Training suggestions
Little puppies are SO CUTE and quickly win your heart over...however, they should NOT end up running (or ruining) your home!
I suggest the following:
1. That you immediately work on house training your pup. Be diligent and consistent. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail here, there are tons of books and websites where you can find house training tips.
2. Do not allow the puppy free roaming privileges. Puppies can easily and quickly get into a lot of "trouble" by themselves. Please keep puppy safely contained in a safe area when you are not able to keep both eyes and all of your attention on them.
3. Provide lots of safe chewing items for puppy to use. Terriers LOVE to chew and sometimes even become obsessive about it. I recommend different types of nylabones and other strong chew items. I suggest that you stay away from hooves and animal bones. They are known to break and splinter teeth. I also suggest that you keep rawhides to a minimum. They have no nutritional value. Some terriers are so aggressive, that they will swallow/eat rawhide before it has softened. This can cause choking and damage/blockage to the intestinal track. Venie cannot be given rawhide, because she does this.
4. Socialize and meet as many people and other dogs/animals as possible. The rule is 100 people met before the pup is 100 days old. I've begun socializing, but the more you do, the more often you do it, the better your dog will be towards strangers and other dogs. The AHT basic personality is "a bit stand-offish towards strangers" so they are naturally inclined to be aloof. The more effort you put into it, the better they'll be. Please take care to make sure that the experience for your puppy is positive. Make sure that they are not put into a circumstance where they are uncomfortable or scared. Bring treats with you, too. Praise and treat (thus reinforcing) ONLY friendly happy and positive attitudes in your puppy. Do not "baby" or cuddle the pup displaying shy, scared or fearful attitudes - you will be reinforcing those negative behaviors. If your puppy is shy or scared, act "matter-of-fact" and basically "ignore" the negative behaviors...when they do show a positive behavior - that's the time you cuddle, praise and treat your pup! Sidenote: vets often "scare" new puppy owners about how you can't and shouldn't take your puppy out and anywhere before it has had it's final vaccination at 16 weeks of age. It IS true that they are still succeptible to catch something from unvaccinated dogs and stools...so do NOT put your puppy on the floor of the pet store or on the ground to potty in "high traffic" doggie areas where the chances to catch something would be significantly higher. Take your puppy out to socialize at non-traditional doggie places, they'll be safer for your puppy. Pick your children up from school, hang out at the baseball game, etc.
5. Enroll in a puppy kindergarten class. Great for socializing the pup and great for the owner to learn how to train the pup in basic commands.
PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS! Email me at Triumph Kennel. |
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