Rules and routines are especially important if there's more than one human in the house. Always encourage consistency, an important element of successful puppy-raising. When your puppy joins your family, she'll experiment with different behaviors to try to figure our how the world works, and how to make good stuff happen - a dog's main mission in life. The more consistent everyone is, the quicker she'll figure it all out.
Here are some issues for your family to discuss and agree on:
- Where will your puppy sleep? We suggest in a crate in someone's bedroom until the puppy is at least a year old and fully housetrained and house trustworthy.
- Will she be allowed on the furniture? It's ok for dogs to join you on the furniture within reason - not the kitchen table, of course - as long as it's not creating any aggression or other behavior problems. It's best for your dog to ask permission first if you're on the sofa and they want to join you.
- Where will she be during the day? The best answer is....with you. If you have the luxury of working at home or taking her to the office with you, under direct supervision. or leashed and crated, with potty breaks every hour on the hour, at first. If you're not home, she should be indoors, crated - if you can arrange for adequate potty breaks - or in an exercise pen.
- Who will feed her; when, and what? Your puppy should be able to depend on regular and high-quality meals form a clean bowl in a quiet place. If you choose to make it a child's responsibility, you must supervise to be sure your puppy is fed properly. Don't allow anyone to pester her while eating.
- Who will train her; how and for what? We urge you to train using positive reinforcement methods, starting with housetraining, all the way thru the most advanced training you choose to pursue. You can have a "primary" trainer, and then encourage the whole family to participate in training activities. They'll all be living with the puppy, and they need to learn to communicate consistently and effectively in a language she will understand.
Puppies develop lifelong habits during the first several months of their lives. Extra management effort early on can save you years of headaches later. If you don't give your puppy the opportunity to learn that chewing sofa cushion is fun and feels good on sore gums, she'll earn house freedom much sooner than a confirmed cushion shredder. When you see her heading for cushions or the coffee table leg, offer her a stuffed toy or teether instead, or engage her in a game of tug. doodle puppies goldendoodle puppies golden doodle pups
