Everyone loves puppies – well, every dog lover. It’s #NationalPuppyDay, a day to celebrate those irresistible, tiny, sweet-smelling, innocent, wide-eyed, cuddly, fluff-balls. And also, a day to celebrate our older, hopefully wiser, canine companions.
Since the first lockdown thousands of puppies have been bought as pets
The past year has seen a huge increase in demand for puppies, with prices soaring and dog theft becoming its own epidemic. Rescues couldn’t match that early demand Puppy mills have flourished. Backyard breeders have prospered.
Families who just wanted a cuddly companion have come face to face with dog ownership reality and the problems that result from not creating a proper foundation from the start. The initial novelty has truly worn off.
Some have decided (and will decide) that a dog isn’t going to fit in with their “normal” lives once lockdown ends. Rescues are seeing a steady stream of dogs who have outgrown their cute cuddly stage and are now gangly, obnoxious teenagers.
Getting a puppy isn’t about a few starry-eyed weeks of puppy cuddles. It’s about the reality of watching your puppy like a hawk, going outside seemingly every few minutes and standing waiting in all weathers for your puppy to perform.
Looking after a puppy is hard work and requires a huge and consistent effort from you
It’s about puppy proofing your home to avoid expensive chewing mistakes and protecting your valuable fixtures and fittings.
It’s about helping your puppy understand what is theirs and what’s out of bounds.
It’s about spending time – lots of time – with your puppy to teach them about the world and how they need to act and behave.
It’s about taking your puppy out for walks, every day, whether you’re busy or not, and whatever the weather.
It’s about training your puppy to do what you want, to live in harmony with you and your family, to have good manners with other people. Training is also about preventing and avoiding potential future problems – prevention is far, far, easier than cure for any unwanted behaviour.
It’s about teaching your puppy to be comfortable being left alone. This has been difficult for people confined to their own homes during lockdown and, as we ease back towards normal, I suspect there are going to be many dogs who struggle to cope.
Our latest Masterclass can help your puppy ease into being left alone at home
If you want to know how to help your dog to be comfortable being left home alone, join our Serene Separation Masterclass.
Our Serene Separation course runs regularly for three consecutive Wednesday evenings. We’ll cover how to prevent problems, how to teach your dog to be comfortable being left alone in a few simple stages, and what to do if your dog is already struggling.
Each session will be recorded so if you do miss one session you can easily catch up. There’s also an accompanying workbook to help you work through the exercises and devise your own, individual plan – and encourage you to follow it.
Celebrate #NationalPuppyDay by helping your dog cope with the easing of lockdown.
Keep training and stay safe,
Carol
PS If you want help with your new puppy, my books are a good way to start – search for “Doggy Doctor series” on Amazon or look at Publications on the website
