Socializing Your Dog.

This is a crucial step into the health of your dog.
Boundaries need to be in place with everyone before the dog comes home.
If you have children, they need to be monitored especially toddlers.
Limit the time the toddlers have and try not to let the kids become over excited with a lot of screeching and running around.
The calmer the environment the calmer the dog will be.  It is a reflection of you as is your children
I said before, our dogs are forever 2 and are dependent forever.
This is not a license to treat the dog like a person.  Treat it like it is...a dog
Bad habits can turn into destructive behavior later in life.
When someone comes to visit.  Control the dog before answering the door.  Have it sit.  If need be, have it on a leash.  Do not pay attention to the dog.  Greet the friend.  Do not have them pay attention or make contact with the dog.  Allow the dog to sniff the friend and ignore the dog still.
What you want is the dog not to get excited every time someone arrives.
Jumping up and down is a sign of mild dominance and a nuisance to visiting friends who might have nice cloths on and do not want paw prints on them.
A larger breed dog can harm a child or senior it it is too excited and throws its 100+ pound weight around.
Nipping this in the bud as a pup makes for a pleasant visit for all concerned.
Introduce the pup to new environments.  Take the pup for a car ride.  When it gets into the car for the first time, reward it with a treat.
Rewards get the dog thinking that this is a good experience and not one of dread.
This also works well with bathing, clipping nails or cleaning out their ears.  If they relate the treatment as positive then you will get a positive response out of the dog.
Take the dog out for walks.  Allow the dog to meet and greet some, not all dogs.  If you know the dog you are about to greet or the other dog owner states that it is O.K. to approach the dog then carefully allow them to greet.  Dog parks are ideal to socialize your pup with all variations of dogs.

Do puppy massages.  We do this for all our pups.  We start by training them to lay on their back.  We then rub their feet and between their pads, we graduate to introducing a brush and give them a treat when they allow us to brush them.  We give them a treat while they are in the bath or when we clip their nails.
 Start young and reap the benefits for many years to come.

Puppy Proof


This is as important as child proofing a home.  Now I say this with some reserve.  I am a believer that the pet or child for that matter needs to be trained and not re-arrange the house to suit the pup or kid.

There are exceptions to all rules and in this case I make one.  Ensure that all poisons that could harm the pet are out of reach.
Remove any poisonous plants from both the house or yard.
Puppies will chomp first and become sick or die after and we do not want either.
Certain household plants can kill a dog.  Check yours out and research them to see if they are toxic to pets.
Outside plants we take for granted can also kill.  Grapevines don't kill but their fruit in theform of grapes and raisins do.  The leaves of rhubarb can also kill a dog.

So that is my exception.  Be prepared to introduce as many things into the dogs life within the first 3 months as you possibly can.  This will stay with the dog forever and better to have a positive response than that of fear.
Fear can stop you and your pet from enjoying the great outdoors.  Fear may cause the dog to bite when faced with something new and unusual.

I mentioned before that your pup will teeth so put those precious shoes away.  Have ample chew toys for him or her to gnaw on. Keep the pup active with plenty of things to do.  Training being the top of the list.  The more interaction, the more you work the dog the more it will become a model citizen of your family.  Of course you will be proud to show it off as well so the rewards come full circle.
You will also tire the dog out and it will be less destructive as a result.
Enjoy your dog.