Common Mistakes that First Time Puppy Owners Make (Series 1 of)

Getting your first dog or puppy is such an amazing time for most people.   Like some other pets (like parrots for instance) they need our support as much as we need theirs.  You can revel and enjoy the cute loving nature of your dog or puppy.   Many, especially first time dog or puppy owners, make some mistakes that are avoidable if you know about them.  The mission of this blog is to help dog and puppy owners with information like this.  Btw, dog trainers make mistakes too, because not all dogs are alike.   They have very individual personalities.  At another time, we will address those too.  In the meantime, here is some general advice on mistakes to avoid.

In the first series for this article, I am going to go over new puppies for new puppy owners, as this article will be too long otherwise.  Later on in the month, we will go over adult dogs and rescue adult dogs.

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  Here are some young puppy mistakes to avoid tips:

1. Selecting a puppy based on looks, and not how the future adult dog will fit into your lifestyle.
2. Letting your puppy run free and unsupervised in the house (or the yard for that matter, unless it is fence and even then supervise them).
3. Avoiding crate training or a potty training plan as too much work in the beginning.
4. ​Playing and enjoying your puppy without putting any kind of training in.
5. Socializing your puppy more as a free for all with all dogs and people.
6. ​Expecting young puppies to act like adult dogs.
7. Keeping your puppy off all hard surfaces (this is specific to something I learned).
8. ​Not moving and going slow enough for your puppy in training and in activity.
9. Also though, not pushing your puppy a little forward (when ready) in training beyond the sitting at the dog bowl before eating.   Point 8 and point nine are a related balancing act.
10. Leaving collars and leashes until later to get used to.
11. Letting your puppy stay up all day at their whim.
12. Punishing or making a big deal about things that are natural to a puppy or the puppy does not know the rules yet.
13. Not having an idea on ​what your rules will be for when your puppy becomes an adult dog.

Why are these mistakes for your puppy?:

1. Picking a puppy by looks alone is not the way to go.   Look at your lifestyle and what the puppy may grow into. There are puppies who may become very big adults, be very active adults (Dobermans, Labs, German Short Haired Pointers), prone to barking a lot (terriers, beagles), very prey driven, prone to herd a lot, some breeds are not very prone to being social to humans or others,  and so forth.   If you are not prepared to live with that propensity and train them so it is not a problem when they are an adult, it is possible you may grow into the dog.  However, some things get in the way of that too (other pets, children, other house members).  So the best thing you can do is stack the odds for success in the future.  It is not a perfect plan, but it will help you avoid some obvious mistakes.
2. Free and unsupervised puppies do not understand the house rules.  They do  not know that wires and woodwork are not for chewing for instance.   They have know idea that far away from you in the house is not the appropriate place to potty.  Young puppies are infants and need supervision and/or containment (crate, puppy pen, leash, and so on).
3. Crate training and potty training are usually very related, which is why I put them together.  In addition to the crate being a fabulous potty training tool, it also teaches puppies self restraint, self calming and relaxing, the ability to be separate from you for a period of time, and the potential ability to stay somewhere overnight without panicking (the vet or a pet sitter).  Potty training often involves the crate in a serious potty training plan.   This can take a lot of time at first, but it is well worth it.  If you stick to an example like our linked potty training plan, you will have less problems (if your dog gets sick they can't control this) in the future.
4. Training a puppy is different than training an adult dog.   Starting the training process that is appropriate for a puppy will help you with training on your older dog AND potential avoid big problems later.  The most important training point to start at is potty training, calming, and handling (puppy gets used to owners handling them for other pet professionals later on) in my opinion.   Then build on from there with easy obedience exercises, possibly tricks, walking on leash, and so forth.  A puppy that starts these early is very different than a six month to two year old dog (in general) where owners were waiting to train them.
5. Socializing your puppy by just letting them make possibly very serious mistakes that can get them hurt or fearful is the wrong way to go.
6. Puppies are baby dogs and generally can not act like an adult dog (much like infants or toddlers).    They can not act like adult dogs, because they are growing, maturing, and learning for the first three years of their life (generally).  Before puppies become six months, they are really relying on your patience and ability to teach them the ropes.  Let your puppy be a puppy, just supervise and work with them.  Work does not have to be too serious at this point.
7.  Hard surfaces are sometimes going to be a reality when your puppy grows into an adult dog.   Don't teach your puppy to be the princess and the pea, if you want them to hang out at a friends house or go to a restaurant deck when they are an adult.   My Leon eventually did learn this, but I realized I was always making surfaces soft for him when he was a puppy.   So at friends houses and restaurants, he was not prepared for the expectation that he might have to lie on a hard surface every now again. 
8. Puppies need patience and are learning from the ground up.  You need to go slow on teaching and expectations with your puppy.   You are teaching your puppy everything they need to know later.   Do this slow now, you have time.  Fast luring is only going to confuse your puppy.   Also, remember their growth plates and (in general) their stamina is not that of an adult dog.   Hold off any real long hikes, or running with you, or jumping over things until almost two years old.  You don't want any unnecessary injures while their growth plates are still developing.
9. ​This is a balancing act with the above point, but puppies do learn and they are smart and sponge like.   Once they get the hang of something, don't just repeat that the way it is over and over again.  Take another small but challenging step with them.  Whether it is practicing the exercise outside now, or in a park, or adding a little time on, or adding a little distance; just keep your puppy interested, engaged, and improving with the training.
10. In my opinion, getting a puppy used to a leash and collar is very important for their future life as a dog.  For one, there are leash laws to contend with later, and it is nice to be able to take your future dog out many places.  This is also a way to teach your dog to stay with you for future off leash training.   In emergencies, leashes and collars are much easier to remove and put on than harnesses.   Harnesses are generally pretty possible for a dog or puppy to wiggle out of, and they are very hard to train your dog own (though there are some instances where this might be necessary due to a medical condition).  Getting your puppy used to having this on is, in my opinion, a very important step.
11. Puppies need proper nap times to be their best.  Most puppies will either not do this on their own or not get their proper sleep if they are allowed to get up when something interesting is going on.  Puppies can get cranky, impatient, and down right annoying when they have a lack of sleep.   Now is the time to make this a habit for them.
12. Rules for the future of your puppy should be in your mind now.  If you don't want them on your furniture, don't let them get used to that entitlement now.    If you don't want them begging for food, be sure the feeding is done away from the dinner table and never entice your puppy to the dinner table for a scrap (crating is a good idea at your dinner with a puppy).