3 Easy Tips to Raising Your New Puppy

Did You Know?  “Of the approximately 6.5 million companion animals who enter shelters nationwide every year, approximately 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats” and “Each year, approximately 1.5 million animals are euthanized (670,00 dogs and 860,000 cats).” (via)

You’re thinking about getting a puppy.  Now what?  I have you covered.  If you’re going to do this right, a puppy is a lot of work.  Whenever I see a cute puppy picture I do the opposite of a lot of people & let out a ginormous sigh.  Puppy’s look precious & cute, but they have the actual devil inside of them, disguised by soft fluffy fur.  (& the devil that had 17 cups of coffee this AM.)  I may have pushed the boundaries a little with my maturity & adopting Bernice because I don’t think I fully understood it would be like having a human 2 yr old.  The nice thing is, it doesn’t have to be out of control for very long if you train the puppy right.

Lucky for me, I made 3 decisions in the very beginning with Bernice that makes her the easy dog that I have now.

3 EASY TIPS TO RAISING YOUR NEW PUPPY

1. Get A Babysitter

Puppy’s have SO much energy. They want to move, eat everything, poop constantly, and bite your face off – & it’s important to let them do so!   You have to let a puppy be, a puppy.  If you’re at work all day or busy & leave the puppy at home how can they release all their energy?  They can’t.  Then, you get angry because they’re taking too long to potty train, or they run out the front door when it’s left open, or they chew up your favorite pair of shoes.  No, no we humans have this backwards.  You have to let a puppy be a puppy & free!  I found an awesome babysitter that took Bernice for $10 a day.  He let her do whatever she wanted & took her out on 2 walks a day.  She had 4 other dog friends that he would do the same routine with & they became a pack of besties. (Bernice was the annoying younger sister.)  I brought her 3 days a week, sometimes more.  And every Mon/Wed/Fri Bernice knew it was her day to go to the babysitter & she would sprint out the front door w excitement.  Doing this, was an absolute MUST for raising my doggie. Find yourself an excellent babysitter that you can consistently bring your puppy to.  It is absolutely worth it.

2. Kennel Train:

I always thought kennels were bad.  Putting a dog in a kennel was a form of punishment & only something a horrible owner would do.  Now?  I couldn’t agree less.  I read about the perks of kennel training when I got Bernice & started from day 1.  I think she only cried the 1st & 2nd night I had her, after that she was used to her kennel & knew that’s where she would sleep.  The key to doing kennel training right is by putting your puppy in the kennel at night, but also for small periods of time throughout the day when you’re in the house – not as punishment.  That way puppies don’t associate their kennel with something negative, but more like their home.  It only took about a week for Bernice to view her kennel as her home.  The other thing you have to do with kennel training: be strict & don’t budge.  Yeah, you’ll have to be the mean mom.  Consistency is key.

Kennel training has come in handy so often because I’ve moved almost once a year since I’ve had her.  But, because I always have her kennel with me, wherever I go, she has her home.  If Bernice ever goes missing, you can find her snoozing in her kennel – she does that when we’re annoying her or being too loud, she’s particular.   A kennel is the easiest way to handle any dog situation.  I can’t say enough how important this is for a dog to learn when they’re a puppy.  Just think about it – your dog needs a home too, it’s that simple.  Her kennel is her space, she makes it smell how she wants, with her fav blankets, and KNOWS its all hers.  And I know it’s the place she feels the safest.

3. Adopt Your Dog

I consider this obvious.  Is it bad that I automatically judge someone the second they tell me the price of the dog they just bought?  Like vomit in my mouth.  This one guy at my last job was trying to creep on me & thought showing me his pure bred chocolate lab that cost $$$$ would make me cream my pants, but it couldn’t have had a more opposite effect.  I became red.  The problem is, there are so many precious puppys & dogs that need homes!  I can’t imagine purchasing one.  And I think dogs that were adopted know they were adopted & that you saved them.  I understand I sound crazy & bias here, but from what I’ve seen I can always tell when a dog has been adopted by the way they are with their owners.  I also have a friend that had several dogs, some bought but 1 was adopted – the adopted one had a special love!  They know you’re their hero.  Be a hero you guys!  How can you even think of purchasing a dog?!

Alright. I promise you, follow all three of these things and you’ll have a puppy turn into a well behaved, easy going dog, with hardly any effort. And my one piece of ongoing advice, continue to give your dog attention.  If I’m going to be gone all weekend, I’ll send Bernice to her fav babysitter.  If I didn’t give her enough attention throughout the day & she does something naughty – I don’t blame her.  She’s fucking pissed off, she wants to be a dog & go outside.

Aren’t you guys lucky? I don’t post about Bernice all day & night?? HA! I totally could because she’s my hero & has done more for me than I could ever do for her.  But I wrote about that & why you NEED a dog: here.  Go peep it!

I adopted Bernice from The Humane Society in Austin TX, but you can search for adoptions near you: here

Dog tips & stories? Share below!

Have a great weekend & be thoughtful

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