Make Sure That You’re Prepared to Put in the Effort to Train and Socialize It

Part 1 of 2

Puppy ownership is incredibly rewarding, but not much different from having a baby–in fact, a four-legged infant with sharp teeth can be even more of a challenge!

If you have never owned a puppy before, this article should help to prepare you for the many things that you should know and expect from your puppy, and some of your responsibilities as the owner.

Your key responsibility as a puppy parent is to properly train and socialize the new addition to your family.

Dog training is very important for its overall well-being. The earlier you begin, the better off you’ll be. Even though puppies are small, they are an inquisitive bundle of of four-legged, non-stop energy, with teeth at one end and pee and poo at the other, and not a diaper in sight.

They are eager to please, though, and will surprisingly catch on to many things very quickly if you take the time to teach them, and try to stay patient if things don’t always go one hundred percent perfectly.

It is crucial for anyone considering getting themselves a new puppy to be prepared for the toilet training and basic social skills training that will enable their new puppy to mature into a clean, well-mannered, well-adjusted dog.

The longer you put it off, the more difficult they will be to train, the more likely they will become a nuisance to you and others, and possibly even a danger to themselves and anyone who comes into contact with them.

The basics include proper toileting, rather than soiling in the house. coming when called, sitting and staying, walking properly on a leash, and crossing a street safely. It also includes behaving well with humans, dogs, and other aninmals, both on the street and it its own home.

The Puppy Rule of 12 gives some helpful guidelines as to the many things you should try to expose your puppy to by the time it is 12 weeks of age, in order to socialize it properly, and enable it to feel secure in a variety of surroundings and circumstances. Once your puppy has had its preliminary shots and the vet says it is all right, they can begin exploring the big wide world outside your house.

But in the meantime, there is a lot you can do to help them inside, for example, by having various friends and family over to meet your puppy and help with its training.

(See also part 2 of this article)