New year, new puppy? When and how to start the training process.

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We often hear that getting a puppy for Christmas is a mistake. Of course, they aren’t toys, but if you’ve thought about the decision and taken time to plan and prepare, we believe Christmas vacation is one of the best times to get a new puppy.

With the extra time off work and school, you and your family can spend time helping your pup adjust to their new home. But how do you go about setting those boundaries and expectations when all your pup wants to do is eat, sleep, explore, and (most of all) make a mess?

Sit & Stay Pro Tip

Developmental Stages

It helps to understand exactly where your pup is in their development. At 8 weeks old, they’re in two overlapping stages: 

1. Human Socialization Period (7-12 weeks) 

2. Fear Impact Period (8-11 weeks)

Roaming

Now that you know a little bit about what’s going on in your puppy’s brain, we’ll talk about the most important aspect of puppy training: limiting your puppy’s ability to roam.

Everywhere your puppy goes and everything they do should be controlled by you or someone in your household for the first three weeks. They eat, sleep, and go outside only under your guidance. 

Seem excessive? There’s a logic behind it.

Not only does this method limit the amount of trouble your puppy can get into, but it also puts you in a position of leadership. Take this opportunity to bond with your puppy, develop structure, and reinforce basic commands. It will make the rest of the training process a breeze.

The Smile Section

Vet Recommendations

There is a lot of controversy over whether or not you should socialize your puppy at such a young age. Is it worth the risk if they aren’t fully vaccinated?

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior believes the benefits outweigh the risks. As long as your puppy receives their first set of vaccines and deworming seven days prior to the class, enrolling them in a socialization class poses a small risk of infection, while failing to socialize them could result in severe (and sometimes deadly) behavioral problems later in life.

Read more about AVSAB’s position here.

Product of the Week

While preparing for the arrival of your new puppy, you should also consider how you’ll reunite if they go missing. We never like to think about this happening, but you don’t want to regret overlooking it.

One product that can help is the GPS Dog Tracker by FitBark. 

FitBark’s Smart Collars are made to fit pups from 5 lbs to 240 lbs. Designed as an activity tracker to help you monitor your dog’s health data (much like a hooman smartwatch), it has the added advantage of tracking your pup’s location in real time, with minute-by-minute updates.

Get this puppy monitor and lost-dog-tracker for just $99.95 + subscription by visiting the FitBark store.

Have questions about dog training?

Get them answered by a professional dog trainer!

Each week, we’ll interview a trainer and feature the answers to your questions as our Sit & Stay Pro Tip. E-mail [email protected] to submit your question.

Think your dog can make us smile? Submit a pic to [email protected] for a chance to see your pet in our Smile Section!