Bringing your new puppy home is an exciting time for all involved. The first few months of life for a puppy are key to shaping their brain and future. This vital window begins to close at 16 weeks old, so it is essential we start teaching them from the very beginning.
We recommend reward-based training as puppies respond well to this method and avoids using harsh techniques.
It is incredibly rewarding training your puppy, but it can quickly become overwhelming especially when searching for advice, it can often lead to being incorrectly informed.
Here are some simple tips and advice we believe will help your puppy succeed in the big, wide world!
Blythman and Partners recommend every puppy enrols onto a training course provided by a recognised dog trainer/ behaviourist.
Please ask for more information.
Diet
It is essential you feed an appropriate diet well suited to your puppy. A specially formulated puppy diet to facilitate growth and development is required for the first year of their life. A high-quality commercial kibble designed especially for puppies is advised.
Puppies should be fed four times a day until they are around 4 months old.
A good quality kibble will clearly list all its ingredients, so check this carefully.
Our advice is to stay clear of brands that use the term ‘meat and animal derivatives’ as the exact protein source is unknown and the quality may be poor.
Check for added preservatives and artificial additives as these are unnecessary.
Here are some signs that may indicate your puppy could benefit from a diet change:
- Hyperactivity
- Eating tissues/ Stones/ Grass
- Dandruff
- Diarrhoea/ Excessive number of stools passed
- Irritable
- Coprophagia (Eating their own stools)
Blythman and Partners do not advocate the feeding of raw food, it can pose a risk to health due to harmful transmissive bacteria and parasites.
Please note there are many ways to train your puppy. If you are ever in doubt or have specific issues, please seek professional advice.
Useful links:
Finding a certified clinical animal behaviourist:
www.abtc.org.uk/
Dog training classes near you:
www.apdt.co.uk
Training advice useful videos:
www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice
Analysing dog food:
www.allaboutdogfood.com
