Charlotte Foster
A puppy has moved in with you and you want to take good care of it and give it everything the little explorer needs. In addition to food, places to sleep, and education, the question often arises: what games, how often and for how long does the new family member have to play? First of all: Even if your puppy is a bright four-legged friend who would like to play all day long, it is a “baby”. And that’s supposed to discover the world, but it also needs a lot of rest. In addition, the small dog’s body is not made for working out all day long. The joints and bones are sensitive and growing.
Moving into a new home is enough work
When the puppy comes to you, it will be about two months old. He may have learned a lot from his mother and siblings, but he has to rediscover the world in which he will live for the next ten to 15 years. He has to do a lot for this, because he comes into a completely foreign environment, with unfamiliar smells and unknown things. He has to digest the farewell to his littermates and his mother and, from his point of view, find his way around on his own. This means that when the little dog moves in with you, apart from exploring the new environment and getting to know its roommates, it doesn’t need any special activity at first.
How to behave properly – little puppy basics
- Let him go, ignore small missteps, praise him when he does something right, and give him a cuddle when he allows it.
- Give him security and security and let him arrive calmly.
- Make sure he gets outside regularly to do his business, but don’t take him for long walks. In the first few days after moving in, the new environment is already exciting enough for the puppy.
- In addition, the small dog needs regular rest and sleep units. Basically, you can say that the puppy should rest around 20 hours a day and only be active for four hours a day.
Puppies keep busy after the acclimatization period
As soon as your animal companion has settled in with you, you can discover the world with him in small steps. Take him into the garden or outside for a few minutes and let him scurry around there. Always keep him safe in his new environment by being calm and composed. In this way, the young dog learns that there is no danger to him on unfamiliar terrain. Every time you go out into the local area, get your puppy used to doing his business outside by giving him praise or a treat afterward. In the period between the fourth week of life and around the 16th week of life, the puppy is particularly receptive to getting to know new things and making positive connections. For this reason, you should first familiarize him with all the things
It is also beneficial if the little youngster has contact with strangers and socially acceptable conspecifics as early as possible. Everything that your dog perceives as positive during this time will remain in its memory as an adult dog. The same applies here: take it slow! For example, take your dog for a short drive one day, and another day a friend is coming to visit with their four-legged friend. You should also get him used to the vet at an early stage, but that is only due to the vaccination appointments.
Walks: varied and short
Puppies occupy themselves with a walk because they want to sniff and explore everything. Take your dog to other places to walk the dog more often, sometimes to a forest path, sometimes to a field, and sometimes to the market square. In this way, he quickly learns to find his way around in different environments. However, keep in mind that walks for puppies should be fairly short. As a rule of thumb, you should walk your puppy for around five minutes at a time for every month of life. This means that a 15-minute walk is perfectly sufficient for a twelve-week-old dog. After that, a rest phase is the order of the day so as not to overload the skeleton and muscles of the four-legged friend.
Puppies keep busy with play units
In addition to discovery tours, playing together with you is the greatest pleasure for the puppy. For example, you can start with simple hidden object games by distributing food or treats around the house. You can also try to teach the dog to fetch. Tug and fight games are also good puppy games. However, tugging games are not suitable during teething, as this can lead to a misalignment of the permanent teeth. Basically, these types of play also offer the opportunity to teach the dog boundaries and, for example, to train its biting inhibition. If the dog overdoes it during the game and bites too hard, say “Ow” out loud and stop the game for a moment. So he quickly learns that he has to take a step back if he wants to continue playing.
First commands to keep the puppy busy
Another useful employment opportunity is teaching the first commands such as “sit” or “stay”. It’s also a good idea to take your little rascal to puppy school once a week. With all the active activities of the puppy, do not forget that cuddling or extensive brushing are also pleasant activities for your four-legged friend. The same applies when playing: the dog should never be exhausted to the full, but rather experience short play units and then rest periods again. Also, please never overwhelm your puppy.