You Got a Puppy for the Holidays…Now What?

If you were lucky enough to add a puppy to your family this holiday season, congratulations!  Puppyhood is a special time as a pet parent!  It will soon be the New Year, time to go back to work and back to school, and now you have a new furry friend to care for…what do you do?

As we’ve mentioned in a previous blog, puppyhood is a very important time for your dog to grow, and while being a puppy parent may feel overwhelming…don’t worry!  We are here to help.

Socialization. Socialization is extremely important when it comes to your young puppy. Puppies may seem happy-go-lucky and invincible, but that behavior will not necessarily translate to adulthood unless you reinforce those behaviors by socializing your dog. Letting dogs learn to interact in new situations while they are young is important because it creates the building blocks to a successful adult dog.

There are many lifelong benefits to presenting your dog with new scenarios while they are young. Introducing them to other people, other dogs, new situations and different environments while encouraging positive interaction is especially critical during what is called the “Puppy Socialization Window.”

Puppies eight to sixteen weeks old are in this window, which essentially means that puppies are a sponge; they will soak up everything they are exposed to. Failing to socialize your dog during this time period could lead to behavior problems during their adult life. Begin socializing your dog as much as you can during this young age!

Puppy Daycare. Morris Animal Inn offers a one of a kind Puppy Daycare. According to The American Veterinary Medical Association, puppies should begin socialization before they are fully vaccinated. For this very purpose, puppies from eight to twenty weeks old have the opportunity to socialize and interact with other puppies in our specially designed nursery.  Puppies will also learn the foundations of obedience, manners and routines.

Sometimes pet parents haven’t realized the challenges of a puppy; accidents in the house, chewing your precious belongings, teething with those razor sharp teeth and more! Puppy Daycare can help you start off right to avoid stress and have a harmonious home. Our Puppy Daycare is a great solution. Puppies play throughout the day and are kept on a regular puppy schedule so they come home tired and better behaved!

Puppy Primping. Morris Animal Inn offers a variety of options for your puppy, to help them grow into happy and healthy adults. Aside from Puppy Daycare, we also offer free Puppy Priming to help your puppy become more accustomed to what it’s like to spend a day at the spa and be handled by strangers. With puppies that will require frequent grooming, this is a great program to help them become comfortable in different situations while in the care of our professional Groomers.

Puppy Lodging. Are you planning an upcoming vacation? Morris Animal Inn offers a specially designed puppy lodging program called Puppy Steps for puppies 7 months and under. We understand that puppies require special care and nurturing and the Puppy Steps Program is designed to meet these essential needs.  For this crucial stage of development, we have created an experience that reinforces housebreaking, encourages play and provides comfort.

Manners & Obedience. Need help reinforcing manners and obedience with your puppy? Whether for the day or a longer stay, our Training Staff can help work with your pup to reinforce the foundations of manners such as sit, stay, come, down, off and more!

While owning a new puppy means more responsibilities, it also brings more joy and happiness to your household!  Like children, puppies grow so fast and it’s important to savor every moment! If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath, snuggle with your new puppy and give us a call!  We’re here to help, every step of the way!

Source: AVMA

Don't Waste Puppyhood!

The first months of a puppy’s life is crucial to the way he or she will behave for the rest of their adult dog life. As a new puppy owner, you must be cautious and aware of how and what puppies learn so you have a well behaved dog. With the help of renowned animal behaviorist Dr. Ian Dunbar and his seminar “Don’t Waste Puppyhood!” we’ve summarized some major puppy musts.

Socialization. Dr. Dunbar believes that a dog’s temperament is forged by 12 weeks, so it’s important that the puppy’s first month at home is used wisely. He urges owners to “flood” puppies with social stimuli, and to be exposed to five new people a day -- the wider variety, the better!

Routines. New owners should continue to use a long-term confinement area with three distinct sections. This should be used whenever you are gone. While you are home, your puppy should be crated unless the two of you are interacting. It is very important that the dog learns how to be alone in small doses, and sees the crate as a comfortable resting option.

Rewards. Dunbar strongly believes that while still a puppy, a food bowl should be a rite of passage. All food should be hand-fed until your dog is perfect for you. Meals should be used for classical conditioning during socialization or for training. If there’s anything left over, it should be put in a chew toy.

Puppy Class. Puppy classes are another way to practice and improve upon socialization and obedience. Dr. Ian Dunbar believes puppy classes should be held completely off leash, but there are benefits to your puppy learning how to behave properly while leashed. The primary purposes of puppy class in the earliest stages are interaction with others and teaching bite inhibition.

Reliability and Trust. While teaching obedience to your puppy, every 15-30 seconds, there should be a training interlude, where you call your puppy back to you. Sometimes you can simply grab a collar and give a treat, and sometimes try to lure behaviors like sits or downs. Then, send the puppy back to play. This helps build off-leash reliability, modulates arousal levels, and teaches the puppies to think despite distractions.

Accepting Diversity. Puppy classes and interactions with other dogs should include puppies of all shapes and sizes. It is beneficial to you and your dog to have diverse interactions with other dogs. Small dogs must learn not to run and squeak, and big dogs must learn how to be gentle.

Not sure how to begin to socialize your puppy? Morris Animal Inn has introduced a one-of-a-kind puppy daycare for puppies 2-5 months old. This program, unlike any other, gives young puppies the chance to socialize with others of similar age, learn foundations of obedience, practice leash walking, have a routine-based schedule, and receive tons of cuddles and love from our caring staff! It is important when socializing your puppy, that it is done in a safe and appropriate manner. A bad experience can result negatively for the puppy long-term. We are confident that puppy daycare will help positively guide your puppy through one of the most important time of his or her life!

Source: Ian Dunbar, Science-Based Dog Training