take him out for potty breaks.
But during this second phase, you’re really cooking with gas!
I mean, you’re really working on those skills!
Did you think that practicing leash skills meant walking through the neighborhood?
NOPE!
In fact, that’s the LAST step in leash training.
We want to work on this at home, in a calm and non-distracting environment and practice
it a lot before we head out to the big outside world.
But, your pup will need some exercise in order to settle well during the downtime.
Check out this video for good options on exercise, and if you haven’t heard of decompression
walks by now, you’ll definitely want to know about those.
We recommend those happen as often as possible, as early as is safe!
More on that in this video.
What else can I tell you about this phase?
Ohhh, I know.
Chewing.
And biting.
Yeah, that’s not so fun for the humans, but it’s natural for the dogs so we can’t
really blame them.
We can redirect them to something appropriate to chew on, much like we give a baby a pacifier.
I’ve got videos to help you with those things too, but there isn’t one thing that causes
the biting and there’s not one thing that will make the biting stop.
Check out this one when you’re done with this video
We have to look at the puppy’s day-to-day activities in order to address all the factors
that might play into the biting.
We can’t solve this issue for you in a YT video but we can give you some good tips to
get you started.
Our online course is really where the magic happens and we can really help you with these
behaviors and more.
Let’s move on to phase 3: I call this one The Big Outside World.
That’s because this phase usually coincides with vaccinations being complete and you're
ready to head outside!
But is your puppy?
Have you done all that pre-training so he knows what to do when he’s on a leash?
Have you dialed up that training dial sloooowly so when he gets outside he’s not overwhelmed?
It’s pretty common to take some time, maybe weeks or even a month, for your pup to start
really loving those neighborhood walks.
In fact, the first few days or even a week will probably be more like a DriveWay Walk.
That’s about how far many pups get before they say “all done!”.
And as puppy parents, we have to respect that limit and only push them as far as they are
ready for.
If you haven’t already started it, you’ll soon realize that impulse control training
is super important.
Counter surfing, picking up sticks and grass and dirt, and getting a little more curious
at home, and finding all the areas that aren’t puppy-proofed….
that’s what you can expect.
If you have a larger dog, you’ll really want to get those leash skills under control
so he doesn’t pull your arm out of the socket when he sees a squirrel.
Just like with chewing and biting, chasing squirrels is normal behavior, but it’s up
to us to teach him what we want to do instead and help him see why that’s a better choice.
Keep in mind that when you first take your pup out on walks, he may not be comfortable
enough to go potty.
You might be frustrated since you were hoping those walks would alleviate a few of those
many potty breaks.
Yeah, that’ll happen, but it could take a little while.
Moving on to our next phase.
I called this Manners and More Exercise.
As you expose your pup to new things you’ll start to see where are the “holes” in
your training and where you need to do some more work at home.
This would be things like taking your pup to a restaurant or setting up a doggie playdate
with a similar size and temperament canine.
Or maybe you take your puppy to the hardware store for his evening walk.
You’ll notice what might be lacking in your training regimen and add that into your practice
at home.
During this time pups are getting really curious, they might have some behavior that has been
accidentally reinforced, and it’s common to call them stubborn, except they’re not.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Anytime you call your dog 'stubborn' or 'bad'
you are judging their potential based on your limitations as their trainer.
Did you know that around 6-9 months of age, it’s the most common time for dogs to show
up at a shelter, to be rehomed?
The dog is getting more curious, they are no longer that sweet little puppy who sleeps
on your lap like a potato, and any bad manners they have, well it’s like they multiplied.
But you’re watching my channel so I know you’re working hard to avoid this.
This is where training really needs to dig in, but as humans we often become complacent.
Just like you put in a ton of effort during the potty training phase, you reap what you
sow with skills training too.
Keep it up and you’ll get that dream dog you always wanted.
Now before I share the last phase with you go ahead and hit that subscribe button
Ok, The last phase I call Freedom… and Regression.
As your dog gets older and more trustworthy, you might open up new rooms of the house to
him.
Maybe he can even hang out in the living room with you while you watch TV, or he can be
out of his pen while you eat or cook.
This is what we strive for!
This video can give you a lot of great info about opening up new spaces to our pups and
helping them manage it.
Did you catch the second part of this phase… regression?
You’ll see regression throughout the first year just as a natural development of your
dog’s brain.
You might see a few periods of more pronounced fear, which we call fear imprint periods.
You might see a few times of potty accidents when you’ll need to tighten up on your fundamentals
in order to avoid an accident.
And of course, your dog will need regular practice on all those amazing skills you taught
him.
Just like when you go to the gym and work on your muscle building, you have to maintain
it or lose it!
Training your dog is no different.
But the good news is that as your dog grows you'll learn so much more about his preferences,
what brings him joy, what routines work well for him
and how much exercise and enrichment he needs in order to have a harmonious life in the
human world.
I could go on and on about dog development, as well as training.
But I need to take care of my own furry friends as well as the students who are taking my
online course.
In the comments below, tell me what phase you are in and what you learned from this
video!