So you’ve got a puppy – congratulations, you’re living the dream.
But now that you’ve got that lovely small ball of fluff to care for, you have some training work to do.
According to a survey of 2,000 UK adults conducted by puppy training coaching app Zigzag, nearly half (45%) of respondents thought nipping was a behavioural issue.While it’s obviously not ideal, having a puppy that is a bit mouthy is actually totally normal.
It’s very important that people are aware of this, given that over a quarter (27%) of dog owners would consider giving up their puppy if they displayed behaviour mistakenly identified as ‘problematic’ for their age.
‘This research is incredibly alarming,’ said Lorna Winter, director of the UK Dog Behaviour and Training Charter and co-founder and head of training at Zigzag.Make a Simple Puzzle Toy With a Muffin Tin. Looking for a simple way to keep your dogs mind busy? Create a simple puzzle toy with a muffin tin, treats and a few tennis balls. And if you’re looking some more boredom busters check out 26 simple ways to relieve dog boredom.
‘Over 3million of us are considering getting a puppy, however many have idealised views of companionship and simply aren’t prepared to put in the work when it comes to training or researching what is normal.’
With that in mind, Lorna has put together some tips for puppy owners on how to train their little buds out of nipping.Don’t just use hands and feet during playtime
INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOUR PET: Nearly 80 million U.S. households have a pet, and 42 percent of those households have more than one, according to a 2015-2016 survey by the APPA. There are 77.8 million pet dogs in the U.S. and 85.8 million pet cats.
Yes, it’s very easy to horse around with your pup with your own hands and feet, but it’s not a great idea.
Lorna says: ‘Never play with your puppy using just hands or feet (however tempting it is) as your puppy will not be able to differentiate this from their toys.
Keep toys handy
Further to the above, you’ll want to keep distracting toys within reach.
‘Always have toys to hand to redirect those teeth onto,’ advises Lorna.
‘Long, soft tough toys are better as they will increase the distance between your pup and your hand.’
For easy tick removal, apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball and swab the tick with the cotton ball for a few seconds.
Make sure they get enough sleep
Animals are a lot like humans – they need their sleep.
‘Sleep can also be a huge contributing factor,’ says Lorna.‘Your puppy should have somewhere safe and quiet to sleep for between 18-20 hours per day – this ensures they are not restless and will reduce the chances of problematic behaviour.’
Keep playtime short
It will be harder for your four-legged-baby to control themselves if they’re overexcited.
‘Control playtime, so it doesn’t get too boisterous or go on too long,’ Lorna says.
Always keep an ID tag on your pet. Consider getting your pet microchipped as well to help identify him if he is lost or stolen.
‘Keep your play sessions short and not too exciting.’
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