Curbing Those Little Habits

Crying at night

When you tuck your pup in bed, give your pup an item that has the scent of their mother on it.

If that’s too difficult to get, to get your pup to start thinking of you as its new family, give them an item with your scent. A plush snuggle toy would be perfect to comfort them through the night.

Biting

Puppies can have sharp teeth and habitual biting can turn into a game as puppies start exploring objects. If you find your puppy biting regularly, try substituting what was bitten for a town. If it still continues, any time you feel contact with your puppies teeth, make a high-pitch “ouch” sound to teach your pet that biting hurts and it's not okay.

Chewing

To stop your pup from chewing on everything in its sight, toys of different shapes, tastes and textures will help distract it from teething pain.

Fear of other dogs

As puppies learn to communicate in the first few months of their lives, coming into contact with big dogs can be intimidating. As they learn to adapt to their environment, they’ll seek your guidance. If they are fearful, let them observe from a distance whilst you comfort them. If the fear persists as your pup grows older, you may need a behavior specialist. Most of the time, it helps puppies adjust to their new home.

Toilet accidents

These accidents happen quite often. Remember, don’t get angry at them, just gently re-direct them. By giving lots of praise and affection when your pup uses the right spot, they’ll learn what is acceptable. Try to use puppy pads for the early days.

Humping

This may be amusing at the start, but good puppy care involves teaching your pet that it isn’t acceptable behavior. A stern “no” should do the trick, but if that doesn’t work try sending your dog to their time-out spot and ignore them. It's important to start training in the first few weeks your pup is home to establish ground rules.