Feature Article
Best Dog Breeds Our dogs make sacrifices to live in a human society. They are dog's decedents, of Wolves. As I have mentioned there are behavioral characteristics to each breed. An experienced breeder will be able to educate you of the upside and the downside of the individual breed you are researching. I do plan to go into individual breeds in a little more depth later on. Before bringing the puppy home the stage needs to be set. You need to begin immediately to both socialize and house train the new arrival. Things can go from bad to worse very quickly, if you are not prepared. There are as many methods of training a puppy, as there are dog owners, and each is happy to give advice. That is of course what I am untimely doing, giving advice. When the puppy is introduced to your home on the first day, try not to let him become overwhelmed with new people and new things. The first few nights a puppy is away from mom and litter mates will be frightening. He will be scared, and lonely. Make him as comfortable as possible. Which is why I suggested that you're first few days should be devoted to this transition, take a few days off of work if possible. The few days you investment in this, will be the basis for the next 10 to 16 years. So try to establish a routine as soon as possible. No matter how sorry you are for the puppies loneliness do not allow him to do anything now that you will not want later. Do not allow the baby to sleep on your bed for example, unless you want to share the covers with him from now on. I personally prefer my dog on the bed, to me there is something soothing about a snoring dog. The worst thing you can do is yell at or scold a scared puppy for crying. That would teach the puppy to fear you instead of learning to trust you. As the days pass the youngster will begin to become more comfortable. However, now is not the time to rest, the journey is just beginning all of the youngster's care is your responsibility, mental as well as physical. I mentioned wolves. The truth is the human family is disorderly compared to an average wolf pack. We are very inconsistent, one day a behavior may be accepted, and the next day the same behavior may be punished. The tone of voice may mean one thing while the body language says something else. That is why the puppy must see you as leader and you must give rules to follow otherwise he will take the lead and do as he pleases. He would not be wrong just confused about what is expected. Confinement is important because in the beginning the puppy should never leave your sight. You will need to be constantly vigilant for the signs of elimination. So when the time arrives you will see it coming and you should have a plan in place. The puppy should be given one place in the yard to relieve himself, at first you will probably need to quickly carry him there. Naturally when he gets older you can walk him to the place. The usual times to be diligent of are after he eats, after he wakes up and after play. Repetition will win, and eventually he will get the idea. Most dogs are clean and soiling the house is not really natures plan. So you will need to establish a schedule for eating, drinking, and outside time. The house training will depend on the schedule. The puppy will need to be taken to the potty area every few hours until at least 16 weeks of age. This is because they have little control over their bodily functions, just like a human child. After eating, drinking, napping, and playing, in addition to the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. Even after house training the puppy still needs to have access to the potty area at least three times a day. If you work ten-hour days, your life style would be very unfair to a social animal, and my advice is to consider some other hobby. Stamp collecting comes to mind. I don't want to sound horrible. My feeling is, the dog is usually the victim, and people can care for themselves
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